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Although Tiffany & co. have been creating stunning jewelry, carried in the iconic blue boxes since 1837, one thing that won't fit in the blue boxes or Tiffany's brand image is the Super Bowl trophy.
This Sunday, everyone's attention will be committed to NFL 2022 Super Bowl LVI, sports fans or not. Ahead of the big game tomorrow, we are taking a look at the Vince Lombardi Trophy, one of the most reputed trophies that players fight for with their blood and life, and its connection to Tiffany & Co.
5 Lesser-known facts behind the Tiffany & Co. Vince Lombardi Trophy
1) Tiffany & Co. connect with the Super Bowl trophy
The Vince Lombardi Super Bowl® Trophy is the emblem of the apex of gridiron glory. It might come as a surprise to many readers, but Tiffany & Co. has been the mastermind behind the Vince Lombardi Trophy since 1967. The trophy is crafted in the magical Tiffany's Hollowware workshop every year in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The coveted 22-inch trophy weighing in at seven pounds is produced by Tiffany in sterling silver and designed in the shape of a regulation-sized football.
2) The four month process of making the Trophy
Each year players commit their blood, sweat, and tears to winning this game, it's only fair that their price be just as special, made with time and effort. Each year, the trophy is made by hand at the Cumberland, Rhode Island workshop. It takes about four months to make this trophy. The traditional methods of hand soldering, spinning, chasing, and polishing are used to get the final product. The sterling silver is melted to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit to be moulded into the precise shape.
3) Humble begginings of the NFL trophy
Oscar Riedner, former Tiffany & Co. Vice president sketched a design for the trophy as per the request of then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle. Oscar Riedner sketched a basic design atop a napkin during a 1966 meeting and presented it to Pete Rozelle over dinner. It was truly a simpler time, since the NFL commissioner approved of the design and gave Tiffany the opportunity. However, if something like this happens today, it would have to go through a lot of committees to get NFL approval.
The trophy was presented to the Green Bay Packers on January 15, 1967 in Super Bowl I, then referred to as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The first trophy had World Professional Football Championship inscribed on it.
However, the official name Super Bowl was put into use for the first time in 1969, during the 3rd Super Bowl season. In 1970, the trophy was renamed to Vince Lombardi Trophy after the death of coach Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers, who were also the first two-time winners of the Super Bowl.
4) Vince Lombardi's and Tiffany Trophy's connection through the hometown
Tiffany & Co. was founded in New York in 1837 and Vince Lombardi was born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York in 1913. Lombardi was born to a family of Italian immigrants, and he began his career in football coaching at West Point and Fordham University. Soon after, he started his NFL career coaching the New York Giants, after which he went to the Green Bay Packers in Wisconsin. He proved to be a great asset to the Green Bay Packers and led them to two consecutive wins at the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, Lombardi left the world behind in 1970, at the age of 57, due to cancer. To pay homage to his time in the world and greatness in football, the trophy was named after him.
5) Other Trophies made by Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany's label doesn't just make Super Bowl trophies, but many other trophies for other sports as well. The label creates 65 trophies each year, out of which 5 are for football. Tiffany designed the MacArthur Bowl trophy, which is presented to the best college football team each year. The label also created the Pete Rozelle Super Bowl MVP trophy, which was redesigned later in 2012. The label is also responsible for making trophies - for the National Football conference, George S. Halas Trophy, and for the American Football Conference, Lamar Hunt Trophy.
