Former Ravens President David Modell Dies at Age 55

Former Baltimore Ravens team president David Modell died Friday. He was 55. 

The Ravens announced the news on their official Twitter account.

Modell became the adopted son of longtime Cleveland Browns and Ravens owner Art Modell after his mother, actress Patricia Breslin, married the businessman. He followed in his father's footsteps by joining the Browns organization and following it during the move to Baltimore.

He was named president of the organization when the Ravens debuted in 1996. He stayed with the franchise through 2004, a stretch highlighted by the team's victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV at the end of the 2000-01 NFL season.

The Ravens' official release about his death noted he spent his time following his exit from the organization helping direct Modell Ventures and serving as chairman of 3ality Digital.

In August, Modell confirmed to Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland he had Stage IV lung cancer. He said at the time doctors had given him a year to live about one year earlier.

"I've been dealing with lung cancer this past year. The good news is it's a year. The bad news is it's lung cancer," Modell said. "But, for now all seems to be quiet, which is obviously good. It can go on like this for a while, which would also be very good. We'll just keep fighting the fight."

WNST passed along a moving speech he made at A Night of Heroes event last year:

The Ravens' release noted Modell's "fingerprints are still present" on the organization given his high-level involvement throughout the early years. He helped select the team's name and colors and played a role in the development of M&T Bank Stadium, where the team still plays its home games.