Last night the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015 were given their coveted gold jackets. These are a literal symbol of being a member of Pro Football’s most elite fraternity. Among the gold jackets, there are two other items that only Hall of Famers receive.
There are the bronze busts that sit within the hallowed halls of Canton, OH. These serve as perhaps the most impactful to the Hall of Famers because their profiles will sit inside of the Hall of Fame forever. The third thing? A Pro Football Hall of Fame ring.
There are different rings throughout NFL History that hold different levels of significance. Obviously the Hall of Fame ring is great, but there are 49 other rings that are extremely coveted. What are they? Super Bowl Championship rings.
Today we’re continuing our countdown to Super Bowl 50 with the rankings of all 49 of these pieces. If you missed #49 you can have a look here. Get fired up for #48 because we’re about to march on.
Super Bowl Ring #48: 1986 New York Giants
Typically the first ring in any franchise’s history is the best. Those rings usually have their team logo on the front, showing proudly to the world who they are.
I understand being proud of the Vince Lombardi Trophy that you earned, but why have that be the icon of your ring? Wouldn’t an “NY” or the classic slanted “GIANTS” have looked incredible here?
My biggest qualm with this ring, and with #49, is that without the team name at the top there is no distinction that this ring belongs to the New York Football Giants. Your Super Bowl ring lives on forever and your players will carry it wherever they go, why not have them represent your franchise with a bold logo of it?
I do appreciate the cool blue in the background, but that could belong to a number of NFL teams who share that color. The 1986 G-Men were one of the better defenses in NFL History, and fun fact here: Super Bowl XXVIII is when the whole dumping Gatorade over the winning coach became a thing.
#48: An Order Of Tuna
Bill Parcells actually has another Super Bowl ring, and the Hall of Fame ring that we mentioned earlier. His football resume is loaded, but his ring design skills need some work. The good news here is that thanks to the 2002 Bucs this Giants team isn’t last, and with 3 more Super Bowl rings belonging to their franchise… hopefully they make a name for themselves on this list!
Check back next Wednesday when Super Bowl Ring #47 shows up!
Do you have a favorite Super Bowl ring? Email me your thoughts at rjochoa@insidethestar.com or Tweet @rjochoa.
