Details You Didn't Notice In The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl LV Ring
On February 7, 2021, a less than fierce battle took place between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the field of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. We're talking about Super Bowl LV. Everyone thought the game was going to be a much closer match than it turned out to be. With the legend Tom Brady himself leading the Buccaneers and pushing for his 7th Super Bowl win against Patrick Mahomes, who was gunning for a second consecutive victory for the Chiefs, it really looked like anything could happen. Well, something did, and that was a decisive 31-9 victory for Brady and his Buccaneers.
With Tampa Bay winning their first Super Bowl since 2003, and only their second in history as Britannica explains, the team was happy to make space on another finger to plop down the most coveted trophy in all of football: The Super Bowl ring. Each year, the rings are made differently and tailored to the winning team in a unique style. These things are typically worth a lot of money, so they make them after the fact so as not to lose valuable cash on an unnecessary gamble. As luck would have it, the Buccaneers Super Bowl LV ring just recently dropped, and there are some pretty cool details about this ring that you're likely to have missed. Check it out.
A removable top
When you think of a removable lid set atop a gaudy ring, the first thing your mind might go to is the poison rings of old. Don't fret. Winning Super Bowl LV didn't turn the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into medieval assassins. Unlike the hollowed rings disguised to harbor the cyanide for very unlucky nobles, the twist-off tops on these rings, as the Buccaneers website points out, aren't hiding murderous deeds but rather something spectacular.
The bottom side of the rings' top contains two prongs that must line up with indents in the main portion for it to be removed. No one wants to lose something that valuable. Between those prongs is an inscription of the word "Historic" along with details about their win. The top is neat and all, but it's the exposed bottom portion here that really takes the cake. Inside the main portion of the ring is a hand-carved image of Raymond James Stadium, in 3D no less, with a small diamond marking the entrance to the home-team tunnel. Being that the Buccaneers were the first team to win a Super Bowl at their home field, this miniature replica holds double the meaning. If you haven't guessed already, this is the first ring to feature a replica of this type, the removable top, and — well — all of it really. The Bucs really went all out on this one.
$35,000 in jewels
This ring has more diamonds than any rational human being would ever own in their lifetime, totaling in appraised value to $35,000, according to Yahoo! News. With that being said, there's a good chance a collector would pay more than twice that amount to get their hands on it. Why's it worth so much? Besides being made of gold, the ring features 319 diamonds. Now, that's not just a random number, according to CBS. It's to commemorate their 31-9 victory in Super Bowl LV.
Out of the 319 precious jewels, 15 karats are white diamonds with a few rubies thrown in for fun. The ring itself is crafted of solid 14 karat gold. There are eight diamonds crafted in an emerald-cut fashion on the right side of the ring to represent the eight straight wins the Bucs had to achieve to get into the Super Bowl and nine diamonds on the left to symbolize the few points Kansas City was able to score during the game. These things are truly works of art. Seriously expensive art.
Even quarterback Tom Brady was wowed by the way this ring was crafted, saying it was "the most incredible ring that's ever been made," and this guy knows a thing or two about Super Bowl rings.
Meaningful words on the bands
The bands of the Buccaneers' Super Bowl rings are filled with meaning, as is the rest of this ring, really. Brady said it best when he said Super Bowl rings are less jewelry and more "like trophies that you wear on your finger" (found via CBS). And the Bucs' leadership surely made sure this one would be.
As seen in the Super Bowl LV ring reveal video, the sides of the bands are inscribed with each individual player's name and number along with the phrase: "One Team, One Cause." It really drives home the camaraderie it took to win the ring. Well, the diamonds surely help too. Even in the jersey numbers on the side of the band, you'll find diamonds. Literally everywhere on this thing is diamonds, but behind those sparkling gems lies one more secret.
This one is a feature you wouldn't be able to see unless you actually held the Super Bowl LV ring in your hand, and that's probably not going to happen. But according to SB Nation, the phrase "Trust, Loyalty, Respect" is carved into the inner side of the band. The words must mean something especially heartfelt to the team because the captains and other team leaders weighed in on the design process. Regardless, it's a seriously special ring, even as far as Super Bowl rings go.