49 Super Bowl Rings: 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There are a lot of contenders for the greatest day of the year…

Thanksgiving is all about family, food, and football. Christmas comes with family, food again, and ideally a present or two. Fourth of July is all about that red, white, and blue and if you’re not about that then I will summon Captain America himself to personally up your level of patriotism.

There is one day that is universally recognized among all Americans. One day where only one thing matters. This one day is so incredible, so impactful, that sometimes the ripple effect carries over into the day after! While I know you are all thinking that I’m talking about October 20th, my birthday, there is only one day that surpasses them all. I am, of course, talking about Super Bowl Sunday.

The NFL Super Bowl

NFL players train their whole lives to play on that day. If they’re fortunate they go to sleep that night as World Champions. As you can imagine a Super Bowl victory comes with a lot of benefits. Your legacy is enhanced, you get to go to Disney World, your team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and each contributing member of the team gets what all players seek most… a Super Bowl Ring.

A Golden Ring

The 2015 NFL season will culminate in Super Bowl 50.

If you’ve ever been to a 50th wedding anniversary you know that the theme is gold. I hope that you’re feeling nostalgic because to celebrate the golden anniversary of the Super Bowl there is going to be a lot of gold and Super Bowl reflecting going on!

As of now there are 49 different Super Bowl Rings in existence. Over the course of this season, I will be ranking them in order of greatness.

Let me say now that this is not a ranking of the 49 Super Bowl Champions, but a ranking of the overall design and intricacies of the rings that they each received. Got it? Good. Let’s get started with number 49 on our list.

Super Bowl Ring #49: 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

So let me break it down for all of you geniuses out there… placing 49 out of 49 is not good.

The 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers had one of the most elite defenses that we have ever seen. They THRASHED the Oakland Raiders by a score of 48-21 in the big game. Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks was named the game’s MVP and everything was cool, right?

I’m not knocking the Bucs, even though their current uniforms need to be knocked out of existence. After all, the defense they built serves as an inspiration for the current Dallas Cowboys squad. But in all honesty, this ring is atrocious.

There is absolutely zero on this thing that would let you know it belongs to the Buccaneers besides their name. Their team colors and logo are absent, and while the Lombardi Trophy is gorgeous it is in no way specific to the 2002 Buccaneer team.

So We have our winner at #49

Somebody had to be last, and while the 2002 Buccaneers were World Champs… their franchise is no stranger to being at the bottom of lists. Even if pigs were to fly and the Bucs won another (this would be a crazy world, one where RGIII beats out Colt McCoy fair and square) their current franchise logo doesn’t strike me as something that I’d want to see on a ring.

Swing on by this Friday when we unveil Super Bowl Ring #48!

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Do you have a favorite Super Bowl Ring? Email me your thoughts at rjochoa@insidethestar.com or Tweet @rjochoa!