CaptainHook Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 The moment for which Jim Irsay waited three and a half decades came Wednesday night. And when it came, it was what he imagined. Actually, it was more. The ring, the Colts’ Owner and Chief Executive Officer said, really is the thing. “It’s really special,” Irsay said. The Colts, 29-17 winners over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in early February, on Wednesday night received their 2006 World Championship rings in a private ceremony at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in downtown Indianapolis. One side of the ring reads: Indianapolis, 29-17, with the Super Bowl XLI logo inside a horseshoe and the word, “Faith,” inscribed near the bottom. On the other side of many rings is the last name of each recipient, with “2006” inside a horseshoe and “Our Time,” near the bottom. The front of the ring bears a blue horseshoe with “World” along the top and “Champions” along the bottom. In the middle of the Horseshoe is a depiction of the Vince Lombardi Trophy. World Champions . . . Moments after receiving his ring, Irsay said the moment was still sinking in. “It was incredible,” Irsay said. “The ring is what it’s all about. There was a lot of emotion in the room tonight, as there should be. I couldn’t be happier. “It was a special evening – for the whole Colts family, it was special.” The ceremony – which featured the comedian, “Sinbad” – also took place on Irsay’s 48th birthday, timing that Irsay called “a cosmic coincidence.” “We were looking for a date and it just kind of fell on that,” Irsay said. “There’s no way I can remember a better birthday present than this. It was just incredible. The whole night was special and when the rings finally got pulled out, that was the highlight. . . . “After the game, obviously we had the Super Bowl party in Miami at the hotel, but it was helter-skelter, obviously. It was hard to gather everyone together. “Having it here was something special.” Irsay, the Colts’ owner for the last decade, has been involved with the team since his late father, Robert Irsay, purchased the Baltimore Colts in 1971. He worked in various capacities throughout the organization, and became the team’s general manager in 1984, shortly after it arrived in Indianapolis. Since taking over as owner, Irsay has built the Colts into one of the NFL’s elite franchises, hiring Bill Polian as President in 1998. The Colts drafted quarterback Peyton Manning shortly thereafter, and in 2002, hired Tony Dungy as head coach. The Colts have made seven playoff appearances since 1999, winning the last four AFC South Championships. From 2003-2005, they lost in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion each season, losing at New England in 2003 and 2004 and at home to Pittsburgh in 2005. Those moments and others, Irsay said, made Wednesday night special, too. “It’s really about enjoying the journey,” Irsay said. “You realize in life as you get older some of the things that help you grow are the more difficult things. Also, the difficult things you have to deal with with the bitter losses sometimes make the victory that much sweeter. “It’s really a culmination of all that. It really feels great to the steward of the joy, so to speak. That’s my most enjoyable aspect – to see all this joy, to see dreams come true.” Irsay mentioned not only Dungy and Polian, but longtime Colts players such as wide receiver Marvin Harrison and Tarik Glenn, first-round draft selections by the team in 1996 and 1997, respectively. He also said the night was special because of the presence of many longtime Colts employees, some of whom have been with the organization since before the 1984 move to Indianapolis. “That’s what makes it so special,” he said. “I think about those who aren’t here, also. I think about my dad. Everyone thinks about people who didn’t quite make it in their bodies to this day, but we know they’re with us. Obviously, that’s something where it’s very retrospective in your mind. “You take it all in and you start getting ready to defend and get ready to do it again.” click on this link to see a picture of the ring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) Get past the 50 diamonds and synthetic blue sapphire horseshoe -- if your eyes allow it -- and the Indianapolis Colts' Super Bowl ring is much more about the simple words and symbols found in the subtleties of the design. "It's more than a fine piece of jewelry," said team owner Jim Irsay, who issued about 275 of the rings to players, coaches, other members of his organization and a few close acquaintances at a private ceremony Wednesday evening at the posh Indiana Roof Downtown. "It represents so much more." There's the word "Faith'' on one shank, or side, of the ring. Faith "gives you the strength to have the perseverance to move forward even after many disappointments,'' Irsay explained. On the opposite shank is the phrase "Our time.'' That was the Colts' theme as they headed into the playoffs, which culminated Feb. 4 in Miami with a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI, the first championship in the Colts' Indianapolis era. Much less conspicuous, but just as meaningful, is a dot of red enamel found on each of the players' rings, forming one rivet in a small horseshoe. The red symbolizes a drop of blood, emblematic of players "leaving it all on the field,'' according to Pete Ward, the team's senior executive vice president. "There's obviously some bling,'' Irsay said Tuesday at his house in Carmel, gazing at the 50 diamonds that adorn the face and edges of the ring. "But we wanted it to have some beautiful simplicity and we wanted to feature the horseshoe. The symbol of the horseshoe is so universal, so powerful.'' In discussing the ring at length, Irsay kept returning to that word: symbol. "That's the powerful thing about it,'' he said. "In life we use symbols . . . the art of symbols and reminders are part of our culture.'' The design is the collaborative effort of Irsay, his wife, Meg, and Ward. They reviewed previous Super Bowl championship rings, including those earned by some Colts coaches while they were with other teams. The objective: "Keep it simple, but really classy,'' said Ward. The difficult part was determining who should get them, and which type. The team did not release a list of ring recipients, but all 53 players who were on the active roster for the Super Bowl, along with the eight-man practice squad and players on the injured reserve list, received the deluxe, "first-tier" ring. It's priced at approximately $5,000, the maximum allowed by the NFL for Super Bowl rings. Top executives and other team officials also received that ring. Some employees were given a second-tier ring, a scaled-down version of the original priced between $1,500 and $2,000, while others received a third-tier ring that, according to Irsay, "is more like a class ring.'' All were made by Herff Jones, a local jeweler. "To me,'' Irsay said, "it was trying to take into account everyone that I thought should be given consideration. You look at years of service, things like that.'' Irsay's mother, Harriett, was on hand Wednesday night. So were some people who contributed to the championship season but are no longer with the team, including wide receiver Brandon Stokley, linebacker Cato June and assistant coaches Leslie Frazier and Diron Reynolds. Irsay picked up the tab -- flight and hotel costs -- for everyone who came in from out of town. Pro Bowl wide receiver Reggie Wayne exited the Indiana Roof and held up his diamond-studded ring. "It's great," he said. "I normally hear diamonds are a woman's best friend, but tonight it's a man's best friend. "I feel like a new man. This has been a childhood dream, and I'm just enjoying it." The festivities, which included the delivery of rings to players on a silver platter, coincided with Irsay's 48th birthday. "What a birthday," he said. "That was cosmic coincidence." another link to pics from Indy star Edited June 14, 2007 by CaptainHook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charty Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) I don't want to open the whole Baltimore - Indy thing, but teams signify the amount of SB wins on the ring. Most recently it's been done with Lombardy Trophies: Steelers Patriots Seeing that there is one SB victory symbolized on this ring, are the Colts letting that go? I know a couple replacement trophies have been made for SB V, and one is with the city of Baltimore, but I'm sure the Colts struggled with the design based on the the history. It's priced at approximately $5,000, the maximum allowed by the NFL for Super Bowl rings. Top executives and other team officials also received that ring.Some employees were given a second-tier ring, a scaled-down version of the original priced between $1,500 and $2,000, while others received a third-tier ring that, according to Irsay, "is more like a class ring.'' 3 tiers, and the bottom tier is like a class ring? Why even bother, either give the other employees the ring or don't give them the ring! Edited June 14, 2007 by charty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I don't want to open the whole Baltimore - Indy thing, but teams signify the amount of SB wins on the ring. Most recently it's been done with Lombardy Trophies: Lombardi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 It was a long time coming for that team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncosn05 Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 It was a long time coming for that team. Yeah congrats Cap'n, best team finally won. But we've got Stokley now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Wow, those look nice. "Simple, yet classy" indeed. It's also fitting that the word "Faith" is inscribed on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch Oven Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Whoa! They had Sinbad there? Way to go all out Colts. Better make sure those rocks aren't CZs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Because it's their time. Its their time, up there! Down here, it's our time. It's our time down here. That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Sanchez Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 How much blood of poor African children was shed to get the diamonds for even one of those rings. I hope it was worth it. <---Click Click Clack Pop of some African tribe that was gunned down searching for Super Bowl Champion Colts diamonds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 I don't want to open the whole Baltimore - Indy thing, but teams signify the amount of SB wins on the ring. Most recently it's been done with Lombardy Trophies: Steelers Patriots Seeing that there is one SB victory symbolized on this ring, are the Colts letting that go? And what do you mean by "let it go"? The record books still indicate that the Colts franchise won Super Bowl V. But the Irsay's were not owners then, and let's be honest, 36 years between championships is a long time. The Baltimore history will always be a part of the Colts. No matter how much Big Red and the rest of Baltimore feels about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 3 tiers, and the bottom tier is like a class ring? Why even bother, either give the other employees the ring or don't give them the ring! You gonna give the janitor a $5000 ring? Seems like a nice gesture to include more people, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 How much blood of poor African children was shed to get the diamonds for even one of those rings. I hope it was worth it. Sure is quiet in Baltimore these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Because it's their time. Its their time, up there! Down here, it's our time. It's our time down here. That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket. Yeah, but, my wish was for the Steelers to repeat..... Yeah, but you know what? This one, this one right here. This was my dream, my wish. And it didn't come true. So I'm taking it back. I'm taking them all back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 How much blood of poor African children was shed to get the diamonds for even one of those rings. I hope it was worth it. <---Click Click Clack Pop of some African tribe that was gunned down searching for Super Bowl Champion Colts diamonds. Never thought of it this way, I guess the Eagles, Browns, Bengals, etc.... are all commendable Humanitarians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 And what do you mean by "let it go"? The record books still indicate that the Colts franchise won Super Bowl V. But the Irsay's were not owners then, and let's be honest, 36 years between championships is a long time. The Baltimore history will always be a part of the Colts. No matter how much Big Red and the rest of Baltimore feels about it. Agreed 100%. I really don't see how the Ravens can claim any of the Colts franchise history. They can claim the old Brown's history, not that there's much there to brag about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XFlash Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Yeah, but you know what? This one, this one right here. This was my dream, my wish. And it didn't come true. So I'm taking it back. I'm taking them all back. Quote from the movie - "The Goonies" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charty Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 And what do you mean by "let it go"? The record books still indicate that the Colts franchise won Super Bowl V. But the Irsay's were not owners then, and let's be honest, 36 years between championships is a long time. The Baltimore history will always be a part of the Colts. No matter how much Big Red and the rest of Baltimore feels about it. The only thing I was pointing out is teams typically symbolize the number of SuperBowl wins on the ring. Whether it's a Lombardi trophy (Pats, Steelers most recently) Team logo (Broncos 2nd) In the early days, they used large gems or diamonds (Dallas 1st & 2nd) And in the case of a team moving, the 3rd Championship for the Raiders franchise happened in LA, but the ring symbolized a 3rd SB Win. A ring is just a ring and the record books is where franchise wins are tallied, but the single Lombardi trophy (and the horse shoe) is the first thing that stands out when you look at that ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted June 15, 2007 Author Share Posted June 15, 2007 (edited) But you have to remember, the Patriots, Steelers, Raiders and Broncos championships all came under the same ownership. I am curious, what did Dallas do for their next three championships? Did their rings have 3 then 4 then 5 Lombardi trophies? The Colts changed ownership, changed cities, and went 36 years between titles. Edited June 15, 2007 by CaptainHook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted June 15, 2007 Author Share Posted June 15, 2007 I looked it up. Dallas' ring for their third SB championship did not have three trophies OR three diamonds. link But their fourth had four diamonds and their fifth had 5 diamonds. Looks like you can start taking credit once you win multiples? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charty Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 But you have to remember, the Patriots, Steelers, Raiders and Broncos championships all came under the same ownership. I am curious, what did Dallas do for their next three championships? Did their rings have 3 then 4 then 5 Lombardi trophies? The Colts changed ownership, changed cities, and went 36 years between titles. Dallas 4th has what looks like 4 footballs. Dallas 5th has the start split into 5 and 5 footballs surrounding the star. The best example to support your take and to close this banter is Green Bay. They went from 1968 to 1997 without winning, and when they won their 3rd in 1997, it doesn't call out the 3rd But then again, GB shouldn't and doesn't count their championships in SB wins, as they won plenty before the merger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted June 15, 2007 Author Share Posted June 15, 2007 see my post above yours regarding Dallas' third title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Yeah, but, my wish was for the Steelers to repeat..... Yeah, but you know what? This one, this one right here. This was my dream, my wish. And it didn't come true. So I'm taking it back. I'm taking them all back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTen Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 I will never see a ring with a Lion on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 I will never see a ring with a Lion on it! You stand corrected....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.