Football Overview
The first Super Bowl rings were given to the winners of the first Super Bowl in 1967, the Green Bay Packers and ever since then, teams have tried to make their ring, the most special.
Many believe that only the team and coaches are given a ring but in truth, both the winning and losing team are allotted 150 Super Bowl rings to be distributed (but not limited to) active and injured players , coaches, trainers, executives, personnel, and general staff. But should a team require extra rings, the team itself has to fork over the bill.
Companies like Jostens, Balfour and Tiffany's bid on the right to make the championship rings but ultimately the choice is left to the team itself. It takes about a month for the team to hammer out the design of the ring before it goes into production.
The rings are usually made of yellow or white gold with diamonds in the shape of their logo, a football or the Lombardi Trophy. Most teams also personalize the ring with the player's name and uniform number but the ring always has the team name, year and Super Bowl logo.
Each ring for the Super Bowl winner is valued at around $5,000 but according to league rules, the losing team cannot spend more than half of what the winners spend.
But not everyone sees a Super Bowl ring has something they cannot part with. Whether through unfortunate life circumstances or charity reasons, many players have decided to sell their symbol of ultimate victory.
From Wikipedia:
"Dave Meggett is known to have placed his ring for sale on eBay. Two Super Bowl rings from the 1970 Steelers sold on eBay for over $32,000 apiece in mid-2008. Patriots safety Je'Rod Cherry raffled his ring from Super Bowl XXXVI in November 2008 to benefit several charities working to help children in Africa and Asia. Tight end Shannon Sharpe, meanwhile, gave his first Super Bowl ring to his brother Sterling, who had his career cut short by injury."
Hit the title/read more to check out more facts and pictures of all the Super Bowl rings over time...
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Ever wondered why your favorite football team never seems to play the same opponents every single year? Well the NFL and all its glory have actually made the scheduling some-what fair in the world of sports.
Though "rivalry games" are up in the air each year (all depends on $$ and ratings) some of the other aspects are up front and concrete for each football season.
Regular Season
- Each team plays home and away against its three division opponents, which accounts for six games on the schedule.
- Each team plays four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle, which accounts for four more games.
- Each team plays four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle, which accounts for another four games.Each team plays two intra-conference games based on the prior year's standings. For example, the first-place team in a division will play against the first-place team from another division within the same conference. The second place team in a division will play against the second-place team from another division within the same conference, etc...
Playoffs
- The season concludes with a 12-team tournament used to determine the teams to play in the Super Bowl.
- The tournament brackets are made up of six teams from each of the league's two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC), following the end of the 16-game regular season.
- Each of the 4 division winners is seeded 1–4 based on their W-L-T records (Win-Loss-Tie).
- The two Wild Card teams (labeled Wild Card 1 and 2) are seeded 5th and 6th (with the better of the two having seed 5) regardless of their records compared to the 4 division winners.
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Uniform Numbering System
In the NFL, players wear uniform numbers based on the position they play. This system was developed as a means for fans and officials to more easily identify players on the field by their position.
- Quarterbacks, placekickers and punters: 1–19
- Wide Receivers: 10–19 and 80–89
- Running backs and defensive backs: 20–49
- Offensive linemen: 50–79
- Linebackers: 50–59 and 90–99, or 40–49 if all are taken
- Defensive linemen: 60–79 and 90–99
- Tight ends: 80–89, or 40–49 if all are taken
League & Teams
There are 2 Conferences in Football: The American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each conference has 16 teams divided among 4 divisions for a total of 32 teams in the NFL.
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There are 2 Conferences in Football: The American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each conference has 16 teams divided among 4 divisions for a total of 32 teams in the NFL.
Brief History
- Football evolved from the sports of soccer and rugby. The National Football League was born in 1920 when the official league documents were signed in a Hupmobile showroom in Canton, Ohio. In 1960 the American Football League was born.
- In 1966, the AFL and NFL signed an agreement for the two leagues to merge and begin play as one league for the 1970 season.
- In 1967, the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game was played in Los Angeles. In 1969, the game officially became the Super Bowl.
Essentials
- Football is a game of territory and strategy.
- An NFL game is made up of four 15-minute quarters, plus a 15 minute sudden death overtime if the score is tied after regulation.
- A 12 minute half time occurs after the 2nd quarter.
- Each team is entitled to 3 time outs(per half) and 2 challenges (per game).
- 22 players are on the field at one time (11 per team)
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