Super Bowl ring

The Steelers Super Bowl XL ring

Joe Theismann's Super Bowl Ring (right)

The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl.

These rings are typically made of yellow or white gold with diamonds. They usually include the team name, team logo, and Super Bowl number (usually indicated in Roman numerals). The NFL pays for the cost of 150 rings to the winning team, at roughly $5,000 apiece, depending upon the fluctuating cost of gold and diamonds. The winning team can typically present rings to whomever they choose, including usually, but not limited to: players (active roster or injured), coaches, trainers, executives, personnel, and general staff. Some teams have also been known to give rings to former players, despite not having been on the winning roster. Teams can distribute any number of rings, but must pay for any over the 150-ring limit.

Many rings feature diamonds in the shape of the Vince Lombardi Trophy or a football. Some feature diamonds or gold in the shape of a team logo. Others illustrate the number of Super Bowls that franchise has won. Also, the rings are customized with the player's name and uniform number.

Replicas of the rings for various years are popular collectibles, along with genuine rings. Dave Meggett is known to have placed his ring for sale on eBay. Two Super Bowl rings from the 1970 Steelers sold on eBay for over $32,000 apiece in mid-2008. Patriots safety Je'Rod Cherry raffled his ring from Super Bowl XXXVI in November 2008 to benefit several charities working to help children in Africa and Asia. Tight end Shannon Sharpe, meanwhile, gave his first Super Bowl ring to his brother Sterling, who had his career cut short by injury.

Most Super Bowl rings

• Seven: One individual
  • Neal Dahlen: five with San Francisco (Staff and Player Personnel) and two with Denver (General Manager)

• Six:
  • Dan Rooney and Art Rooney, Jr.: each as an executive with Pittsburgh
  • Chuck Noll: four as head coach and two as a team consultant with Pittsburgh
  • Bill Nunn: each as a scout with Pittsburgh
  • "Mean Joe" Greene: four as a defensive tackle, two as a special assistant for player personnel, all with the Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Conditioning coach Mike Woicik: three with Dallas and three with New England
• Five: at least seven individuals
  • Dick Hoak: each as a running backs coach with Pittsburgh
  • Charles Haley: two with San Francisco and three with Dallas (all 5 as a player—the most rings won as a player)
  • Bill Belichick: two as defensive coordinator of the Giants and three as head coach of New England
  • Romeo Crennel: two as a defensive coach with Giants and three as a defensive coach with New England
  • George Seifert: three as an assistant coach and two as a head coach all with San Francisco 49ers
  • Pepper Johnson: two as a linebacker for the Giants and three as an assistant coach with New England
  • Monsignor Peter Armstrong: five as chaplain for San Francisco
• Four: at least 32 players, many coaches and staff
  • The first player to win four Super Bowl rings was tight-end Marv Fleming, who got a pair with the Green Bay Packers in 1966 and 1967, and another pair with the Miami Dolphins in the early 1970s.
  • Twenty-two players earned four rings with the Steelers in the 1970s: Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mel Blount, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mike Webster, Donnie Shell, L. C. Greenwood, Rocky Bleier, Gerry Mullins, Larry Brown, Mike Wagner, J.T. Thomas, Loren Toews, Jon Kolb, Sam Davis, Steve Furness, Dwight White, Randy Grossman and the previously mentioned Joe Greene (who later added two more rings). At least five coaches were with the team all four years: George Perles, Louis Riecke, Woody Widenhofer and (as noted above) Chuck Noll and Dick Hoak. The list of Steelers front office staff receiving four rings during that era includes Director of Player Personnel Dick Haley.
  • Joe Montana, Keena Turner, Jesse Sapolu, Eric Wright, Mike Wilson, and Ronnie Lott each won four Super Bowl rings with the 49ers.
  • Kicker Adam Vinatieri won three with the Patriots and one with the Colts
  • Ted Hendricks won three with the Raiders and one with the Colts
  • Bill Romanowski won two with the 49ers and two with the Denver Broncos
  • Coach Charlie Weis won one with the Giants and three with the Patriots
  • Matt Millen has the most rings from different teams, two with Oakland, one with San Francisco, and one with Washington
• Three: many players, coaches and staff
  • Among the many figures with three are Bill Walsh, Mike Shanahan, Art Shell, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Tom Brady, Troy Brown, Richard Seymour, Ty Law, Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, Kevin Faulk, Eric Mangini, Joe Gibbs, Dave Dalby and Shannon Sharpe
  • Ken Norton Jr. is the only player to have been on three Super Bowl-winning teams in a row (1993–1995).

External links

• Images of the first 43 Super Bowl Rings
• Replica Super Bowl Rings
• Jostens Super Bowl Rings
• Superbowl.com
• A collector's site