The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual 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 their victory.[1] There are also rings provided to the runners-up team of the Super Bowl.[2]
Rings are also awarded to members of the team which wins the AFC or NFC championship.[3][4][5] The NFL also provides postseason pay to all players as long as they have spent at least three games on their team's active or inactive list; the playoff bonus money is egalitarian within a team among starters, backups, and injured players.[6]
Details
These rings are typically made of yellow or rose gold with diamonds. They usually include the team name, team logo, the phrase, "World Champions,", and the Super Bowl number (usually indicated in Roman numerals). Many rings feature diamonds in the shape of the Vince Lombardi Trophy or a football, to illustrate the number of Super Bowls that the franchise has won.[7] Also, the rings are customized with the player's name and uniform number. The NFL contributes approximately $5,000-$7,000 per ring for up to 150 rings for the winning team; any additional costs are borne by the team.[8] Most rings are manufactured by memorabilia company Jostens.[citation needed] The rings often are normally presented in an elegant box and/or display case.
The winning team can typically present any number of rings to whomever they choose, including usually, but not limited to: players (active roster, inactive roster, or injured reserve), coaches, trainers, executives, personnel, and general club staff. Some teams have given 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.[9][10] Sometimes a team will make rings available to fans as part of a charity raffle.[11] A recent trend over the last 15–20 years has been to present lesser-valued rings to non-player and front office staff. These are commonly called "B" and "C" level rings (while the player rings would be considered "A" rings) and are smaller and contain fewer diamonds or imitation diamonds. The first instance of this was the RedskinsSuper Bowl XVII ring when many in the front office received rings that were not solid gold and contained cubic zirconia stones (which resemble diamonds). When Tampa Bay won Super Bowl XXXVII, the players and coaches received "A" rings with a diamond-centered Lombardi trophy.[12] Some staff received rings with a metal Lombardi trophy substituted, with real diamonds surrounding the trophy, while the "C" level ring did not contain any diamonds. Per the CBA, players that were on the winning team's practice squad at the time of the Super Bowl victory are also entitled to a ring, but it can be one of lesser value.[13]
The Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl XLV ring[14] contained more than 100 diamonds. The Packers logo, in the center of the ring, was made up of 13 diamonds, one for each championship title the team has won, dating back to 1929. The New England PatriotsSuper Bowl XLIX rings reportedly cost $36,500 each, making them the most expensive rings Jostens had ever produced at that time, only to be surpassed by the rings awarded for Super Bowl 50 and Super Bowl LI.[15][16] The New England Patriots' Super Bowl LI ring has 283 diamonds, to commemorate their comeback from being down 28–3 versus the Atlanta Falcons late in the 3rd quarter,[17] about which Falcons owner Arthur Blank reportedly confronted Patriots owner Robert Kraft in August 2017 over his perceived "insult-by-karat".[18] The Philadelphia Eagles' ring for Super Bowl LII contains 127 diamonds on the bezel, which is the total from the numbers of the jerseys of the three players who handled the ball after the snap on the Philly Special trick play—Corey Clement (30), Trey Burton (88) and Nick Foles (9).[19][20] The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ring for their Super Bowl LV victory contained 319 diamonds on the face to symbolize their 31–9 victory over Kansas City. That ring was also the first to have a removable top, which when opened reveals a hand-carved replica of Raymond James Stadium, where they became the first team to win a Super Bowl on their home field.[21]
In recent years, rings are typically presented in ornate display cases. After winning Super Bowl 50, the Denver Broncos rings were handed out in large, ornate boxes, complete with a decorative padlock and commemorative game ball.[22]
Value and resale
Replicas of the rings for various years are popular collectibles, along with genuine rings.[23]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 $69,000 apiece in mid-2008.[24]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.[25] Tight end Shannon Sharpe, meanwhile, gave his first Super Bowl ring to his brother Sterling, who had his career cut short by injury.[26]
In 2005, a minor international incident was caused when it was reported that Russian PresidentVladimir Putin had taken a Super Bowl ring from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kraft quickly issued a statement saying that he had given Putin the ring out of "respect and admiration" he had for the Russian people and Putin's leadership.[27] Kraft later said his earlier statement was not true, and had been issued under pressure from the White House.[28][29][30][31] The ring is on display at the Kremlin, along with other "gifts".[32]
Josh McDaniels has won six with the New England Patriots: his first as special teams coach, second as defensive coaching assistant, third as quarterbacks coach, and his fourth, fifth, and sixth as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Ivan Fears has won six with New England Patriots his first as wide receivers coach and the remaining as running backs coach.
Brian Smith: six as an assistant coach, scout, scouting director, scouting coordinator, and 1 as director of player personnel New England Patriots[36][37][38]
Five: eighteen people.
Charles Haley, five (two as a linebacker with the San Francisco 49ers and three as a defensive end with the Dallas Cowboys), currently second-most as a player. Most wins as a player without a loss.
Brendan Daly won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots as defensive assistant and defensive line coach and won two Super Bowls as the defensive line coach and linebackers coach for the Kansas City Chiefs
Four: at least 40 players, many coaches and staff.
The first player to win four Super Bowl rings was tight-end Marv Fleming, who got a pair with Green Bay Packers in 1966 and 1967, and another pair with Miami Dolphins in 1972 and 1973.
Willie Davis[42] Won all four rings with 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. Davis also won rings as a member of the 1961, 1962 and 1965 NFL Championship Green Bay Packer teams, bringing his total championship ring count to seven, with the first three having been 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 New York Giants
Ken Norton Jr. was the first member of 3 Super Bowl-winning teams in a row as a player, and gained a 4th ring as the Linebacker coach for the 2013 Seattle Seahawks
Monti Ossenfort won four Super Bowls with the New England Patriots: his first as a scouting assistant, and the remaining three as Director of College Scouting.
^"Je'Rod Cherry Super Bowl XXXVI Ring Raffle". Celebrities for Charities. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2009. This ring is currently in the possession of a sports collector in Ottawa, Canada
