Thank you, Matt Stover…

19 years in the NFL for kicker extraordinaire Matt Stover… quite an achievement in the high-pressure profession he chose.

Stover played his final season in 2009 with the Indy Colts… but he’ll always be remembered as one of the great original Ravens.  Now 43, at 5-11, 180, Stover was originally signed by the old Cleveland Browns in 1991…and moved with the team to Baltimore in 1996 when Art Modell brought his franchise to its new home.

Known for accuracy more than great distance in his FG kicking game, Stover also had his share of occasional cold streaks…who can forget the famous grumblings of head coach Brian Billick about his “blankety-blank all-pro kicker” in the sideline footage from the Super Bowl 2000/01 film?

Stover and Billick had their share of confrontations, for sure, but always made up in the end…and Stover always found a way to recover from a bad outing…and then go on another terrific hot streak.

Stover’s highest paid year was 2004 when he made $ 2.163 million. He averaged out at $ 1 million per year over his full career with the Browns/Ravens…. His last season with the Colts in 2009 netted him $ 845,000 when he filled in for the injured Adam Vinatieri.  Released in 2010, Matt waited for another call from another team, but it did not come.

The Texas native is in the top 10 in NFL history in every significant kicking statistic, including 4th in total field goals made.

Stover  will be inducted into Baltimore’s Ring of Honor Nov. 20 if the 2011 NFL season takes place.

“The thing about being in the Ring of Honor is that I meant so much to my team, to the community,” Stover said in a statement. “That to me is just an awesome, awesome privilege. I cannot imagine a greater honor that an organization can give to a player, and I appreciate the Ravens for doing that.”

“I’ll be proud to retire as a Raven.”

Stover retires with the seventh-best field goal percentage (83.7) in NFL history and managed to go 591-for-594 in extra point attempts.

Many a Ravens game was won by a clutch Stover FG at the end of a defensive slugfest with the game on the line.

Thanks, Matt.