Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual World Championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itself, the Super Bowl ring offers a collectible memento for the actual players and team members to keep for themselves to symbolize the victory.[1]
Details
These rings are typically made of yellow or white gold with diamonds. They usually include the team name, team logo, and Super Bowl number (usually indicated in Roman numerals). The NFL pays for the cost of 150 rings to the winning team, at roughly $5,000 apiece, depending upon the fluctuating cost of gold and diamonds. The winning team can typically present rings to whomever they choose, including usually, but not limited to: players (active roster or injured), coaches, trainers, executives, personnel, and general staff. Some teams have also been known to give rings to former players and coaches that were on the team at some point during the season, despite not having been on the winning roster for the Super Bowl itself.[2][3] Sometimes a team will give rings to fans as part of a charity raffle.[4] Teams can distribute any number of rings, but must pay for any over the 150-ring limit. A recent trend over the last 15–20 years has been lesser rings awarded to front office staff. These are commonly called "B" and "C" level rings and are smaller and contain fewer diamonds or contain faux diamonds. The first instance of this was the Cowboys Super Bowl XVII ring when many in the front office received rings that were not solid gold and contained cubic zircona stones (which resemble diamonds). When Tampa Bay won Super Bowl XXXVII, the players and coaches received rings with a diamond-centered Lombardi trophy. Some staff received rings with a metal Lombardi trophy and real diamonds surrounding the trophy and the "C" level ring did not contain any diamonds.
Many rings feature diamonds in the shape of the Vince Lombardi Trophy or a football. Some feature diamonds or gold in the shape of a team logo. Others illustrate the number of Super Bowls that franchise has won. Also, the rings are customized with the player's name and uniform number.
The Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XLV ring[5] contained more than 100 diamonds. The Packer logo, in the center of the ring, made up 13 diamonds, one for each title the team has won, dating back to 1929. In a break from tradition, this is the first super bowl ring to be made of platinum, not gold.[citation needed]
Value and resale
Replicas of the rings for various years are popular collectibles, along with genuine rings. Dave Meggett is known to have placed his ring for sale on eBay. Two Super Bowl rings from the 1970 Steelers sold on eBay for over $32,000 apiece in mid-2008.[6] Patriots safety Je'Rod Cherry raffled his ring from Super Bowl XXXVI in November 2008 to benefit several charities working to help children in Africa and Asia.[7] Tight end Shannon Sharpe, meanwhile, gave his first Super Bowl ring to his brother Sterling, who had his career cut short by injury.[8]
In 2011, a Super Bowl ring belonging to Steve Wright, a lineman for the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s, sold for over $73,000 at auction. Three Super Bowl rings belonging to former Raiders' great Ray Guy brought over $96,000 at auction. In 2012, Lawrence Taylor's son, sold his father's Super Bowl ring from 1990 for more than $250,000.[citation needed]
Most Super Bowl rings
- Seven: One individual
- Neal Dahlen:[9][10] five with San Francisco (Staff and Player Personnel) and two with Denver (General Manager)
- Six: at least six individuals
- Dan Rooney and Art Rooney, Jr.: each as an executive with Pittsburgh
- Chuck Noll: four as head coach and two as a team consultant with Pittsburgh
- Bill Nunn: each as a scout with Pittsburgh[11][12]
- "Mean Joe" Greene: four as a defensive tackle, two as a special assistant for player personnel, all with the Pittsburgh Steelers[13]
- Conditioning coach Mike Woicik: three with Dallas and three with New England
- Five: at least ten individuals
- Keith Simon: five as CFO and Executive VP with San Francisco
- Dick Hoak: each as a running backs coach with Pittsburgh
- Charles Haley: two with San Francisco and three with Dallas (all 5 as a player—the most rings won as a player)
- Bill Belichick: two as defensive coordinator of the Giants and three as head coach of New England
- Romeo Crennel: two as a defensive coach with Giants and three as a defensive coordinator with New England
- George Seifert: three as an assistant coach and two as a head coach all with San Francisco 49ers
- Dwight Clark: two as a player and three as a member of the front office, all with San Francisco
- Pepper Johnson: two as a linebacker for the Giants and three as an assistant coach with New England
- Monsignor Peter Armstrong: five as chaplain for San Francisco
- Markus Paul: three as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Patriots, and two as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Giants[14]
- Four: at least 38 players, many coaches and staff
- The first player to win four Super Bowl rings was tight-end Marv Fleming, who got a pair with the Green Bay Packers in 1966 and 1967, and another pair with the Miami Dolphins in 1972 and 1973.
- Twenty-two players earned four rings with the Steelers in the 1970s: Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mel Blount, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mike Webster, Donnie Shell, L. C. Greenwood, Rocky Bleier, Gerry Mullins, Larry Brown, Mike Wagner, J.T. Thomas, Loren Toews, Jon Kolb, Sam Davis, Steve Furness, Dwight White, Randy Grossman and the previously mentioned Joe Greene (who later added two more rings). At least five coaches were with the team all four years: George Perles, Louis Riecke, Woody Widenhofer and (as noted above) Chuck Noll and Dick Hoak. The list of Steelers front office staff receiving four rings during that era includes Director of Player Personnel Dick Haley.
- Tom Flores: First person to have rings as a player (Kansas City Chiefs), assistant coach and head coach (Oakland Raiders)
- Joe Montana, Keena Turner, Jesse Sapolu, Eric Wright, Mike Wilson, and Ronnie Lott each won four Super Bowl rings with the 49ers.
- Kicker Adam Vinatieri won three with the Patriots and one with the Colts. Currently the active player with the most rings.
- Ted Hendricks won one with the Baltimore Colts and three with the Raiders
- Bill Romanowski won two with the 49ers and two with the Denver Broncos
- Coach Charlie Weis won one with the Giants and three with the Patriots
- Matt Millen has four rings while playing for four different cities and three different teams, one with Oakland, one with Los Angeles, one with San Francisco, and one with Washington (only player to earn a ring with four different teams)
- Sherman Lewis won three as running backs coach with San Francisco and one as offensive coordinator with Green Bay.
- Willie Davis[15] Won all four rings with the Green Bay Packers. Two as a player, one as a member of the team's board of directors, and one as an emeritus director. He is the only person to possess all four of Green Bay's Super Bowl rings. It should be noted that Davis also won rings as a member of the 1961, 1962 and 1965 NFL Championship Green Bay Packer teams, bringing his unofficial championship ring count to seven, as the first three were awarded prior to the creation of the Super Bowl.
- Mike Pope won all four of his Super Bowl rings as the long time Tight End coach for the New York Giants
- Three: many players, coaches and staff
- Among the many figures with three are Bill Walsh, Mike Ditka, Mike Shanahan, Art Shell, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Eric Mangini, Joe Gibbs, Dave Dalby, Cliff Branch, Roger Craig, Shannon Sharpe, Ed McCaffrey, Mark Schlereth, and Tom Coughlin.
- Twenty-two players earned three rings with the New England Patriots during the early 2000s: Tom Brady, Troy Brown, Willie McGinest, Richard Seymour, Ty Law, Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, Kevin Faulk, Matt Light, Patrick Pass, Ted Johnson, Lonie Paxton, Stephen Neal, Joe Andruzzi, Larry Izzo, David Patten, Roman Phifer, Tom Ashworth, Adrian Klemm, Je'Rod Cherry, Matt Chatham and the aforementioned Adam Vinatieri who later added a fourth ring with the Colts.
- Ken Norton Jr. and Russ Hochstein are the only players to have been on three Super Bowl-winning teams in a row.
Players with Super Bowl and Grey Cup Rings
A select few have won championships in both the NFL and Canada’s equivalent Canadian Football League (CFL).
- O.J. Brigance won a Grey Cup ring in 1995 with the CFL’s Baltimore Stallions and won a Super Bowl ring in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens. He is the only player to win both a Grey Cup and a Super Bowl with teams from the same city.
- Harald Hasselbach won a ring in 1992 with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders and won a Super Bowl ring in 1997 with the Denver Broncos.
- Tyrone Williams won two Super Bowl rings with Dallas in 1992 and 1993, though he did not participate in either game. He then won a Grey Cup ring with the Toronto Argonauts in 1996.
- Alvin Walton (safety) won two Super Bowl rings with the NFL's Washington Redskins (1987 and 1991 seasons, but did not participate in the 1991 season Super Bowl victory over the Buffalo Bills, and won a Grey Cup ring with the Baltimore Stallions in 1995.
- Bobby Singh (guard) is the only player to win a Grey Cup (2006 with the BC Lions), a Super Bowl (1999 with the St. Louis Rams), and the XFL Championship (2001 with the Los Angeles Xtreme)
See also
References
- ↑ McCarthy, Cathleen (February 9, 2011). "Super Bowl Championship Rings for the Packers". The Jewelry Loupe. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ↑ Sando, Mike (December 16, 2007). "Week 15: Winter Leaves its Mark: Playoff Picture Remains Muddled". Last Call (ESPN).
- ↑ Duncan, Jeff (September 28, 2011). "Former New Orleans Saints Player Steve Gleason Gets a Super Bowl Ring at an Emotional Party". The Times-Picayune (New Orleans).
- ↑ d'Estries, Michael (September 21, 2010). "New Orleans Saints Raffle Super Bowl Ring for Gulf Spill Charities". Mother Nature Network.
- ↑ Hunt, Michael (June 16, 2011). "Packers Marvel at Super Bowl Ring's Might". In My Opinion. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ↑ "Steelers Super Bowl Rings Sold In Online Auction". Pittsburgh: WTAE-TV. July 21, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2009.
- ↑ "Je'Rod Cherry Super Bowl XXXVI Ring Raffle". Celebrities for Charities. Retrieved February 27, 2009. "This ring is currently in the possession of a sports collector in Ottawa,Canada"
- ↑ Garber, Greg. "Super Bowl Ring 'a Symbol of Excellence'". ESPN. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
- ↑ Edholm, Eric (January 26, 2011). "Lord of the Rings". Pro Football Weekly.
- ↑ Delozier, Dave (February 6, 2011). "7 Super Bowl Rings for a Coloradan". Denvery: KUSA-TV. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ↑ Varley, Teresa (February 27, 2007). "Long-Time Scout Bill Nunn Is a Man who Made a Difference" (Press release). Pittsburgh Steelers. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2009.
- ↑ Bouchette, Ed (February 20, 2010). "Steelers Scout Nunn Receives Honor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ↑ Varley, Teresa. "Greene one of few with six rings" (Press release). Pittsburgh Steelers. Archived from the original on February 5, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ↑ Mayer, Larry (March 6, 2012). "Former Bears Safety Boasts Five Super Bowl Rings" (Press release). Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on April 13, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ↑ Spofford, Mike (July 2, 2011). "One man has all four rings" (Press release). Green Bay Packers. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
External links
- Images of the first 45 Super Bowl Rings at ESPN.com
- Images of all 47 Super Bowl Rings, photos of presentation boxes & conference rings at sports-rings.com
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