History of Super Bowl Rings

Each year, the National Football League crowns a champion, the winner of the Super Bowl. The players, coaches and staff who are on the team that wins the game receive a ring, called the Super Bowl ring. The piece of jewelry is a symbol of excellence for sports fans and those associated with the NFL. The large ring is typically made of gold and decorated with diamonds, making it recognizable to those associated with the game and with sports.

Significance

The Super Bowl, which is regarded as the premier sporting event in the United States, is played each year to decide the NFL champion. The teams--one from each conference--that play in the Super Bowl are determined through a playoff system. To win the Super Bowl is a huge accomplishment and a culmination of a team's ability to preserve through the riggers of an NFL regular season and playoffs. The Super Bowl ring, given to the winning team, signifies a champion that was able to withstand the physical and emotional toll the NFL season has to offer.

Features

The NFL pays for 150 rings to be given to the winner of the Super Bowl. The league also pays up to $5,000 for each ring. The design of the ring typically incorporates the team's name and the Super Bowl that was won. It also sometimes incorporates the Super Bowl trophy and the stadium where the game was played. The large ring is typically made of gold and diamonds, and has a large front frame that is recognizable from a distance. As time has gone on, the face of the ring has gotten larger and the design of the ring more pronounced.

History

The first Super Bowl rings were given to the members of the Green Bay Packers, winners of the first Super Bowl in 1967. The ring was designed by Jostens, a national jewelry maker that has created 26 of the first 39 Super Bowl rings. Other jewelry makers that have been commissioned to design the Super Bowl ring include Diamond Cutters International, which made the ring for the Dallas Cowboys in 1996, and Balfour.

Interesting Facts

Super Bowl rings can go for $10,000 to $25,000 on the resell market depending on who wore it. Some rings have pawned off by players who have needed the money for various reasons after retiring. Other rings have been stolen, such as the case when $25,000 worth of rings were taken in a jewelry burglary in 2008 in Massachusetts.

Super Bowl Loser Ring

In addition to the ring given the to winner, the NFL gives a ring to the Super Bowl losing team as well. The losing team also receives 150 rings for players, coaches and staff. By rule, the cost of the rings may not exceed half of the cost of the winners' rings.