The Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the 55th Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida and Tiffany & Co congratulates the Vince Lombardi trophy. For the uninitiated, the iconic New York jeweler, now owned by LVMH, has been creating the grand prize for 54 years now! So since the Super Bowl has existed. The trophy, awarded to every single Super Bowl winner since the first game in 1967, is still handcrafted today. It is named after legendary manager Vince Lombardi who led the Green Bay Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowl games.
But how was it born?
During a lunch with NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle in 1966, Tiffany & Co. vice president Oscar Riedner sketched the trophy on a cocktail napkin. The idea was liked, and that draft has now become the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The award was initially manufactured at Tiffany & Co.’s facility in Newark, New Jersey. Beginning in 2017, construction takes place at the Tiffany & Co Forrest Hills facility in Cumberland, Rhode Island.
The iconic trophy measures 22 inches tall and weighs 7 pounds. The material is sterling silver and depicts a full-size soccer ball in the soccer position. It takes about four months to make it, and the process uses traditional silverware techniques. First-hand welding, spinning, chiseling, and finally polishing.
The trophy was first awarded to the Green Bay Packers after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs on January 15, 1967. Previously, it was awarded in the winning team’s locker room. Initially, its name was “World Professional Football Championship”. In 1970 it was renamed with its current name, in memory of NFL coach Vince Lombardi, after his cancer.
The words “Vince Lombardi Trophy” along with that year’s Super Bowl Roman numerals are engraved, while the NFL shield is placed on the base. After the trophy is awarded, Tiffany is sent back to be engraved with the participating teams’ names, the date, place, and final score of the game. Once finished, it is sent back to the winning team again to keep it. Smaller replicas are also made for each player on the winning team.
Finally, Tiffany & Co. also creates sports trophies for the US Open, the World Series, and the NBA championship. A 100% craftsmanship that is priceless. Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for winning this prestigious and wonderful trophy.
