A cocktail napkin sketch became the NFL's most iconic silver prize
In short: In 1966, a sketch on a cocktail napkin transformed into the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Unlike other championship awards, this sterling silver icon is recast every single year, ensuring the winning team holds a unique piece of history that can never be replicated by another.
The trophy's design was born from a casual lunch between NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle and Tiffany & Co. vice president Oscar Riedner. Riedner sketched a football in a kicking position atop a three-sided concave stand, a concept that has remained largely unchanged since the first Super Bowl. Today, the 22-inch, 7-pound sterling silver trophy is handcrafted at the Tiffany & Co. facility in Cumberland, Rhode Island.
While the trophy is now named for the legendary Green Bay Packers coach, it wasn't always known as the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The first version, inscribed with 'World Professional Football Championship,' was awarded to the Packers on January 15, 1967. It was only renamed in September 1970 following Lombardi's death. The first presentation under the new name occurred during Super Bowl V, handed to the Baltimore Colts by Lombardi's widow, Marie.
The trophy's journey is marked by rare exceptions and unexpected moments. While winners typically keep their trophy permanently, the Baltimore Colts lost theirs following a legal settlement after their 1984 relocation to Indianapolis. In a more modern, lighter moment, New England Patriots player Rob Gronkowski famously used the Super Bowl LIII trophy as a bat to bunt a pitch during a Red Sox season opener in 2019, leaving a baseball-sized dent in the silver.
The presentation of the trophy has also evolved. For decades, the trophy was presented privately in the winning team's locker room. However, since Super Bowl XXX in January 1996, the ceremony has moved to the field, where the trophy is presented to the team owner on a stage as the game's atmosphere reaches its peak.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Vince Lombardi Trophy
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