Vince Lombardi Trophy

Vince Lombardi Trophy
A Vince Lombardi Trophy on display, 2009
Sport American football
Given for Winning the Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League
History
First award January 15, 1967 (1967-01-15)
First winner Green Bay Packers
Most wins Pittsburgh Steelers
Most recent Philadelphia Eagles
Website SuperBowl.com

The Vince Lombardi Trophy is the trophy awarded each year to the winning team of the National Football League's championship game, the Super Bowl. The trophy is named in honor of NFL coach Vince Lombardi, who led the Green Bay Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowl games.[1]

History

During lunch with NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle in 1966,[2] Tiffany & Co. vice president Oscar Riedner made a sketch on a cocktail napkin of what would become the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The original trophy was produced by Tiffany & Co. in Newark, New Jersey.[3] Others have since been handcrafted by the company in Parsippany, New Jersey.[4] As of 2017, the trophy is produced at the Tiffany & Co Forrest Hills manufacturing facility in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The trophy was first awarded to the Green Bay Packers in January 15, 1967, following the 1966 regular season (when the Super Bowl's official designation was the AFL-NFL World Championship Game) after they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.

Even though it is a national tournament, the award was initially inscribed with the words "World Professional Football Championship". It was officially renamed in 1970 in memory of NFL head coach Vince Lombardi, who led the Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowl games, after his death from cancer.[1][5] It was thus presented for the first time as the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl V when the Baltimore Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys 16-13. It has also been referred to as the "Tiffany Trophy" after the Tiffany & Co.[6][7][8]

Since Super Bowl XXX, the award has been presented to the winning team's owner on the field following the game. Previously, it was presented inside the winning team's locker room. In the case of the community-owned Packers' two titles since Super Bowl XXX, the team's President & CEO has accepted the trophy.

Unlike trophies such as the Stanley Cup and the Grey Cup, a new Vince Lombardi Trophy is made every year and the winning team maintains permanent possession of that trophy, with one notable exception being Super Bowl V's, won by the then-Baltimore Colts. The city of Baltimore retained that trophy as part of the legal settlement between the team and the city after the Colts' infamous "Midnight Mayflower" move to Indianapolis on March 29, 1984. Since then, both the relocated Colts and their replacement in Baltimore, the Ravens, have won the Super Bowl and earned trophies in their own right.

Since Super Bowl XLV, the Vince Lombardi Trophy is also prominently featured in the standardized logo design now used for all future Super Bowl games.[9]

Appearance

The Vince Lombardi Trophy stands 22 inches (56 cm) tall, weighs 7 pounds (3.2 kg) and depicts a football in a kicking position on a three concave sided stand, and is entirely made of sterling silver.[10]

Russell Wilson with Lombardi Trophy

The words "Vince Lombardi Trophy" along with the Roman numerals of that year's Super Bowl are engraved on and the NFL shield is affixed onto the base. After the trophy is awarded, it is sent back to Tiffany's to be engraved with the names of the participating teams, the date, location, and the game's final score.[11] It is then sent back to the winning team for them to keep. Smaller replicas are made for each person on the winning team.

For the first four championship games, both the NFL and the AFL logos were in the center of the trophy. Starting from Super Bowl V, only the NFL shield was on the front. Beginning with Super Bowl XXXVIII, the shield took on a frosted appearance. Starting with Super Bowl XLIII, the slightly redesigned NFL shield began appearing on the trophy, still with a frosted appearance. Other than the logo, the trophy has had no significant changes made since the first Super Bowl. While no franchise possesses all four versions, the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers have three of the four designs.

Teams with the most Vince Lombardi Trophies

The Super Bowl is currently played in early February (the game originally took place in early to mid-January), culminating a season that generally begins in September of the previous calendar year. For example, Super Bowl 50, which was played on February 7, 2016, determined the league champion for the 2015 NFL season. The years shown below refer to the season, not the date that the Super Bowl was actually played.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005, 2008) are first with six Vince Lombardi Trophies. The Dallas Cowboys (1971, 1977, 1992, 1993, 1995), the San Francisco 49ers (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994), and the New England Patriots (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016) are tied for second with 5 each. The Green Bay Packers (1966, 1967, 1996, 2010) and the New York Giants (1986, 1990, 2007, 2011) are tied for third with four each. The Oakland Raiders (1976, 1980, 1983), the Washington Redskins (1982, 1987, 1991) and the Denver Broncos (1997, 1998, 2015) are tied for fourth with three each.

Although none of these teams have ever won three straight Super Bowls, two of them have won three Lombardi trophies in four years and one twice in three years: The Dallas Cowboys (1992, 1993, 1995) and the New England Patriots (2001, 2003, 2004) and (2014, 2016). The Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in six years (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979).

Presentation ceremony

The trophy has been presented on a stage constructed on the field since Super Bowl XXX in 1996. A personality from the TV network broadcasting the game handles the presentation ceremony. The commissioner, winning owner, winning coach, winning quarterback, and-if not a QB-the MVP, are usually recognized.

From Super Bowl XXX to Super Bowl XXXIX, the trophy was set on the stage to begin the ceremony.

Beginning with Super Bowl XL, a former NFL player, usually a past Super Bowl MVP or notable figure of the host city's franchise, brings the Lombardi Trophy to the center of the stadium, as he walks past members of the winning team.

The players, along with the Super Bowls in which they participated in the Lombardi Trophy presentation ceremony, are listed below.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Vince Lombardi Trophy: A Tiffany Piece Money Can't Buy". ABC News. February 3, 2016.
  2. ↑ Let's Learn About the Vince Lombardi Trophy, Pittsburgh Post Gazette
  3. ↑ NIx, Naomi (January 7, 2014). "Original Vince Lombardi trophy comes home to Newark". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  4. ↑ Horovitz, Bruce (January 30, 2002). "Football's super prize reaches icon status". USA Today. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  5. ↑ Tanier, Mike (January 31, 2010). "Excess Reigns at Super Bowl and That's No Ballyhoo". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ "Super Bowl Trophy". IX Games.
  7. ↑ Weiner, Evan (February 3, 2011). "Super Bowl XLV: Vince Lombardi wanted no part of the Super Bowl". United States Sports Academy. Retrieved February 19, 2012. The Jets apparently didn’t think too highly of the Tiffany Trophy the organization received for winning [Super Bowl III]
  8. ↑ Christl, Cliff (February 7, 2011). "Packers GM Thompson made all right moves". Rockford Register Star. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2012. [Packers General Manager Ted] Thompson actually clapped his hands in celebration a few times, spoke a few words and helped hoist the Tiffany trophy with [President Mark] Murphy and coach Mike McCarthy
  9. ↑ "2011 logo is first of NFL's standard look". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  10. ↑ Official Site of the National Football League. NFL.com (2007-09-18). Retrieved on 2013-07-29.
  11. ↑ George, Shannon (September 10, 2009). "Let's Learn About: The Vince Lombardi Trophy". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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