Joe Wojciechowski | ESPN.com
In just a little over the time it took to walk from the bathroom back to his seat on a 1981 United flight from Chicago to New York, Jerry Kramer lost his Super Bowl I ring.
He had taken his ring off to wash his hands and when he got back to his seat, he realized he had forgotten to put it back on. He raced back only to find it wasn't there. He asked the flight attendants to make an announcement, but no one came forward. Desperate, he even listened to a lady who claimed to be psychic and said she had a vision that the ring was in an old lady's purse wrapped in tissue. He paced the aisles but saw no one fitting the so-called psychic's description.
It was too close to call whether Kramer was madder at himself for carelessly leaving his ring behind or at the person who took it. It wasn't just the ring itself Kramer hated losing, it was what the ring symbolized: the hard work, the commitment, the accomplishment.
"It isn't just diamond and gold. It's a collection of memories and moments," he said.
Kramer had a replica ring made, but for 25 years, he was left wondering what happened. Then one day, he received a mysterious call from Canada from a man who asked: "Are you missing your Super Bowl ring?" The man told Kramer he might hear about it in the near future.
That call was followed by one from John Nitschke, son of former teammate and Green Bay legendary linebacker Ray Nitschke.
"I see your Super Bowl I ring is up for sale," he told Kramer. "My dad would never have sold his ring, and I'm pretty damn sure you'd never sell yours either."
He was right. Kramer contacted the auction house, Mastro Auction Inc., and despite bids already over $20,000, it stopped the auction and returned the ring to Kramer in front of the Vince Lombardi statue at Lambeau Field in May 2006.
Kramer then decided to sell his replica ring to raise money for needy retired players, who he said are receiving inadequate pension and disability compensation from the league. He said he was moved to act after seeing the situations of some former teammates and opponents. On his Web site (jerrykramer.com), there is information about the Gridiron Greats Relief Fund, which features former players donating mementos for an auction Kramer hopes will raise more than $1 million.
If Kramer learned little else from losing his ring, he at least learned that there was plenty of demand for sports memorabilia, regardless where it came from. So he figured he could deliver some legitimate memorabilia and help a few former players along the way.
]]> Joe Wojciechowski | ESPN.com
Why is the ring from Super Bowl II so special? That's easy. Because, as former Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr says, it's the one Vince Lombardi would have worn.
The Packers' Super Bowl II ring is not as gaudy as today's rings. It's not obnoxiously large and there aren't clusters of little diamonds all over. Its simple design includes three solitaire diamonds centered. Each diamond represents one of the three consecutive NFL championships the Packers won. (Green Bay won the 1965 NFL championhip when there was not a Super Bowl as well as the 1966 NFL title and first Super Bowl. The Packers defeated Oakland 33-14 to win Super Bowl II on Jan. 14, 1968.)
Lombardi made sure that '65 team was represented equally with the other two. No team has won three straight titles since.
Etched on the ring are Lombardi-isms: "Run to win" ... "Character" ... "Discipline" ... "Teamwork" ... "Love."
"I think it [the ring] had more symbolism to him," said Bob Skoronski, a starting offensive lineman on those championship teams who doubled as a Jostens sale rep in the offseason and worked with Lombardi on designing the rings. "This was his team and it had been his team for awhile. It was beginning to age, yet they were able to win it. Sentimentally, this is the team I think he felt the strongest about. It was not the best Packers championship team of all time, but he had a very strong feeling about it.
"Plus, knowing he was leaving, it was important to him and important to the guys that the symbolism was there. It was him. You see the names, the words that symbolize that championship run and that were so instrumental in the talks to the team," Skoronski said. "They're great reminders of him. It was something special for the players, not realizing what would happen."
What would happen is Lombardi would step down as coach after the 1967 season. He stayed on as Packers GM, but then decided to get back in coaching and took over the Washington Redskins in 1969. After leading them to their first winning record in 14 years, he died of cancer in 1970.
For the ring design, Skoronski, designer Ken Westerlund and a few others made pitches to Lombardi about what they liked and then sat back and listened as the coach told them what it was going to look like. If Lombardi had an idea, Westerlund would airbrush an illustration on the spot. No detail was too small and money was no object, which always made Skoronski laugh.
"That was always shocking to me because he was the one who negotiated contracts and for five bucks, he might cut you," he said.
But eventually, the ring would get done the Lombardi way.
"Usually it would be a few players and us, but it was coach's design," Skoronski said. "There might be some arguments about whether or not it should be bigger or have more diamonds, but a la Lombardi style, it was not a democracy, it was a kingdom. He got what he wanted."
A ring that stands the test of time.
]]> John Banks | ESPN.com
The AFL-NFL rivalry was so intense in the late 1960s that it even extended to Super Bowl rings.
"We didn't care what ours looked like as long as they cost more than Green Bay's," said Curley Johnson, a punter, kicker, backup tight end and fifth-string running back on the New York Jets' Super Bowl III champions. "We made a big deal out of that."
Green Bay won the first two Super Bowls, easily defeating AFL champs Oakland and Kansas City. The Jets' 16-7 win over the NFL's Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III was one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
The Super Bowl III ring design is quite simple: diamonds set in the shape of a football in the center and bracketed by the words "New York Jets" and "World Champions." It's a far cry from many of today's mammoth Super Bowl rings that border on becoming brass knuckles and are almost unwearable. So Johnson frequently wears his ring and enjoys talking about it.
Johnson has many fond memories of his eight-year AFL career in New York, notably his time as Joe Namath's teammate. Broadway Joe had a tendency to break a few of coach Weeb Ewbank's rules, but Johnson didn't mind.
"He was a delight -- as far as his work ethic, you could not ask for a harder worker," said Johnson. "He was so dedicated, and a lot of people did not realize that about him.
"I didn't care what he did off the field as long as he got us that championship ring."
Sports memorabilia dealers have offered Johnson money for his ring, but it's not for sale. Never will be, Johnson said.
"It's the greatest thing in the world,'' said Johnson, who plans to give the ring to his son someday. "After we got ours, it takes you three, four, five days to realize that you are a world champion. When you become one, it's pretty thrilling. There's nothing like it."]]> Joe Wojciechowski | ESPN.com
The first thing you notice in the picture is the bare hands. In the portrait shot, Louisiana state Senate official Frank Pitts' chin is resting in his giant hands and there are no rings on his fingers.
But there should have been.
Pitts was a wide receiver who played for 10 years, including six for Kansas City. It was with the Chiefs that Pitts earned two Super Bowl rings -- one for a loss to Green Bay in Super Bowl I, another for Kansas City's upset win over Minnesota in Super Bowl IV.
Combined, they had a value of approximately $30,000. But that wasn't what meant the most to Pitts. This was a man who played his college ball at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., and when the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV, it was down the road in New Orleans at Tulane Stadium. No monetary tag can replace what the rings meant. So when burglars ripped through the Baton Rouge home where Pitts has lived for more than 20 years, they found his rings in the second drawer of his bedroom dresser and tossed the remaining contents on the bed. They stole a TV as well, but left other football mementos.
But Pitts never complained. His stance was that he was always happy the house was empty when the robbers came. He shudders to think what might have happened had his wife, Dianne, been home.
When word started getting around, his friends decided those fingers shouldn't be bare anymore.
Louisiana Senate president Don Hines offered a $1,000 reward for the missing rings. Sen. Ken Hollis spearheaded a fundraising drive to replace the rings, at a cost of nearly $11,000. The Saints kicked in $5,000 and gave Pitts and his family a suite to use during the Dec. 7 Saints-49ers game, when Pitts was presented with the replicas of the rings.
The gesture humbled Pitts, who is well-liked and respected as sergeant-at-arms in the Senate.
"It's so enormous, you just can't put it into words," he told The (Baton Rouge) Advocate.
]]> Joe Wojciechowski | ESPN.com
So you want to know about Super Bowl V rings?
If there's a better source than Ernie Accorsi, we don't know it. Accorsi was in just his first year in the league when the Colts beat the Cowboys, 16-13, in Super Bowl V. Not a bad way for a 28-year-old to break into the NFL, huh?
Accorsi, who retired as NY Giants GM after the 2006 season, knows a little something about rings and the Colts. Heck, remember the scene in the movie "Diner" when a prospective bride had to answer questions before her Colts fan boyfriend would marry her? It was Accorsi who read the producers' first draft of the test, decided it was too easy and wrote the test for what was one of the more memorable scenes in the movie.
Anyway, a few thoughts from Accorsi about the Colts' Super Bowl ring:
The ring was designed by our general manager, Don Klosterman (who is now deceased). Obviously, it was an amazing thrill for a 28-year-old guy in his first year in the league. The only thing I had ever received before that was my Orange Bowl watch from the season before for being on the Penn State staff. We weren't crazy about the design because it was more square, but I did love the horseshoe with diamond crests and large blue sapphire stone, which was the perfect Colt blue shade.
What was interesting about that ring is that Johnny Unitas wore it much more often than I ever saw him wear the '58 or '59 championship rings. Maybe because it was a Super Bowl ring and the fact that they had lost Super Bowl III.
He never told me this, but I would have to think the player that it meant the most to was QB Earl Morrall. He had been the MVP of the '68 season, had the year of his life, then did not play well in Super Bowl III. In Super Bowl V, he did not start -- Johnny Unitas did -- but Unitas got hurt and Morrall came off the bench to win the championship for us. I don't know who it could have meant more to.
I cherish that ring. It means an awful lot to me.
]]> John Banks | ESPN.com
Bob Lilly is not a huge jewelry fan.
Given his luck with rings, it's easy to see why.
Lilly, a Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys from 1961 to 1974, lost his Hall of Fame ring in 2006.
"He sort of talks with his hands, and he just flung it off one day and never found it," said his wife, Ann. "He wears a size 14 and the Hall of Fame ring was a 15 1/2, so it just flew off."
In 1975, while on a hayride with his wife outside El Paso, Texas, Lilly lost his Super Bowl VI ring, which he earned when the Cowboys defeated the Dolphins, 24-3. In that game, Lilly turned the momentum for good late in the first quarter when he sacked Miami quarterback Bob Griese for a 29-yard loss, the biggest sack for loss in Super Bowl history.
Lilly said he was gesturing with his hands during the hayride and the ring somehow slipped off and fell to the ground. He didn't realize it was lost until later that day at a barbecue, when a woman returned it to him. With nightfall approaching, she had seen the glint of the ring while returning on another hayride.
"If she hadn't seen it, that ring would have been lost forever," Ann Lilly said.
Not all Lilly's ring tales are as dramatic.
When he married Ann in 1973, he had diamond chips from his Super Bowl V loser's ring taken out and incorporated into her wedding ring. Lilly wears his Super Bowl VI ring as his wedding band.
For Lilly, the ring symbolizes "the beginning of a long Cowboys heritage." The Cowboys of the '60s and early '70s were considered next year's champions until their win over the Dolphins, the first of five Dallas Super Bowl titles.
"It also means that I had a lot of years with a lot of great teammates," Lilly said, "and the relationships always meant a lot more than money or rings."
]]> Greg Garber | ESPN.com
Some things, as Mercury Morris will tell you, are destined to be.
In 1978, six years after his Miami Dolphins won all 17 of the games they played, someone stole his Super Bowl ring, a 10-karat yellow gold band with a full-carat diamond set in an aquamarine stone surrounded by 16 smaller diamonds.
Morris, a running back, replaced the ring and happily wore it until March 25, 2005.
It was Good Friday but, in retrospect, not so good for Morris. He took off his ring to wash his hands in the men's room at the Biscayne Bay Marriott and, distracted by a conversation, walked out. When he returned to retrieve it, it was gone.
"Somebody had the chance on Good Friday to do the right thing," Morris said, "and they chose not to. I'm holding out hope that somebody will give it up."
The Elias Sports Bureau could not confirm it, but two thefts of the same ring just might be an NFL record.
]]> Greg Garber | ESPN.com
Don Shula has produced some serious highlights in his life. Prowling the sidelines for the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins between 1963-95, he is the winningest coach in the history of the NFL with 347 victories. He won two Super Bowls and had a terrific playing career. And then, there's his string of high-end steak houses.
But when it comes to popular culture in the world at large, it's possible his greatest achievement came with a cameo in the 1994 movie "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective."
Seriously.
Shula was asked to play himself in the Jim Carrey vehicle, but he agreed only with certain stipulations.
"That guy, Carrey, was hanging around practice and I didn't know who he was," Shula said. "[Dan] Marino knew him because he was in the movies a lot. They asked me to do a bit part, looking into that mailbox. I said, "The only way I can do it is if you're ready to go at 7:30 in the morning, because I've got to be in the office by 8. And put the mailbox in front of my house and I'll come out and do it.' "
The scene called for Shula to identify himself to someone hiding in a mailbox, so he stuck his hand into the slot, but his 10-karat gold Super Bowl ring (with two diamonds symbolizing the Dolphins' back-to-back Super Bowl victories) slipped off his finger and into celluloid history.
"We did one run-through rehearsal and they filmed it," Shula said. "We did one more and that was it, and it's amazing how many people have seen it. But I was in the office by 8 o'clock, so I was happy about that."
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
Early on the morning of Jan. 12, 1975, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Dwight White sat on the edge of his bed, dressed in a flimsy, hospital-issued gown, dialed up Ralph Berlin, and ordered the team's respected trainer to come rescue him.
Relegated to New Orleans' Methodist Hospital for much of the week preceding Super Bowl IX, White was weakened by a bout with pneumonia that had stolen about 20 pounds from the already lean frame of the Steelers' starting right end. But not even the raging respiratory infection was going to keep White from his date with destiny.
"I figured that, with or without me, we were going to beat the Vikings that day," White recalled in 2006. "But I didn't want to be standing in line a few months later, have them hand me that ring, with me knowing I did nothing to earn it. I was going to get a Super Bowl ring, and I was going to get it on the field." So White checked out of the hospital.
Although the team's medical staff advised coach Chuck Noll that White probably would last only through the first half, if that, the veteran end played the entire game in a 16-6 victory that earned Pittsburgh its first title. His defensive end partner, L.C. Greenwood, was dominating, swatting three passes back in the face of Minnesota quarterback Fran Tarkenton.
But it was White who lent the Steelers an emotional lift by dragging himself out of his hospital bed on game day, and who provided Pittsburgh with its first points when he tackled Tarkenton for a safety and a 2-0 halftime lead. White went on to record four tackles, with the Steelers' defense limiting the Vikings to just 119 yards, including a paltry 17 rushing yards. He also went on to win three more Super Bowl rings.
None of them, however, means quite as much as the first one.
"Obviously, it's the least ostentatious of all of them," said White, who died in 2008. "But it's the one that started the dynasty. We put in a lot of sacrifices, and that Super Bowl [win] kind of validated it all for us. It turned this city around. It's still the ring that means the most to me and a lot of the other guys from those Super Bowl teams."
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
Four plays from scrimmage. Two rings. Not bad, huh?
That's the quick-read Super Bowl legacy of Terry Hanratty, the big-time, high-profile quarterback the Pittsburgh Steelers actually selected a year before the guy who would lead them to four Super Bowl victories.
A nationally recruited quarterback from nearby Butler (Pa.) High School and well-known throughout the Western Pennsylvania football hotbed, Hanratty starred at Notre Dame, then was chosen by the Steelers in the second round of the 1969 draft. He was the second draft pick of Chuck Noll, following defensive tackle Joe Greene, but appeared in just 48 games for Pittsburgh in seven seasons. He became all but an afterthought when the Steelers made Terry Bradshaw the top pick in the 1970 draft.
Still, Hanratty was around long enough to claim two Super Bowl rings. And to register an appearance, albeit it brief, in the Steelers' 21-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X.
"That's the game where [Bradshaw] kept throwing deep and Lynn Swann kept making all those acrobatic catches," recalled Hanratty, who works for a Manhattan-based investments firm and lives in Connecticut. "What people forget is that Terry didn't finish the game for us. I did."
Indeed, on the 64-yard touchdown pass to Swann that iced the victory, Bradshaw was knocked cold by a blitzing Dallas defender. When the Steelers recovered a Cowboys onside kick with 1:48 left, clinging to a four-point lead, Hanratty was in the huddle. Starting at the Dallas 42-yard line, Hanratty handed off four times, twice each to Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. The Steelers turned the ball over on downs at the Dallas 39-yard line with 1:22 left.
A minute later, safety Glen Edwards' sealed the Pittsburgh victory with an end-zone interception. "I was kind of the caretaker, I guess, and that's why that ring means more to me than the first one I got, basically for holding a clipboard," Hanratty said of his Super Bowl X ring. "It was only four plays, all runs, and we barely moved the ball or the clock. We didn't get a first down to put the game away. But we didn't screw it up, either, and that's what I'll remember."
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
As a starting cornerback for the Oakland Raiders, a guy nicknamed "Dr. Death" because of his aggressive hitting style, Skip Thomas could hold his own with the likes of secondary partners Willie Brown, Jack Tatum and George Atkinson.
But despite registering six interceptions in both 1974 and 1975, the former Southern California star once noted that he felt like the guy who "fell between the cracks" in the galaxy of stars on the Oakland payroll.
Three decades after his exit from the game, Thomas still feels that way, and points to the absence of the ring he earned in a Super Bowl XI victory over Minnesota as part of the reason for his detachment.
"That [ring] makes you a somebody," said Thomas, who declined to say what he is doing these days. "It's more than just a piece of jewelry. But it takes some guys, like me, a long time to learn that."
Desperate to save his house from creditors who were ready to foreclose on him only a few years after the Super Bowl XI victory, Thomas pawned his ring. The $800 he received for the ring wasn't enough to pay all his bills. In short order, the ring was gone and so was the house, and Thomas was out of the league. He says he has no idea who has the ring. All he has are memories.
Thomas played only six seasons in the NFL, appearing in 82 games as the least-recognized member of a secondary that, because of its cutthroat style, was as infamous as it was celebrated. Brown was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984. Tatum and Atkinson were regarded as borderline thugs. But they could all play, and so could Thomas, who recorded four tackles and two pass knockdowns in Super Bowl XI. In the Super Bowl victory, Thomas injured a knee and his lax approach toward rehabilitation started him on a downward spiral that resulted in him playing only one more season.
Following the end of his NFL career, Thomas worked awhile as a corrections officer but was injured in a jail fight. It was while he was waiting for his first disability check from the state of California to arrive that he was forced to part with his Super Bowl ring. It's an act of desperation Thomas still regrets.
"It's been so long," Thomas said, "it's hard to remember exactly what the ring even looked like. But it was beautiful, that much I know."
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
So you're 23 years old and your resume already includes the all-time NCAA rushing record, the Heisman Trophy, a national championship, a record contract for an NFL rookie, a new house and plenty of bling (before it was known as bling). What's left for the young man who seemingly has everything?
Well, how about a Super Bowl ring?
"It wasn't something that I consciously thought about coming into my rookie season," said Hall of Fame tailback Tony Dorsett of the Super Bowl XII ring he won with the Dallas Cowboys to cap off his 1977 rookie season. "But once we got closer to [the Super Bowl], and I started hearing about the ring and what it meant to everybody, yeah, I wanted it. And then, when I got it, I thought, 'You know, not a bad way to finish off what's been a pretty good stretch for me.'"
Not a bad way, indeed.
The scrawny kid from Aliquippa, Pa. starred at Hopewell High School, entered the University of Pittsburgh in 1973 as a 150-pound speedster, immediately earned a job in coach Johnny Majors' starting lineup and led the Panthers to the national title as a senior. Along the way, he bulked up physically and emotionally, becoming the most exciting player in college football and a guy around whom an NFL team could construct an offense. Oh, yeah, he changed his surname, too, from DOR-sett to Dor-SETT, after the 1977 draft.
What didn't change, though, was his good fortune. Not surprisingly, the Heisman Trophy remains Dorsett's trinket of choice. But the Super Bowl XII ring, earned via a 27-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in New Orleans, isn't far behind.In that game, Dorsett, who rushed for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns during the regular season, carried 14 times for 55 yards and caught two passes for 11 yards. Not great numbers by Dorsett standards. But the numbers don't matter to him nearly as much as winning a championship for the only time during his 12-year professional career.
"Man, you get spoiled, you know, winning a ring as a rookie," Dorsett said. "How did I know that first ring would also be the last ring for me? You're young and you figure, 'Hey, I got one the first time around. I could end up with a whole handful of these things.' But it didn't work out that way, which is why that ring means so much."
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
For Rocky Bleier, who overcame a severe foot injury in Vietnam to carve out a valiant 11-year NFL career, it wasn't easy to win four Super Bowl rings. But it was even harder for Bleier, one of the less heralded but still essential players in Pittsburgh's dynasty, to keep them.
"The story of my rings," said Bleier, the one-time running mate of Hall of Fame fullback Franco Harris, "is even more improbable than the story of a pretty average athlete, kind of a complementary guy with a bad foot, who people claimed might never play again [after the injury] winning four rings."
Indeed, the history of Super Bowl rings unfortunately includes stories of players who lost their rings, were forced to pawn them or had them stolen. Still, Bleier may be the lord of the ludicrous ring stories.
In 1997, when he filed for bankruptcy as part of a divorce settlement with his first wife, Bleier sold all four of his rings to an attorney for $40,000 to help pay federal taxes. As part of the unusual arrangement with the attorney, the settlement stipulated that Bleier could lease the rings, for about $1,400 per month over three years, and then regain them.
The clever accommodation worked well, keeping the rings out of the divorce settlement, and allowing Bleier, who retired after the 1980 season, to reclaim them. But in June 2004, three of the rings were stolen from a bag in Bleier's backstage dressing room while he delivered a motivational speech in Charlotte, N.C.
So the Vietnam veteran now has as many rings in his possession, the one from Super Bowl XIII, as he does Purple Heart medals. Given everything he went through to protect his rings, Bleier conceded it's hard to believe there is just one left.
Fittingly, Super Bowl XIII is the only championship game in which Bleier scored a touchdown, grabbing a 7-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw on an acrobatic catch in the front corner of the end zone. The score pushed the Steelers into a 21-14 lead over Dallas at halftime. Pittsburgh never relinquished the lead and won, 35-31.
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
Chosen in late 2006 to lead the Louisiana Tech football program, coach Derek Dooley was a little behind in his recruiting efforts as he attempted to revive the Bulldogs' fortunes. But Dooley, son of legendary former Georgia coach Vince Dooley, figured that if his sales pitch fell short with prospective players, he had a pretty graphic recruiting tool.
All he needed to do was take any wavering players to the Charles Wyly Athletic Center, where the four Super Bowl rings earned by Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and former Louisiana Tech star Terry Bradshaw are prominently displayed.
"Those rings are a pretty impressive selling point," said Dooley, who left Tech in 2010 to become Tennessee head coach.
In April 2006, Bradshaw donated the rings, along with some of his other most cherished memorabilia, to his alma mater. There was a time when the Steelers' quarterback figured he would just dole out the rings to family members. But the place where he spent his critical formative years, Bradshaw said, was a more appropriate permanent home for them.
And the Louisiana Tech program, he noted, needed to be reminded of how good it could be more than he needed to be reminded of how good he was during a brilliant NFL career that included two Super Bowl MVP awards.
"It's material stuff, important material stuff to me, but things I don't need anymore to [validate] what we did as a team and whatever role I played," Bradshaw said. "My mind isn't so far gone that I can't remember those years, those moments, and keep them special. I don't need any props for that."
Bradshaw is reluctant to choose a favorite ring because the collection represents, in a way, the evolution of the Steelers and of his career during the unprecedented six-season span in which Pittsburgh captured four Super Bowl championships. The first two victories, in Super Bowls IX and X, came when the Steelers were a team that relied on defense and a powerful running game. The last two were more a result of a high-octane passing attack fueled by Bradshaw's arm.
"Probably the last one [Super Bowl XIV], because it was my second MVP in a row, we had to come back against the Rams to win that game, and it was kind of a culmination," said Bradshaw, who threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns in rallying Pittsburgh to a 31-19 victory. "We all felt like we had another good season or two in us, but we also knew the [dynasty] couldn't last forever. We really had to overcome a lot to earn that ring."
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
Given everything that Jim Plunkett endured just to have an opportunity to play in the NFL and participate in two title games, it would have been a shame if he didn't cap his career by earning a Super Bowl ring.
Plunkett got his first ring after the Oakland Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, in Super Bowl XV. The reward came during a season in which he reached a low point in his career.
"You've got to remember," said Plunkett, "I was with my third team and my career was pretty much going nowhere (in 1980). I was just hanging on behind (starter Dan) Pastorini. I hadn't played much at all the previous two years. And then Dan broke his leg and I was in the lineup, and everything just kind of fell into place."
Truth be told, things never just fell into place for Plunkett, the son of William and Carmella, immigrants of Hispanic heritage who met at a school for the sightless. The two carved out a modest living for themselves and their three children, operating a newspaper vending business in the Bay Area, doing the best they could with what little they had.
William Plunkett died when Jim was a junior at Stanford, where he won a Rose Bowl and a Heisman Trophy and was the first player selected in the 1971 NFL draft. Plunkett played behind an awful offensive line for nearly six years in New England and absorbed mental and physical pain before the Patriots traded him to San Francisco in 1976. Released by the 49ers in 1978 and signed by the Raiders, he didn't throw even one pass that season and threw just 15 in 1979.
But when Pastorini broke his leg five games into the 1980 season, Plunkett won nine of 11 games as the starter and took a Raiders wild-card team into Super Bowl XV, where he completed 13 of 21 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns. He was named MVP.
"Winning that game, getting a ring at an age (33) where I thought it was just about over for me, it was a culmination," said Plunkett. "Holding that ring, rubbing your fingers over it, you realize how much you and your family sacrificed to get you to that point. We overcame an awful lot and then, just when you think all the good stuff is done with, you get a blessing like that. It's really remarkable."
Plunkett led the Raiders to a Super Bowl XVIII victory over Washington in 1984 to earn his second championship ring.
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
Selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 1979 draft, Dwaine Board, an undersized defensive end from tiny North Carolina A&T, figured that a Super Bowl ring was part of his NFL destiny. A fair enough assumption, given that Pittsburgh featured one of the more impressive rosters ever assembled and had won three of the previous five league titles.
"Just standing there in training camp as a rookie, you were in awe, because it was like walking through a Hall of Fame," recalled Board. "And you thought, like, 'This team is going to win another Super Bowl and I'm going to get a Super Bowl ring.'"
Board was correct on both counts. Pittsburgh concluded the 1979 season by extending its dynasty with a victory in Super Bowl XIV. And Dwaine Board got himself a Super Bowl ring. Three, in fact. They just didn't do it together, that's all.
Forced to choose in '79 between the high-energy rookie Board and veteran defensive end Dwight White, coach Chuck Noll opted for loyalty over potential. Although Pittsburgh coaches realized Board was one of the franchise's middle-round steals, they couldn't dodge memories of White climbing out of his hospital bed on the morning of Super Bowl IX , after a bout with pneumonia, to help Pittsburgh win its first championship.
And so Board's first Super Bowl ring didn't come until two seasons later, when he helped the 49ers defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI. He won a second ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XIX, then another as a San Francisco assistant coach in Super Bowl XXIX, making him just one of 11 men to claim a ring as a player and a coach.
But it's the ring earned in Super Bowl XVI, the ring he thought he might never get when the Steelers cut him in favor of White, that remains his most cherished.
"To me, it was like the lost ring that suddenly was found, you know?" Board said. "When I got cut by Pittsburgh, it was like the end of the world. There went the ring. But I got picked up by the 49ers and two years later, I had my ring. I guess everything happens for a reason."
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
Russ Grimm doesn't remember how many times the Washington Redskins ran the play "70-Chip" from the I formation in Super Bowl XVII. But the charter member of "The Hogs" offensive line unit, a guard good enough to have been a finalist several times for Hall of Fame honors, Grimm definitely recalls when the play worked best.
That was on the 43-yard touchdown run off left tackle by John Riggins with about 10 minutes remaining in Super Bowl XVII, a fourth-and-1 gamble that lifted the Redskins into their first lead over the Miami Dolphins in an eventual 27-17 victory.
"It was the perfect play call at the perfect time of the game, and we blocked it about as perfectly as a running play can be blocked," said Grimm, the Arizona Cardinals' assistant head coach and offensive line mentor. "The hole was there; Riggo hit it at full speed and just about tore the arms off the socket of the Dolphins' defensive back [Don McNeal] and scored.
"But I'll tell you what, if that was the play that got us the ring, there were a lot of smaller runs that day that set the big run up, because we just wore [the Miami] defense down."
Indeed, Riggins, voted the game's MVP, carried 38 times for 166 yards. His only rush for more than nine yards was the signature play of the game, the 43-yard gallop that nudged the Redskins into the lead for good in a game they had dominated throughout. The Redskins' plan was to use Riggins as a human wrecking ball and "The Hogs" as his escort service to control Miami's defense up front. And they did. Riggins had 15 rushes between four and nine yards before bursting through the left side on the fourth-and-1 call. In the battle of attrition that took place in the trenches, the pounding of the Redskins' line took a toll, and Washington was able to take advantage in the fourth quarter.
"You win games a lot of ways and, when you think about it, we won three Super Bowls in different ways, with three different quarterbacks," said Grimm, who earned a fourth Super Bowl ring as a coach with Pittsburgh. "But one of the constants was us, 'The Hogs,' carving out holes for Riggo and other guys. You always remember that first [ring] because, let's face it, that's one more than most guys get, and you don't know if there's another one coming or not."
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
The outcome of Super Bowl XVIII was so lopsided that it's difficult to recall a really classic moment in the Los Angeles Raiders' 38-9 victory over the Washington Redskins.
Still, no one seems to forget the breathtaking 74-yard touchdown run by tailback Marcus Allen in the third quarter. Especially Allen himself.
"It was kind of the icing on the cake," said Allen, whose brilliant 16-year career earned him a place in the Hall of Fame. "We had dominated the Redskins and the game wasn't in doubt. Everyone knew we were going to win. But then came one of those magical, once-in-a-lifetime plays."
The Raiders had a lot of big plays, such as a blocked punt by Derrick Jensen that resulted in an early touchdown and linebacker Jack Squirek's interception and 5-yard return for a touchdown of an ill-advised Joe Theismann pass late in the first half. Yet none was as electrifying as Allen's run, which represented his second touchdown of the third quarter, and capped a performance in which he captured the only Super Bowl ring of his career.
On the touchdown play, Allen started to his left, stopped, cut back to the right, and then somehow burst into the middle of the field through a yawning seam and raced to the end zone past scattered Washington defenders. The touchdown, part of a performance in which Allen logged 20 carries for 191 yards, became the signature play of his career.
Said Allen: "People ask you all the time, 'What do you really see when you're running with the football?' Well, you see colors, shadows, open spaces, whatever. And I saw all of them on that run. It's not one of those things you plan. It just happens."
Allen was only in his second season in 1983 and, like a lot of players who enjoy success early in their careers, the former Southern California star assumed he would play in many more Super Bowls. But he never did and, while he regrets that, his memory of winning his one ring is sufficient for him.
"It will always be something special," Allen said.
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
Go figure: The man considered by many to be the greatest 110-meter hurdler in history -- a guy who won three NCAA titles and a Pan-American Games championship and became the first person to break the 13-second barrier in an event he owned for years -- doesn't own an Olympic medal.
But the overstuffed trophy case of Renaldo Nehemiah includes a Super Bowl XIX ring.
"Yeah, pretty bizarre, isn't it?" acknowledged Nehemiah, a sports agent directing the careers of dozens of track and field athletes.
The decision by President Jimmy Carter to boycott the 1980 Olympics in Moscow came with Nehemiah in his prime and likely to blow away the field. But thanks to former San Francisco coach Bill Walsh and his steadfast belief he could transform a world-class athlete into at least a serviceable wide receiver, there is a Super Bowl ring.
Nehemiah played three seasons with the 49ers, appearing in 40 games and registering 43 receptions for 754 yards and four touchdowns. He never caught more than 18 passes in a season or scored more than two touchdowns, and he and everyone in the San Francisco organization eventually discovered how difficult Walsh's planned metamorphosis was going to be.
"Obviously, he could run past anybody," Walsh once said, "but running (pass) routes is a lot different, we found out, than running over hurdles."
Still, on Jan. 20, 1985, Nehemiah appeared briefly in the 49ers' 38-16 Super Bowl XIX rout of the Miami Dolphins The play-by-play from the game indicated that Nehemiah had one pass thrown in his direction but finished the championship game, as he did most of his NFL appearances, with no catches. No matter, though, because the memory of the moment still burns brightly.
"I've been on a lot of international stages, most of them as an individual performer," Nehemiah said. "But just being a part of that scene, that team and that event -- it's something that means a lot to me."
]]> Len Pasquarelli | ESPN.com
When coach Mike Ditka decided to rub the Patriots' noses further into the refuse of a 46-10 loss in Super Bowl XX by having ponderous defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry carry the ball for a one-yard touchdown in the third quarter, Bears running back Walter Payton lost his chance to score in a championship game.
And then something worse happened to the runner some people consider the greatest competitor in NFL history: He lost the ring that accompanied the Bears' dominating victory.
"There's no doubt about which was worse for him," said Payton's son, Jarrett, a former University of Miami tailback who had brief NFL career. "He'd scored hundreds of touchdowns, even if they weren't in a Super Bowl. But he had only one (Super Bowl) ring. Maybe, privately, not scoring in the Super Bowl hurt him, but he didn't talk about it. Losing the ring? That really hurt."
Payton misplaced the ring in 1996 while serving as a volunteer assistant with the Hoffman Estates (Ill.) High School basketball squad, when he gave it to one player to keep for a few days. Players passed the ring around among themselves and it eventually disappeared. Payton eventually purchased a replacement, but nothing meant more to him than the original.
When he died in 1999 from liver cancer, Payton still hadn't recovered the original ring.
"He wasn't big into symbols and things like that," said Payton's widow, Connie. "He didn't wear jewelry or flashy stuff. But that ring made him a champion. And with everything else he accomplished during his career, all the records and things, being champion was the most important thing to Walter."
In 2001, Purdue student Phil Hong reached under his couch to fetch one of his dog's toys, felt something on the floor, and pulled out Payton's missing ring. Hong had been given the couch from a friend who lived in Hoffman Estates, the suburb where Payton was a volunteer coach. After years of apparently being lodged deep in the cushions, the ring had fallen out.
Hong promptly returned the ring to the Payton family.
"Even though my dad wasn't there to celebrate (its return), getting the ring back was so important to us," Jarrett Payton said. "We just never thought we'd see it again. It was like getting a little piece of my dad back again."
]]> Joe Wojciechowski | ESPN.com
Harry Carson never planned to loan his Super Bowl XXI ring.
One minute, he was preparing to tape his "Giants Game Plan" TV show and the next minute he was handing over his Super Bowl ring to Tiki Barber for a sleepover at the running back's house before the team's final regular-season game.
"It was the first time and it was very spontaneous," said Carson, a linebacker who played his entire 13-year career with Giants (1976-1988) and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2006. "And if it wasn't Tiki, I certainly would not have given it to anyone else."
See, Carson is a Giant through and through and he sees that same trait in Barber. He feels Barber's name belongs in the discussion with the all-time Giants greats such as Frank Gifford, Y.A. Tittle, Sam Huff, Lawrence Taylor and, yes, Carson. So he gave the ring to Barber, who retired at the end of the 2006 season, for a few days to help inspire the team and, in the process, maybe send Barber out a winner.
It worked. Barber ran for a team-record 234 yards in a win over Washington and the Giants made the playoffs. The power of the ring is proven once again.
"It really does mean a lot to people who see the ring," Carson said. "Players are like big kids. They don't necessarily know what they're capable of, but if you put something tangible out there, anything is possible. It's one thing to talk about being a champion, but it's something else when there's something tangible they can feel and see to get a clear understanding of what it's all about.
"See, at the end of the day when you play football, it's not a matter of how much money you take from the game. That's not as important as playing as a team and striving to be the best. That's what the Super Bowl ring indicates -- it means you're the best."
]]> Joe Wojciechowski | ESPN.com
It's an awfully lonely team photo for Doug Williams. The only African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl, he knows his ring represents a little more.
"I think most people when they see me basically look at the ring, especially African-Americans, as a symbol of accomplishment," said Williams. "It's something a black American hadn't done before, and it's been done only one time. It does stand out in that respect."
Williams, who completed 18 of 29 passes for a then-Super Bowl record 340 yards in Washington's 42-10 win over Denver, was the Super Bowl XXII MVP. Before the game, he fielded seemingly endless questions about being the first African-American QB to start a Super Bowl and never became upset or unnerved by the questions.
He saw the big picture. He got it then and still gets it now.
"I still think we have work to do," said Williams, who estimated he wears the ring maybe a dozen or so days a year. "Look around the league. We have 32 teams with at least three QB spots on each team. That's 96 openings, and there are only about 21, 22 or 23 African-American quarterbacks in that position. There's opportunity for more, if given the chance.
"We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to continue."
Williams knows the journey begins at the lower levels. The high schools. The Pop Warner leagues. Junior highs. The coaches and powers that be in those leagues have to give players the opportunity to perform. That leads to opportunities in college and, eventually, the NFL.
"That's the key," Williams said. "Time has changed where the ol' color of the skin doesn't make a difference anymore. What makes a difference is production."
And producing has always been Williams' strength. He was a star in college at Grambling State. He was a first-round pick of the Bucs in 1978 and led them to three playoff appearances, including an amazing run to the NFC Championship Game in 1979, Tampa Bay's fourth year in the league.
He coached his alma mater for six seasons (1998-2003) and returned the Tigers to prominence. And, of course, he has won a Super Bowl. That's something the ring he wears for maybe a dozen days a year reminds everyone.
]]> John Banks | ESPN.com
John Frank admits he is an unusual guy.
A tight end for the 49ers for five seasons, he retired in his prime to pursue a career in medicine.
He's a founding member of the Israeli bobsled team.
He owns a hair clinic and is a cranial base surgeon.
So it's probably no surprise that Frank -- make that Dr. Frank -- has an unusual Super Bowl ring story. Frank said he rarely wears the two Super Bowl rings he earned with the 49ers because they are so big and clunky. But several years ago, Frank -- then a plastic surgeon in San Francisco -- wore his Super Bowl XXIII ring to a Thanksgiving event. When he went to dinner the next night, Frank put the ring in the ashtray of his car that he had valet parked.
When he returned to the car, the ring was missing. Frank filed a report with the San Francisco Police.
"They thought they knew who took it, but they couldn't do anything because they didn't have any evidence," said Frank, who caught two passes for 15 yards in the 49ers' 20-16 Super Bowl XXIII over Cincinnati in 1989.
Several weeks later, Frank, figuring the return of the ring was a lost cause, filed an insurance claim and contacted ring maker Jostens to have a replacement made. About a week after filing the claim, the San Francisco Police called.
The ring had been found.
Frank said whoever took the ring could not sell it -- it had his name on it -- and left it, undamaged, in the restroom of a San Francisco public hospital. "The woman who found it just about fainted," Frank said.
Frank, who earned his other ring for a 38-16 win over Miami in Super Bowl XIX in 1985, was initially skeptical.
When the police called, Frank said, "I thought it was a joke. I wanted to see it. The police didn't normally do it --- they normally made people come over to the station -- but they said their officers were so thrilled to find it that they wanted to bring it to me and meet me."
It was indeed his lost Super Bowl ring. It won't end up in an ashtray again.
]]> Keith Jackson | ESPN.com
Although he owns three Super Bowl rings, don't count on seeing Steve Young wear his bling in public.
"I rarely wear any of my Super Bowl rings because they are huge and look terrible on such a short, stubby hand like mine," said the former 49ers QB, who has title rings for Super Bowl XXIII, XXIV and XXIX. "Wearing it makes me feel like Flavor Flav does when he puts one of his clocks on at the beginning of the day. You're announcing to everyone in the room that you walk into that you're there and they have to deal with it. ''
And besides, Young doesn't want to take a chance on losing his ring. Super Bowl ring lore is filled with players who have misplaced or lost their rings (see Walter Payton).
"It's such a rare event to even get an opportunity to win one much less to actually win one that it would kill me to lose one of them," said Young, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. "It's a joy just having the ring, and I appreciate it more and more as I think back on my career."
Young didn't play a significant role on the 49ers' Super Bowl XXIII and XXIV champs. Playing behind a quarterback named Joe Montana will do that to you. Montana passed for 357 yards and two touchdowns in the 20-16 Super Bowl XXIII win over the Bengals. He was named MVP after throwing for five TDs in a 55-10 Super Bowl XXIV thumping of the Broncos.
Young had perhaps his greatest game in the 49ers' next Super Bowl, an MVP performance in a 49-26 win over San Diego on Super Bowl XXIX. He threw for six touchdowns, breaking Montana's Super Bowl record.
But Young cherishes that first ring he earned following Super Bowl XXIII nonetheless.
"I'll never forget the joy I had at that ring ceremony," Young said. "The Super Bowl ring signifies the ultimate success. MVP trophies and passing titles don't mean anything in comparison to winning a Super Bowl ring. While my first one didn't leave me with the same taste in my mouth that the others did because I didn't contribute as much during the actual game, it was still great to receive it."
]]> Joe Wojciechowski | ESPN.com
Five questions with Super Bowl XXV MVP Ottis "O.J." Anderson, who rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown in the Giants' 20-19 win over Buffalo:
1. What is the reaction when people see the Super Bowl ring?
Their jaws drop and their eyes get wide like a kid in a candy store. They are overly excited, especially Giants fans. They are extremely overjoyed. They display a great deal of appreciation and thanks. That's a bit weird to me -- when people say "thanks" to me because the Giants won. Other people, whether they are a football fan or not, seem excited to see Super Bowl rings up close. For some reason, they are fulfilled when they walk away as if they have completed a particular chapter in their lives and can then move on with peace of mind.
2. What do other players say when they see it?
They usually congratulate me, comment on the two Super Bowls I won and talk about the game itself and my performance in it. The conversation then tends to go to a reflection of their time in the game. A bit of career reflection, you could say. Sometimes, if they have a ring or rings of their own, we might compare designs and talk about the road to the Super Bowl.
3. What is the strangest request/reaction you've had regarding your rings?
There was a lady who asked if she could use my rings as earrings for her infant daughter. There was another lady who wanted to use the ring as a navel ring and pose for a picture. (Neither request got very far.)
What's wild is when people ask to hold them or try them on. They usually can't fit the rings. So, they try to see how many fingers they can get inside of each one. They have a look of disbelief that their hands are much smaller than mine.
A couple times, people have fainted and gotten lightheaded. Thankfully, no one was every seriously injured, but it was quite shocking to me that someone would faint.
4. What do you think every time you look at the ring?
I reflect on all the years of hard work and preparation that got me to that point. Having spent seven years with the St. Louis Cardinals constantly carrying the ball and working hard but not having the winning team success, I felt as if I had been rewarded by coming to New York and going to a Super Bowl (and winning) in my first season with the Giants. I think a lot about all my years in football from as far back to when I was a kid, all the effort and dedication that ultimately led me to a great organization and group of teammates.
5. How has the ring changed your life?
Only a few guys that have played the game can say they've made it to a Super Bowl, even fewer have won. I've experienced two Super Bowls, won both of them (also Giants over Denver in Super Bowl XXI), plus the MVP title in one. That is a huge accomplishment and a very rewarding yet humbling experience. It's a memory I'll always have.
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
Mark Schlereth doesn't bother wearing his Super Bowl rings, mainly because none of them fits.
"I don't know anybody who played in the interior whose ring fits them," said the former NFL offensive lineman. "I've got three rings and none of them come close to fitting."
Schlereth, who weighs considerably less than he did in his playing days, said his hands took such a beating during his playing days that none of his rings (one with Washington, two with Denver) was sized properly because his hands were still swollen after the season.
"By the time you get the ring, it's two sizes too big," he said.
The Redskins were heavy favorites to win Super Bowl XXVI against Buffalo in 1992. So were the Broncos against Atlanta in Super Bowl XXXIII. On the other hand, the Broncos were underdogs going into Super Bowl XXXII versus Green Bay.
"That was the only one I felt pure ecstasy over," Schlereth said of the Broncos' 31-24 win against the Packers.
Schlereth's fondest memories from his first Super Bowl are coach Joe Gibbs' uncharacteristically animated speech the night before the game, inspired by a Bills coach's published comments about the Redskins' offensive line. And Ernest Byner finding redemption for his infamous fumble in the 1987 AFC Championship Game when he played for Cleveland.
"He was a great running back, but unfortunately people remember him for the fumble," said Schlereth, an NFL analyst for ESPN. "He was one of the nicest guys I've ever met and one of the finest football players I've ever been around. To see him come full circle like that and get the monkey off his back was neat to me."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
When he speaks to kids, Darren Woodson doesn't wear his first Super Bowl ring, earned in 1993 when Dallas crushed Buffalo, 52-17. Woodson just brings it along and shows it to them.
Woodson was a rookie in the 1992 season and therefore had no clue how privileged he was to be in the Super Bowl. "I didn't know how hard it was to get there," he said.
Woodson, who rarely wears his Super Bowl rings, couldn't see the big picture back then. He was a backup defensive back and special teamer who spent the season angry about not starting. That was a far cry from the good teammate and standout safety he would become.
Woodson said the Super Bowl XXVII ring -- the smallest of the Cowboys' rings of the '90s -- reminds him of special-teams ace Bill Bates, who more than understood the magnitude of capturing a championship.
Bates' locker was next to Woodson's at the team's facility, at road games and at the Super Bowl. Woodson remembers most that Bates, who had waited 10 seasons to get a title, cried after the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXVII.
"For me it was like, 'We'll be back next year.' To see grown men crying over a game, I thought that was crazy," Woodson said.
Woodson, who also earned rings after Cowboys wins in Super Bowls XXVIII and XXX, understood the following year how hard it is to earn a ring.
"When we went back to the Super Bowl, that's when it hit me," he said. "That's when I realized."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
Michael Irvin's favorite of his three Super Bowl rings is the one from Super Bowl XXVIII. It's the one he wears to appearances. Irvin said it's his favorite not just because it's the best-looking of the bunch, but because that championship was the most satisfying.
That season Dallas became the sixth team to repeat as champions, defeating the Buffalo Bills in the big game for the second straight year. Irvin said the 1993 Cowboys were the best of his three title teams.
"There's nothing harder in sports than to win a championship back-to-back," Irvin said. "... That Super Bowl XXVIII ring, it means we walked into every stadium as champions and left every stadium as champions.
"We entered that season as champions and we ended it as champions. We took everybody's best shot and we were still standing. That's what I like about that ring."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
Jesse Sapolu is one of six 49ers players with four Super Bowl rings, but he's the only member of that exclusive club who was on the 1994 championship team.
The other players in that club are Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright, Keena Turner and Mike Wilson, all of whom are pictured on a 49ers commemorative Super Bowl poster. Sapolu jokes that the Niners should take another photo and include him -- the only link between Super Bowls XIX and XXIX.
Sapolu, who played center and guard, gave his first three rings to each of his sons and kept the XXIX ring for himself. That's fitting because that one carries the most historical significance. In Super Bowl XXIX, the last game of the NFL's 75th season, San Francisco became the first franchise to win five titles. The ring is also the best-looking, Sapolu said.
"My boys are negotiating for a trade because they see more diamonds on it," Sapolu said. "This one has the most meaning because I can say to my kids, 'Your dad was part of the team that went 5-0 in the Super Bowl. It was the NFC Championship Game that gave us problems."
Sapolu's Niners lost five conference title games. Sapolu believes San Francisco's dynasty is more impressive than Dallas' or Pittsburgh's because the Niners' five championships came during a 13-year period. Beating the rival Cowboys in the 1994 title game arguably was as big as winning the Super Bowl.
"It was special because the Cowboys had come out and challenged us in the '90s," Sapolu said. "We were fighting for one more [title] to make sure they didn't take over and make us disappear from the '90s. I know I sound spoiled, but I truly believe I'd be sitting here with six rings if not for those guys."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
Larry Brown says the first of his three rings, from Super Bowl XXVII, is the one he cherishes most. That's because the game, a win over Buffalo in Pasadena, Calif., represented a homecoming for Brown, a Los Angeles native and then a rookie starting cornerback for the Cowboys.
But the last ring, from Super Bowl XXX, is the most meaningful. It represents the most fulfilling season of Brown's career because of what he had to overcome.
In August 1995, Brown's son Kristopher was born three months prematurely. He died in November of that year. But Brown, dedicating the season to his son, played in every game and intercepted six passes despite not practicing most weeks while his wife and child were hospitalized.
Brown wasn't even supposed to start that season. The Cowboys signed Deion Sanders as a free agent and had former first-rounder Kevin Smith to play on the other side, making Brown, a starter his first four seasons, the odd man out. But Smith's early-season injury and Sanders' commitment to baseball meant the Cowboys needed Brown to stabilize the secondary. He capped off the season with a key interception in the NFC title game and two more against Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl, earning him MVP honors.
"It was a memorable season," said Brown, who rarely wears his Super Bowl rings. "When you lose a child, nothing matters. That's probably why I wasn't overly excited about the MVP award."
What he treasures most about the '95 season is the outpouring of support he received. Teammates wore the initials "KB" on their cleats. Teammate Darren Woodson said the first thing he thought about when he recently looked at his Super Bowl XXX ring was Brown.
"It was just very, very difficult," said Brown, who has three children. "The only reason I got through was because of guys like Darren and Brock Marion. And every game we played, the other team's players would come up to me and say they read about it, that I was in their prayers. That meant more to me than anything."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
It took William Henderson three seasons to earn a Super Bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers. He remembers how happy long-suffering veterans such as Don Beebe, Keith Jackson and the late Reggie White were, not only for themselves but also for the younger players who wouldn't have to wait as long as they did to experience a championship.
Ten years later, the fullback had his younger teammates in mind early this season when he took his ring off his nightstand and brought it with him to Lambeau Field. It's one thing to talk about a Super Bowl ring being the ultimate goal, another to see (but not touch) one in person.
Henderson wants another ring and wanted his teammates to understand why "if you win a title with the Packers, you can't write a bad check in Green Bay," he said. "I was trying to explain to the young guys what it truly means, what the big deal is all about."
Henderson earned his ring when the Packers defeated New England, 35-21, in Super Bowl XXXI in 1997.
"That ring represents being part of being No. 1 in the world," he said. "It's the highest level of success you can achieve in sports. & Anybody in the world that knows about football knows that in 1996 the Packers were No. 1 and I was the fullback."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
Perhaps the only person capable of out-talking Shannon Sharpe is his older brother, Sterling.
"When we get together, he does the talking and I do the listening," Shannon said.
It was Sterling, though, who was speechless when Shannon gave him a gift that can't be bought: his Super Bowl ring from Denver's 1997 championship season. Denver defeated Green Bay 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII.
Shannon grew up idolizing his big brother. Sterling's high school jersey number was No. 3. So was Shannon's. Sterling's college jersey number was No. 2. So was Shannon's. Sterling wore No. 84 as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers. Shannon started out wearing No. 81 for the Broncos, but switched to No. 84 as soon as the jersey became available.
Sterling Sharpe's brilliant career with the Packers was limited to seven seasons because of injury. When Shannon won a championship after his eighth season, he gave Sterling his ring as a token of appreciation for all he had done to help him reach the pinnacle.
"How I got to be what I am is because of him," Shannon said. "Receiving that ring, giving it to my brother and seeing the look on his face ... that meant more to me than winning the game itself. He didn't know what to say."
Several months later, in recognition of Shannon's gesture, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan surprised Shannon with a replacement ring. Shannon Sharpe would earn another ring with the Broncos after the 1998 season and a third with the Ravens in 2000 (he kept those two).
Those, however, don't compare to the thrill of winning it all for the first time.
"There's nothing like that first one, hearing 'We Are The Champions' in the background and having a ton of confetti in your colors raining on you," Shannon said. "I could have won seven more Super Bowls and there still would be nothing like that first one."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
In his last three seasons, Seth Joyner came thisclose to reaching three consecutive Super Bowls with three different teams and retiring with two rings.
After a stellar eight-year career with the Eagles, Joyner joined the Cardinals in 1994, and following three seasons in the desert, he signed with the defending champion Packers in search of that elusive championship. Green Bay returned to the Super Bowl on Jan. 25, 1998, but lost to underdog Denver, leaving Joyner to wonder if it just wasn't meant to be.
"To finally get to the pinnacle and lose, you come to the realization, 'I might not ever win,'" Joyner said. In a twist of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," the next summer the Packers traded Joyner to Denver.
Joyner said he feared he was cursed, that the Broncos would get to the big game and lose as the Packers had the year before. Joyner spent the season backing up at linebacker and playing special teams, and he acknowledges winning with Denver in Super Bowl XXXIII wasn't as satisfying as it would have been had he contributed more, though it certainly beat leaving the game without a ring.
Had Joyner hung on another year, he could have held up two fingers. The Rams wanted to sign him before the 1999 season as a backup, but Joyner decided to retire rather than watch from the sideline again. It killed him watching St. Louis in the Super Bowl.
"It didn't pan out exactly the way I would have liked it, but after 13 years I earned the right to have that ring," Joyner said. "That ring means a lot because for one year I was part of the best team in the NFL. I can say I was part of a world champion. That's what it's all about."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
The first thing Torry Holt thinks of when he looks at his Super Bowl XXXIV championship ring?
"The ceremony. The party was fantastic," said Holt, who won his ring with the St. Louis Rams. "I've never seen a group of men so excited."
Holt, a rookie, was one of the stars in the Rams' exciting 23-16 victory over Tennessee on Jan. 30, 2000 in Atlanta. He caught seven passes for 109 yards, including a nine-yard score in the Georgia Dome thriller.
Holt said his knuckles are so swollen from injury that his ring doesn't fit anymore. Holt refers to his Rams teammates from that season as "Champ."
"Whenever I see somebody I say, 'What up, Champ?' Just as a reminder. It brings us to a common place."
In the Rams' 20-17 Super Bowl XXXVI loss to the Patriots on Feb. 3, 2002 in the Louisiana Superdome, Holt just missed earning his second ring.
"So I was really spoiled," he said. "I'm very, very pleased and proud to have won a Super Bowl ring in my rookie year. I got that task out of the way. If I never get back, I feel really good about the fact that I can say I was a champion."
Holt said the ring definitely acts as a conversation piece. He's relieved that when people talk about his illustrious career, there won't be any "buts." For all his numbers, the most significant is one, as in championship.
"It validates me," said Holt, one of the game's most prolific receivers, "because I contributed in that game. If I was just on the team and came back and had great years, well, that's OK. The fact that I played my rookie season and contributed to the team and played in the biggest game, the biggest stage and helped my football team win, it definitely validates me."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
John Elway and Trent Dilfer have the distinction of being the only quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl and not start for that team the following season. Elway retired after the 1998 season. The Baltimore Ravens just chose not to bring back Dilfer, making the ring ceremony just a wee bit awkward.
By then, the Ravens' brass already had decided to let Dilfer walk. He vividly remembers their shocked looks when he walked in to get his ring.
"It was like I had the plague," Dilfer said, likening the experience to a high school reunion. "Coaches, front office people -- they were shocked I was there. They just couldn't believe I came. I gotta say I loved seeing people squirm. But we didn't let it affect my evening one bit. We had a great time. My wife [Cassandra] and I still talk about what a fun evening that was."
Dilfer said head coach Brian Billick eventually tried to make small talk. But there wasn't and still isn't anything the Ravens can say to Dilfer to justify their decision.
"I was pissed off," Dilfer says. "To this day, I still am. But it was awesome to be around that tension. I could hold my chin up and know that I didn't do anything wrong. I'm still to this day surprised by it. We could easily have won it again. We had great chemistry, all the little things you can't coach. You spend years searching for 'it.' We had 'it' and then they got rid of it. You don't know it until you find it and they find it and they let it go. It's mind-boggling."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
It would be safe to assume that a head coach famous for sporting a ratty, sleeveless sweatshirt on the sideline isn't a big jewelry guy. Nor is the ultimate "one-game-at-a-time" coach one for nostalgia.
"They're all in a box," the Patriots' coach said of his five Super Bowl rings. "If I wear them once a year, that's a lot."
What he really means is he has a lot of rings and he likes to wear them all at once, once a year.
Belichick started the tradition at the Patriots' 2002 ring ceremony following their victory in Super Bowl XXXVI. That night he wore the 1986 and 1990 Super Bowl rings he earned with the Giants (for whom he served as defensive coordinator) along with his 1996 AFC Championship ring (only because it's a Patriots ring) and added the new ring to it.
Two years later, after New England won Super Bowl XXXVIII, Belichick showed up to the ring ceremony wearing all four rings at once. The next year, he showed up wearing a fistful.
The rest of the team gets a kick out of seeing its leader, who usually dresses like a monk, sporting so much bling.
"He comes in looking like Liberace," cracked Belichick's assistant, Berj Najarian. The players have followed suit, wearing their old ring(s) to the past two ceremonies. So, Coach, which ring is your favorite?
"They're like my children," he said. "I love them all." Which explains why he elects to wear them all.
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
Here's a quick history lesson for you kids too young to remember: Before the Matt Millen-era Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay was the league's biggest laughingstock. The Bucs lost their first 26 games. They lost at least 10 games each season from 1983-1994. Fans used to attend home games wearing bags over their heads.
So to former general manager Rich McKay, his Super Bowl XXXVII ring not only represents the Buccaneers' 2002 championship season, but also the franchise's entire, mostly forgettable, history, one to which his family is very much tied. (McKay's father, John, was the Bucs' first coach, and Rich's brother, Johnny, played receiver for the Bucs in the late 1970s.)
"In your life you have some really special days," said McKay, now a Falcons executive. "There's the birth of my two boys. My wedding. Now I'm not sure where the wedding ranks next to the day of the ring ceremony. On behalf of my wife, I'm going to say the wedding was better."
But McKay could not fully enjoy watching the team he assembled beat the Raiders in the Super Bowl because so many of those who helped lay the foundation weren't there with him. Amid the euphoria at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium the evening of Jan. 26, 2003, McKay could not help but think of those who helped make the moment possible, including the late Hugh Culverhouse, the team's original owner; Culverhouse's wife, Joy, who took less money for the team from the Glazer family so it could remain in Tampa; and revered former head coach Tony Dungy, who was let go after the 2001 season.
Dungy had helped McKay rebuild the team on the field and repair its reputation in the community.
"The Super Bowl was the culmination of so many things for me but for more than me, a lot of people around me," McKay said. "It was for all the people who had been around that franchise and lived through the bad days. A lot of people went into allowing a select few of us to stand on the podium and get the trophy. They weren't there for that moment and it didn't feel right because they deserved to be."
Today, McKay's ring serves two primary purposes. It is, of course, a conversation piece at public functions. It also acts as the occasional pick-me-up.
Said McKay: "It's nice when you lose four in a row to at least pull out, look at and say, 'At least at some point I knew what I was doing.'"
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
Larry Izzo's late father served in the military for 23 years. And in his honor, the former Patriots' special teams player dedicates much of his time and resources to military causes.
In 2005, while on an NFL-sponsored USO tour in Afghanistan, Izzo attended the opening of the Pat Tillman Center at Bagram Air Base. At a rally there, Izzo was tossing footballs into a crowd of soldiers when he lost his Super Bowl XXXVIII ring.
It turned out that the ring slipped off while Izzo "was winging it like Tom Brady, throwing balls 50 yards" and hit a soldier a few feet away. A few moments later, Boston native Mark Stachelski returned the ring to Izzo. Stachelski -- a West Point grad as was Izzo's father, Larry -- was wearing a Patriots cap.
"He says, 'I'll trade you this ring for a ball,'" Izzo said. Well, Stachelski got more than a ball. He and Izzo remain friends and discovered that they shared a mutual friend.
"If I'm going to lose a ring in a crowd of people," Izzo said, "I'm glad I lost it in a good, honorable crowd of people with integrity."
It was a case of a patriot helping a Patriot.
"I was lucky the ring didn't hit anybody," Izzo said.
Another soldier wasn't so lucky, however. Two weeks later, Izzo visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and encountered a soldier who had recently had his leg amputated. In an eerie twist, Izzo had met the soldier on his visit to Afghanistan and shown him his Super Bowl XXXVIII ring.
The next day, the soldier lost his leg when he stepped on a land mine. We might think of Super Bowl rings as priceless, but that kind of puts things in perspective.
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers talked for years about getting one for the thumb. Well, veteran strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik is working on his other hand. He was a member of the Cowboys when they became the first team to win three Super Bowls in four seasons (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) and the Patriots when they matched the feat (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) -- giving him a record six rings.
So why hasn't he seen any of them in two years?
Because he hasn't opened the safe deposit box he keeps them in since the Patriots' last championship -- he only checks in on his collection when he adds to it.
"They're gaudy," said Woicik, admittedly not much of a jewelry guy. "They're not worth wearing."
He said his favorite rings are the ones that symbolize the dynasties' first titles. The Cowboys were the new kids on the block when they blew out the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII.
"If I were to wear one -- which I wouldn't -- that would be the one," Woicik said of the smallest of his rings. The Patriots went from 5-11 the year before to upsetting the powerful Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI for their first ring.
To Woicik, the rings symbolize an element of the game that many don't see -- the work players put in year-round to be strong for fall weekends.
"For some people, the destination is more important than the process," he said. "For what I do, the process is more important."
]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
Jerome Bettis had run 13 seasons in pursuit of one, so almost immediately after the Steelers' Super Bowl XL win he already was contemplating the design of a championship ring.
Rather than leave the look of the ring to others, Bettis decided he needed to be an active participant in the process.
"I thought to myself, 'This is my only one. I want to make sure it's done the right way,' " he said.
So Bettis sought out owner Dan Rooney in the locker room after the Super Bowl win and asked about membership in the ring committee. "He said, 'Tell you what, it'll be me and you,' " Bettis recalled.
A few weeks later, Bettis met Rooney in his office, figuring he could use a little help formulating his ring ideas. It just so happened that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was there that day, too. Bettis and Big Ben, along with every Steeler for the previous quarter century, had been chasing "one for the thumb." But Rooney wanted a ring that would recognize the 2005 team's accomplishment apart from those of the 1970s.
No, Bettis and Roethlisberger told Rooney, we want to be linked with the past. Playing for the Steelers, there's no avoiding that anyway. When players go to work, they are reminded of the franchise's history by four Vince Lombardi trophies on display.
Now that they had finally added a fifth, Bettis told Rooney, "We want to be included in that tradition. We want to be a part of that family, not sit at a table over there."
Rooney sketched Bettis' vision right there on the spot. Thus the newest Steelers Super Bowl ring features all five championship trophies, with the most recent addition to "the family" in the center.
"That was the biggest compliment he could have ever paid me. I got a chance to design the ring that I wear," Bettis said of Rooney welcoming his input. "How many players can say that?"
]]> Jeffri Chadiha | ESPN.com
Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri already had a unique perspective on Super Bowl rings when he prepared to receive his fourth in June 2007.
As he dined with his Colts teammates during a posh, private ceremony at the Indiana Roof Downtown, Vinatieri scanned the expansive room to find fellow players fidgeting and eagerly awaiting their rewards.
Vinatieri was thrilled as well, but he understood the emotions involved in seeing a Super Bowl ring for the first time.
"I knew what it felt like, but 99 percent of the guys in that room hadn't," said Vinatieri, who won three Super Bowls with New England. "It's really funny to see grown men acting like kids at Christmas. You could see the excitement in their faces as they all opened their boxes."
By the way, this doesn't mean that Super Bowl ring ceremonies have become trite for Vinatieri. As much as he enjoyed receiving his first Super Bowl ring in New England after the 2001 season, he said that every one that has come along since -- he also received one after the 2003 and 2004 seasons -- has touched him in a different way.
In fact, Vinatieri cherishes those rings so much that he keeps them tucked away in a safe deposit box near his offseason home in Orlando, Fla. He takes one out occasionally for special events, but he is not about to display them in a trophy case with all his other awards.
Vinatieri actually has taken just one picture with all his rings, which occurred last summer after he picked up his fourth. He also made sure to keep them close when filming an ESPN commercial last summer that spoofed on the possibility of Vinatieri setting off security alarms by carrying all that jewelry into the offices at Bristol, Conn.
As for longterm plans for the rings, Vinatieri has one goal: to make sure his children (son A.J. and daughter Allison) end up with them. Right now they're too young to appreciate the gifts, but as Vinatieri said, "Hopefully, there will come a day when they'll think their father did some pretty cool things in his day."
Until that time comes, Vinatieri is content with being part of a rare breed. Only a few players know what it's like to win four Super Bowls.
That's why Vinatieri revels in every opportunity he has to sit in those celebration parties while waiting for the big finale.
"Whenever you open that box, it's always a great feeling," he said. "That's when everything comes together, when you get to see what you've worked for all these years."]]> Matt Mosley | ESPN.com
Giants Pro Bowl defensive end Justin Tuck will never forget the first time he took his Super Bowl XLII ring on a road trip.
Tuck and former teammate Derrick Ward were wearing their rings on a flight to Los Angeles, where they were to attend a charity event. Tuck said he'd fallen into a deep sleep when he felt someone playing with his finger. He woke up to find a flight attendant trying to slip the ring off his finger.
"I asked her what she was doing," he said. "She had her hand on mine, and it was sort of an awkward moment. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, but I certainly didn't fall asleep again."
Like most of his teammates, Tuck keeps his ring locked away in a safe. He only wears it on special occasions, such as charity dinners or team events. Tuck said it's only the second ring he's ever worn -- the first being the platinum wedding band that he received from his high school sweetheart, Lauren Williamson. Veteran players such as Strahan and Amani Toomer had some input in the design of the Super Bowl rings, but Tuck said he stayed out of it.
"I was just a young pup," he said. "I wasn't really into it."
All of the Giants' Super Bowl rings have the words "Road Warriors" engraved on them. The Giants, of course, won three road playoff games to reach Super Bowl XLII.
Former defensive end Michael Strahan called it a "10-table ring" because it can be seen from 10 tables away at a restaurant.]]> James Walker | ESPN.com
When it comes to athletics, the outcome of Super Bowl XLIII made Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes feel complete.
Holmes has been a champion at every level. He won a high school championship in Florida, a BCS national championship at Ohio State, and his MVP performance and game-winning catch in a 27-23 Super Bowl win over the Arizona Cardinals capped the rarest of football trifectas.
"I knew that it would complete my resume, collecting a ring at every level in high school, college and pros," Holmes said. "I can definitely say the whole playoff run was great. I made a big play or touchdown in every game in the playoffs, and I think that definitely sparked our team."
Holmes recorded nine receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown against Arizona. His final catch, in the back of the end zone from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with 35 seconds left in the game, will go down as one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history.
In addition to the ring, the game-winning catch also earned Holmes the coveted Super Bowl MVP trophy, which he keeps near and dear to him.
"It's right beside my bed on my nightstand," Holmes said laughing.
The ring is a different story.
According to Holmes, it's locked in a safe along with his other championship rings. The Steelers received their jewelry in a private ceremony in June 2009. Holmes tried the ring on once at the ceremony, but hasn't worn it since.
"It draws too much attention," he said.
]]> Pat Yasinkskas | ESPN.com
At first, Scott Shanle flashed his Super Bowl XLIV ring. Then, he stashed it.
The 31-year-old linebacker last wore his ring in June. That's also the last time he saw the piece of jewelry that represents the only championship in the history of the New Orleans Saints, reflecting their 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Feb. 7, 2010 in Miami's Sun Life Stadium.
The 2009 Saints were one of the feel-good stories in all of sports in recent years. Shanle knows the team brought pride to a city and region that still is recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
That whole experience is going to be part of Shanle's life forever and the ring will be a nice memento. But Shanle isn't planning on wearing the ring or even looking at it anytime soon. He has it locked away in a safe-deposit box and says he'll know when the time is right to start wearing it again.
"It was a huge accomplishment for us, but at the same time, it can kind of be a distraction,'' Shanle said. "If you're wearing it around all the time and you're looking back all the time at that season, you kind of forget what's presently going on and what you want to accomplish in the future. A few years down the road, we'll relish more of what we did. But right now, there's business at hand.''
Speaking of hands, that's one reason Shanle isn't wearing the ring yet. He has a vision of more rings to go on more fingers. The Saints came up short in defending their Super Bowl title this season when they were upset by the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild-card playoff round.
With quarterback Drew Brees and other stars still in their prime, Shanle believes the Saints can get back to the Super Bowl and add rings.
"A Super Bowl ring is the symbol of the ultimate achievement in this profession,'' Shanle said. "It feels great knowing I have one of those. But I always joke around with my wife and, really, I'm not joking. I have two boys, so I can't have only one ring. I've got to get another one."
]]> Kevin Seifert | ESPN.com
The Green Bay Packers gathered at Lambeau Field for a private ring ceremony under the most bizarre of circumstances. The date was June 16, 2011, and because of the unprecedented NFL lockout, most players and coaches hadn't seen one another since winning Super Bowl XLV four months earlier.
"That was our first time getting together," Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins said, "and everybody was excited. There was just a lot of emotions going on."
The Packers had received special permission from the league to organize the ceremony during the lockout, which technically barred players from NFL facilities. Each player walked into the Lambeau Field atrium and was handed a box.
"But they told us not to open it," Collins said. "We waited and waited."
First, team officials showed a video presentation of how the Packers' championship ring was designed. When the lights came on, it was time to open the box.
"It was just an unbelievable feeling," Collins said. "We were the champions, but now we could finally say we had the hardware to prove it. I think it was one of the most glorifying days of everyone's life that was part of the Super Bowl run."
The ring featured a gold "G" on a green setting, with 13 diamonds in the letter to represent the previous titles in team history. A total of 92 diamonds adorned the entire piece of jewelry, one for each year of the franchise's existence.Collins provided one of the game's early highlights, returning an interception for a touchdown to give the Packers a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Getting the ring "definitely makes you relive it all over again," he said.
Collins added: "You just reflect on everything that happened and the whole season and the way we approached it -- how we handled the last six games [needing victories in each of them] and how we dealt with losing so many players [to injury]. Everybody had the confidence and the right attitude to do what we had to do to win it."]]> Cathy Harasta | Special to ESPN.com
Few precious objects can match the mystique of the Super Bowl rings awarded annually to the NFL's champions.
"Bling" has become the operative word in ring aesthetics since Michael Irvin told Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to design the ring for Super Bowl XXVII so that the diamonds would look like "headlights."
But the rings also should tell a gem of a story, reflecting a team's season, says Rich Stoebe, communications director for Minneapolis-based Jostens, which has made 29 of the 45 Super Bowl rings.
"It's the detail included in the ring that really tells the story, representing a very successful season for a unique team," Stoebe says.
Companies bid for the right to make the rings. The Super Bowl champion selects the company and team officials contribute design ideas for the rings, which take about a month to manufacture.
I: For whom was the largest ring, in terms of ring size, manufactured?
A: The Bears' William "The Refrigerator" Perry wins with a size 25 for his Super Bowl XX ring.
II: What does a size 25 look like?
A: A half-dollar can pass through that ring size, which has a diameter of 1.258 inches. Most of the rings are in the size 11 range.
III: Who chooses the ring recipients?
A: The team owner selects the ring recipients and decides when to present the rings. In addition to the 53-member player roster, coaches and other club personnel make the cut.
IV: Which is the heavyweight champion of Super Bowl rings?
A: The Patriots' ring from Super Bowl XXXIX reigns at 4.06 ounces and has 124 diamonds.
V: Does the Super Bowl loser get a ring?
A: The losing team receives jewelry courtesy of the NFL, which pays for 150 pieces of jewelry that can't exceed the cost of one-half the price set for the winner's ring.
VI: How much does the tradition influence the design, particularly with teams with rich histories like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers?
A. The goal of the designer is to capture the story of the season and the organization. When it comes to teams with a lot of history and multiple championships, usually the designer will try to mix the past with the present. Pittsburgh's Super Bowl ring from the 2008 season is a perfect example. It includes six large diamonds to commemorate each championship -- four from the 1970s and two from the 2000s.
VII: How long were Jerry Kramer and his ring from Super Bowl I separated?
A: For 25 years, former Packers guard Jerry Kramer, with Green Bay from 1958 to '68, wondered what happened to the ring he removed in an airplane lavatory during a 1981 flight. In the spring of 2006, the ring turned up for sale on an auction Web site, was bought by the site owner and returned to Kramer. He received it during a ceremony at Lambeau Field.
VIII: Are we talking strictly diamonds for the rings?
A: No. For example, the Pittsburgh ring from Super Bowl XL has a yellow sapphire, a ruby and a blue sapphire in addition to 69 diamonds.
IX: Can a Super Bowl ring do double duty?
A: Absolutely. Cowboys great Bob Lilly's Super Bowl VI ring is his wedding ring. His wife, Ann, recalled the loss of the ring during a hayride in 1975. "We were coming back on the same trail when a lady in the wagon said, 'I just saw something flash!' " Ann Lilly said. So it wasn't exactly like finding a needle in a haystack. When Ann and Bob Lilly married in 1973, he had 10 diamonds from the ring awarded to Dallas after the loss to the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V set in Ann's wedding band.
X: Which ring really, truly rocks?
A: The Patriots' ring for the Super Bowl XXXIX victory is football-shaped and, when set on edge, rocks back and forth to signify team symmetry and balance.
XI: How does the NFL Hall of Fame get its collection of Super Bowl rings?
A: The ring company works with the NFL to make sure at least one additional replica is made to support the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
XII: Has Jostens ever made a ring for the home team?
A: Despite its many designs, Jostens, based in Minneapolis and the maker of the majority of Super Bowl rings, never has had the pleasure of producing a Super Bowl ring for its home team, the Vikings.
XIII: What happens when someone gives his Super Bowl ring to a Russian dignitary?
A: Stoebe said that Jostens made a replacement ring for the one from Super Bowl XXXIX that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Kraft intended to show the ring to Putin, not give it to him. The ring now sits in the Kremlin library.
XIV: Though the Packers' ring from Super Bowl I (Jan. 15, 1967) appears modest by recent standards, what made it special?
A: Vince Lombardi had a hand in the design.
XV: Has any player pulled off the double of winning a Super Bowl and an Olympic gold medal?
A: The late Bob Hayes, a Dallas Cowboys receiver, became the only athlete to win an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring when the Cowboys won the Super Bowl after the 1971 season. Hayes captured the 100-meter gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where he also won a gold medal as a member of the 400-meter relay squad.
XVI: Who is the individual ring leader among players or coaches?
A: Veteran strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik needs two hands to wear his six Super Bowl rings, three with the Cowboys and three with the Patriots.
XVII: Does the NFL mandate any aspects of the rings?
A: Yes, though the league isn't all that heavy-handed. Its ring specifications have some wiggle room. One side of the ring, however, must include the Super Bowl logo.
XVIII: What kinds of details are on the rings?
A: In some cases, everything but the kitchen sink. Among the ring features are dates, scores, winning streaks and players' names and numbers.
XIX: Are there rules for replicas?
A: The ring company can't produce and sell replicas, though it can make another ring for, say, season-ticket holders. But it must be requested by the team and cannot be the same style of ring.
XX: Jostens has made the most Super Bowl rings (29 of the 45 rings), but who's No. 2?
A: Balfour is second with nine.
Cathy Harasta is a freelance writer based in Dallas. ]]> Michael Smith | ESPN.com
We already know Robert Kraft as a successful NFL owner and businessman. Turns out he's a pretty savvy diplomat, too.
Kraft, the New England Patriots' owner, was among a group of American business leaders who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2005. Afterward, when the group met with the media, Kraft passed Putin his Super Bowl XXXIX ring, the newest of his three championship rings with the Patriots.
Putin admired the 4.94-carat, diamond-encrusted ring, tried it on, put it in his pocket and walked away. Gifts of state aren't uncommon in such encounters, though it was not Kraft's original intention to give Putin one of his most prized possessions.
But Kraft prevented a diplomatic mystery from becoming an international crisis by declaring the transaction a gift. Today, it sits in the Kremlin library among other priceless artifacts.
"You've got leading businessmen in the world there," Kraft said, "and this guy is fascinated with a Super Bowl ring. Here we are in Russia, a country that's so important to the United States as a balance to everything going on in the Middle East and Europe and Asia, and it's about a Super Bowl ring. That was pretty cool. It was just a fun moment."
It's probably the most famous example of the mystique that surrounds Super Bowl rings. Every owner of every ring has a story. ]]>