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Super Bowl ring

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Rings from all 57 Super Bowls
Joe Theismann's NFL rings (2006); his 1983 NFC Championship ring (left), and his 1982 Super Bowl XVII Championship ring (right)

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. 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 reserve list; the playoff bonus money is spread evenly within a team among starters, backups, and injured players.[6]

Details

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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.[9][10] The rings 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.[11][12] Sometimes a team will make rings available to fans as part of a charity raffle.[13] 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 Redskins Super 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.[14] 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.[15]

The Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl XLV ring[16] 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 Patriots Super 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.[17][18] 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,[19] about which Falcons owner Arthur Blank reportedly confronted Patriots owner Robert Kraft in August 2017 over his perceived "insult-by-karat".[20] 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).[21][22] 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.[23]

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.[24]

Value and resale

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Replicas of the rings for various years are popular collectibles, along with genuine rings.[25] 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.[26] 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.[27] Tight end Shannon Sharpe, meanwhile, gave his first Super Bowl ring to his brother Sterling, who had his career cut short by injury.[28]

In 2005, a minor international incident occurred when it was reported that Russian President Vladimir 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.[29] Kraft later said his earlier statement was not true, and had been issued under pressure from the White House.[30][31][32][33] The ring is on display at the Kremlin, along with other "gifts".[34]

Most Super Bowl rings

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cimini, Rich (January 22, 2019). "Happy 50th! Jets Super Bowl rings survive ocean, fridge and toilet". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Neel, Eric (January 29, 2002). "Super Bowl from A to Z". ESPN Page 2.
  3. ^ "How Bout Them Cowboy's Rings". Sports-Rings.com. June 18, 2014.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Tyler (June 12, 2017). "First look at the Atlanta Falcons NFC Championship rings". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  5. ^ Quinn, Sam (June 15, 2018). "Brandin Cooks thanks Patriots for AFC Championship ring". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  6. ^ Martin, Emmie (February 4, 2019). "The Patriots just won the Super Bowl—here's how much money each player will take home". CNBC. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  7. ^ "Photos: All the Super Bowl rings". CNN.com. January 8, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  8. ^ LaCasse, Alexander (January 26, 2015). "How much does a Super Bowl ring cost? It depends". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  9. ^ "Super Bowl 2016 championship rings: Look inside designer company Jostens - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  10. ^ Belson, Ken (February 4, 2018). "In the Super Bowl City, Building the Rings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  11. ^ Sando, Mike (December 16, 2007). "Week 15: Winter Leaves its Mark: Playoff Picture Remains Muddled". Last Call. ESPN.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ d'Estries, Michael (September 21, 2010). "New Orleans Saints Raffle Super Bowl Ring for Gulf Spill Charities". Mother Nature Network.
  14. ^ Sciarretto, Amy (February 7, 2016). "Do Super Bowl Rings Have Real Diamonds? Here's The Story Behind The Bling". Bustle.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  15. ^ "NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement-2020" (PDF). Article 51, Section 15. NFLPA. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  16. ^ Hunt, Michael (June 16, 2011). "Packers Marvel at Super Bowl Ring's Might". In My Opinion. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  17. ^ Reiss, Mike (June 16, 2015). "How much does each Patriots Super Bowl ring cost?". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  18. ^ Rose, Jenn (June 15, 2018). "Photos Of The Eagles Super Bowl Rings Show They're Not As Ostentatious As You Might Imagine". Romper.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  19. ^ "Pats' Super Bowl rings have 283 diamonds 'to tell story of the game'". ESPN.com. ESPN.com news services. June 10, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  20. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (March 29, 2018). "Arthur Blank unhappy Kraft made 283-diamond rings". NFL.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  21. ^ West, Jenna (June 14, 2018). "The Eagles' Super Bowl Rings Pay Tribute to 'Philly Special' and Dog Masks". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  22. ^ The Making of the Super Bowl LII Championship Ring (Philadelphia Eagles, posted to YouTube on Jun 15, 2018)
  23. ^ "Bucs get glitzy SB rings honoring hometown win". ESPN.com. July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  24. ^ "At the ring ceremony with the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos". denverbroncos.com. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  25. ^ "New York Jets Super Bowl III rings turn 50 - Wild stories of buried treasure". Espn.com. January 22, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  26. ^ "Steelers Super Bowl Rings Sold In Online Auction". Pittsburgh: WTAE-TV. July 21, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  27. ^ "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
  28. ^ Garber, Greg. "Super Bowl Ring 'a Symbol of Excellence'". ESPN. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  29. ^ "Super Bowl ring has 124 diamonds". ESPN. Associated Press. June 30, 2005. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  30. ^ Smith, Michael David (June 15, 2013). "Putin said 'I can kill someone with this', took Kraft's Super Bowl ring". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  31. ^ Farrar, Doug (June 15, 2013). "Robert Kraft says that Vladimir Putin stole his Super Bowl ring, which the Kremlin denies". Shutdown Corner. Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013.
  32. ^ Eshchenko, Alla; Karimi, Faith (June 16, 2013). "Russian president: I did not steal Super Bowl ring". CNN.
  33. ^ Swaine, Jon (June 16, 2013). "Vladimir Putin 'stole a $25,000 ring from New England Patriots owner'". The Telegraph. London.
  34. ^ Spokesman for Putin denies he stole Kraft's Super Bowl ring, profootballtalk.nbcsports.com, June 16, 2013.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ Bouchette, Ed (February 20, 2010). "Steelers Scout Nunn Receives Honor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  37. ^ Varley, Teresa (February 12, 2009). "Greene one of few with six rings" (Press release). Pittsburgh Steelers. Archived from the original on February 5, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  38. ^ Young, Shalise Manza. "Changes to Pats' scouting staff; team adds nutritionist".
  39. ^ Farley, Glenn. "PATRIOTS: Draft truly is a team effort". Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  40. ^ Hill, Rich (June 15, 2015). "Patriots Coaches, Staff, Players Earn Their Fourth Ring". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  41. ^ 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.
  42. ^ Perry, Phil (March 2019). "Patriots' Jim Whalen honored as Outstanding NFL Athletic Trainer of the Year". NBC Sports Boston. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  43. ^ "Jim Whalen Named Outstanding NFL Athletic Trainer of the Year". patriots.com. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  44. ^ Spofford, Mike (July 2, 2011). "One man has all four rings" (Press release). Green Bay Packers. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
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