Every year, 32 NFL teams and some 1,700 grown men battle for a trophy across a 17-game regular season and four playoff rounds. It stands 22 inches tall and weighs just seven pounds. But it’s the most coveted 22 inches and seven pounds in all of sports.
The NFL’s Vince Lombardi Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl, is not only one of the most contested trophies in professional sports but it’s also easily one of the most recognizable trophies.
Now that you know how big and heavy the Super Bowl trophy is, what else should you know about the Vince Lombardi Trophy?
What are the origins of the Super Bowl Trophy?
Lunch and a bowl of cornflakes. I know that sounds wild, but honestly, that’s where the story begins for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Way back in 1966, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle was looking for someone to design a trophy for the AFL-NFL championship game. He contacted Tiffany & Co., who sent their chief designer Oscar Reidener. Reidener came up with the design by staring at a football while eating his morning bowl of cornflakes. Another reminder that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Reidener’s design of a football held up on a pedestal was adopted by Rozelle for the inaugural Super Bowl in 1967 and has not changed since.
Do Players Get Their Own Super Bowl Trophies?
The team gets to keep the actual trophy after the game. Of course, that’s after it’s engraved with the date and score of the game. But what about the players? Do they get a trophy too?
Yeah, they do. Tiffany not only produces a full-scale trophy for every Super Bowl, but they also create smaller-scale replicas for each player on the winning team.
And look, the Lombardi is a team trophy. It’s not meant to be given to any one individual. But still, each player gets a replica to put on their mantel back at home. These replicas are nowhere near as valuable as the full-scale version, which is worth up to $50,000. The replicas are valued at around $1,500.
Has The Super Bowl Trophy Ever Been Damaged Or Stolen?
You’d think that this wildly important trophy would never leave anyone’s sight or that it would be so closely guarded that no harm would ever come to it.
Well, that’s not the case.
The Baltimore Colts’ Super Bowl 5 trophy was stolen when their former owner Carroll Rosenbloom swapped franchises with Los Angeles Rams owner Robert Irsey. Rosenbloom took the Colts’ trophy with him instead of leaving it with the rightful owners, the Baltimore Colts. It has yet to be returned.
Does the trophy float? I don’t know why that question needed to be asked but it was and it was answered. The Lombardi was tossed into the East River, where the seven-pound trophy made of sterling silver did indeed float.
Can confirm: The Lombardi Trophy does float 😂 pic.twitter.com/xwwUygL0cp
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 19, 2021
After Super Bowl 47, the Ravens lost – or, better yet, misplaced – their Lombardi Trophy during post-game celebrations. They eventually found it, but there must have been some tense moments in their locker room when they went looking for it and couldn’t find it right away.
Celebrating the Patriots’ Super Bowl win in 2019, Pats Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski were invited to throw the Opening Day first pitch for the Boston Red Sox. For some reason, Gronkowski and Edelman thought it was a good idea to use the Lombardi Trophy as a bat to bunt the ball. The result was a baseball-sized dent in the Patriots’ sixth Lombardi Trophy.
Super Bowl Trophy
What is the name of the Super Bowl Trophy?
The Vince Lombardi Trophy was named after legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi, who won two Super Bowls, won the NFL championship five times and was named NFL coach of the year twice.
Who designed the Vince Lombardi Trophy?
By request from NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Tiffany head designer Oscar Reidener designed the trophy while staring at a football and eating a bowl of cornflakes.
Do players get their own Lombardi Trophy?
Yes, players receive a smaller-scale replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
