above: The most recent addition to the years of superbowl bling is the 2009 ring above awarded to the New Orleans Saints for their victory over the Indianapolis Colts from Super Bowl XLIV on feb 10, 2010 photo by Derick Hinkle
This post has been updated to include the rings from 2007, 2008 and 2009, so now that's 44 rings.
Original post:
I honor of yesterday's 42nd Super Bowl, I thought I'd share with you the Super Bowl Championship Rings, awarded to each member of the winning team as well as the coaches, from 1966-2006. The majority were manufactured by Jostens (you know, the college class ring people?), and the rings have varied quite a bit over the years.
Above: the final score of the 42nd Super Bowl
The rings almost always include the team's name, logo, and Super Bowl number (usually in Roman numerals). Most of the rings also have larger diamonds or diamonds made into the shape of the trophy, that represent the number of Super Bowls that franchise has won (e.g, Pittsburgh's 2005 ring has five trophies, representing the five Super Bowls they have won).
I don't know how much the total carat weight varies year to year or the value, but here are some little facts about the rings (courtesy of Wikipedia):
•The NFL pays up to $5,000.00 per ring, with up to 150 rings per team. If the rings are over the $5,000 limit, the team owners must make up the difference.
•Recent rings have been appraised in excess of $20,000 but manufacturers keep this information confidential.
•The rings are made by the company of the winning team's choosing. Many Super Bowl rings have been manufactured by Jostens in Denton, Texas. The Indianapolis Colts' •Super Bowl rings were manufactured by Herff Jones (based in Indianapolis), at their Warwick, Rhode Island ring plant.
•Austin, TX based Balfour Company has manufactured numerous Super Bowl Rings
Tasteful? No. Impressive? Yep.
All the Superbowl rings to date:
Above, left to right, rings from 1966-1974
Above, left to right, rings from 1975-1983
Above, left to right, rings from 1984-1992
Above, left to right, rings from 1993-2001
Above, left to right, rings from 2002-2009
To read stories that accompany each ring and winning team, click here.