History of the Lombardi Trophy

Vince Lombardi never won the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Nor did he win any "Super Bowls." It wasn't until he had left the Packers that the game received its moniker, and it was not until after his death in 1970 that the trophy was named in his honor.

The first team to win the Lombardi Trophy was the Baltimore Colts, who beat the Cowboys in Super Bowl V.

So what did Lombardi win? His Packers won the first two trophies, which are the same shape and style as the recognizable prize that will be given out next Sunday. Legend has it that Tiffany and Co. designer Oscar Reidner scribbled a design of the trophy on a cocktail napkin while brainstorming ideas with NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. The only major difference in those first four versions was that the trophy was engraved not with Lombardi's name but with the phrase "World Professional Football Championship."

Interestingly, like Lombardi, the trophy is enjoying something of a homecoming this week. The original trophy, won by the Packers, was made in Newark, and all others also have been produced in New Jersey. This year's version was hand-made by silversmiths in Piscataway.