The history of the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the NFL
Since 1996 the same company has been designing the Lombardi Trophy that is given each year to the winners of the Super Bowl in the NFL.
This Sunday the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face each other in Super Bowl LV and the winner will take home the prestigious Vince Lombardi Trophy. This trophy is given to the winner of the NFL champion each year and it is made by the Tiffany & Co. jewelry company.
Vince Lombardi Trophy
The Vince Lombardi Trophy is 22 inches tall, weighs seven pounds and was designed on a napkin in 1966 for the 1967 Super Bowl by Oscar Reidner, the vice president of design at Tiffany & Co. The image depicted a football in a kicking position on a three concave sided stand, and that is what we still see to this day, one made each year to be kept by the champions. The same company has been responsible for the trophy and it takes them four months to design it for each NFL season.
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Each year the Super Bowl winner is awarded the trophy and then it is sent back to Tiffany's to get it cleaned and engraved with the name of the team that won it, the date that it occurred and the final score of the game. After that has all been carefully added, the trophy is sent back to the victorious team to take pride of place in their honours cabinet. As well as that, each member of the winning team gets a small replica.
Who was Vince Lombardi?
The trophy was named after the former Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi who died of cancer in 1970. He led the Packers to win their first two Super Bowls before passing away and the decision was made by the NFL to honour his legacy.
As Lombardi once said, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."
The trophy was first awarded to the Green Bay Packers after they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10 to win Super Bowl I on 15 January 1967. Every winner since then has their own trophy to show for it...with one exception. The Baltimore Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 in Super Bowl V but when they moved to Indianapolis they agreed with the city of Baltomore that the trophy would remain there.
As you will have noticed, the Vince Lombardi Trophy is also prominently featured in the standardized logo design now used for all Super Bowl games. This came about after Super Bowl XLV.
How much is the Lombardi Trophy worth?
It may not be the most valuable sports trophy in the world but it is made of sterling silver and would still cost you a pretty penny. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame it is valued at over $10,000.
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