Vince Lombardi Trophy – 5 Things You May Not Know



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The Vince Lombardi Trophy is an award given to NFL champions. It’s the most coveted prize in the NFL league. 

If you’re an avid NFL fan, you probably already know exactly what the Vince Lombardi trophy is and its importance, but how much do you really know about this trophy?

In this article, we will be sharing 5 interesting facts about the Vince Lombardi trophy to deepen your NFL knowledge! In the meantime, get up to date with the recent NFL odds.

5 Fun Facts About the Vince Lombardi Trophy 

  1. It’s Named After a Green Bay Packers Coach 

    2. If you’re a die-hard NFL fan, you may already know this one, but you might not know the reason why this trophy was named after the coach of the Green Bay Packers at the time. 

    The Green Bay Packers were the winners of the very first superbowl, and since Vince Lombardi was the team’s head coach, the trophy was eventually named after him. However, the trophy was not called the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the time. In fact, back then, the Super Bowl wasn’t even called the Super Bowl – it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. 

    The trophy was renamed in honor of Vince Lombardi following his death in 1970 after a battle with cancer, and it has carried his name ever since. 

  2. It is Made of Sterling Silver 

    3. It’s difficult to tell what the Vince Lombardi Trophy is made from at first glance, especially if you’re watching it being presented through a television screen. However, we can confirm that the Vince Lombardi Trophy is made from sterling silver. 

    Sterling silver is a silver alloy made up of 92.5% pure silver. This is why you will see sterling silver items marked ‘925’. The rest of the alloy is made from other metals. Four silversmithing methods are then used to create the shape of the trophy. 

    So much sterling silver is used in the making of the Lombardi trophy (7 pounds, to be exact), with each ounce of silver costing $23.70, that each trophy is estimated to have a melt value in the region of $2,500. 

  3. The Original Design Was Drawn on a Cocktail Napkin

    4. Did you know that the design for the Vince Lombardi trophy was originally drawn out on a cocktail napkin? 

    The Vince Lombardi trophy was designed by Oscar Riedener, who was the chief designer for Tiffany & Co. at the time. Having met with commissioner Pete Rozelle, Riedener created a model for the trophy out of a cereal box, and at lunch the following day, he sketched a more detailed design for the trophy on one of the cocktail napkins. 

    After that, the design went on to be created out of real sterling silver for the first Super Bowl, and the same trophy design has been used ever since. 

  4. The Creation Process Takes Several Months 

    5. In this day and age, many of us expect production to happen quickly and efficiently. However, the Vince Lombardi Trophy isn’t just a regular item that can be mass-produced on demand. 

    It may surprise you to learn that creating the Vince Lombardi Trophy (which must be recreated before each Super Bowl) takes several months because of how many steps are involved in the process. 

    As we mentioned earlier, the silversmiths working on the trophy have to use four different techniques to make the trophy look as sleek and finely detailed as it does. But the difficulty and precision doesn’t stop there! 

    Before the sterling silver can be shaped into the form of the trophy, it has to be melted down until it reaches the astounding temperature of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. After that, the meticulous hand-crafting process can begin. 

  5. There Are Currently 56 Vincent Lombardi Trophies 

We mentioned previously that a brand new Vince Lombardi Trophy needs to be created each year to be presented to the winners of the Super Bowl. While some trophies for different events are handed back to the organizers so that they can be passed on, the Vince Lombardi Trophy is re-made prior to every Super Bowl so that each winning NFL team can keep their trophy. 

This means that there are currently a total of 56 Vincent Lombardi Trophies in existence – one for each Super Bowl and each winning team. 

Of course, there have been replicas and ‘fake’ versions of the Lombardi trophy made for many years now, meaning that you may see a ‘Vince Lombardi Trophy’ for sale online, but be aware that this, of course, is not the real deal. There are only 56 authentic Lombardi trophies currently. 

Final Thoughts 

The Vince Lombardi Trophy is one of the most well-known and coveted awards in U.S. sports, but there are so many interesting facts about this prize that most NFL fans aren’t aware of! 

From the amusing story behind the original trophy design to the touching tribute to one of the most iconic NFL coaches in history that it represents, the Lombardi Trophy stands for much more than winning at football.