The adorned wooden plank is one of the more recognizable awards in all of sports, but what’s the story behind it? What does it mean? Here’s the scoop on the NCAA championship hardware, plus the cups, statues, and trophies other athletes strive to claim.
NCAA Basketball Championship
The NCAA Championship trophy was first raised up high in 1952. This walnut plank that is embellished with a metal NCAA seal and olive branches replaced a silver cup that had previously gone to the winners. The walnut plank only valued at $500 or so.
This understated trophy isn’t the only thing champions get for winning. The morning after the last game, the National Association of Basketball Coaches presents the winners with a much larger and more elaborate marble trophy topped with a Waterford crystal basketball.
The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy
The NBA’s championship trophy made its debut in 1978. It was originally called the Walter A. Brown Trophy, after former Celtics owner whose name had been on the league’s previous championship trophy. In 1984, the league renamed the trophy to honor outgoing NBA commissioner Larry O’Brien. The trophy is around two feet high and depicts a basketball going into a net. The Tiffany designed trophy is made of sterling silver coated in 24 carat gold and weighs over 14 pounds. According to the NBA, each trophy is worth $13,500.
The Vince Lombardi Trophy
This NFL trophy went to the Super Bowl’s winner for the first time in 1967. Tiffany and Company also created this trophy. The trophy took on Lombardi’s name after the legendary head coach of the Green Bay Packers sudden death in 1970. It’s just less than two feet tall and depicts a regulation-sized football. The trophy is made of sterling-silver and weighs just under seven pounds. The Lombardi Trophy is said to have a value of $25,000.
The Commissioner’s Trophy
The MLB first gave out this trophy in 1967. The St. Louis Cardinals won the first Commissioner’s Trophy by beating the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. Ever since then, the winners of the World Series have received one of these monuments. The design has undergone a few minor changes over the years, but this one probably has more symbolism than most trophies. The ebony base has 30 miniature pennants, each represents one of the 30 clubs. The flags encircle a giant silver baseball with 24-carat vermeil stitches that is engraved with latitude and longitude lines symbolizing the world. The 30-inch trophy weighs nearly 30 pounds and is worth an estimated $15,000.
The Stanley Cup
The NHL’s Stanley Cup is named after Frederick Arthur Stanley, the 16th Earl of Derby who was the Governor General of Canada from 1888 to 1893. In 1892 he decided that Canada’s hockey teams needed to vie for a trophy. So he gave 10 guineas to purchase a silver bowl made in Sheffield, England. The trophy was originally called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, but Stanley’s name quickly attached itself to the bowl. What might be surprising to fans is that the cup wasn’t very big. The bowl Stanley purchased was only seven inches tall and 11 inches in diameter. The trophy went to the top hockey team in Canada, but in 1910 it began bouncing around from one professional hockey league to another. In 1926 the young NHL had adopted the trophy on an informal basis by 1947 it became the official spoils of a championship.
The 35-pound Stanley Cup we all know isn’t the original Stanley Cup. The original bowl that Stanley purchased has been retired and is on permanent display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. The familiar Stanley Cup didn’t come about until 1947, when an engraver redesigned the trophy to make it less unwieldy. Since then, it’s become one of sports’ most coveted treasures, because its rings bear the inscription of the rosters and staff of winning teams. Of course, every so often the room for engraving on the trophy fills up, so the league pops off the oldest ring, flattens it out, and sends it to the Hall of Fame for display while adding a new blank ring to the trophy’s base.
NHL Stanley Cup Final 09 – Tyler Kennedy’s Nice Goal (Jun. 4 2009) (CBC Feed)
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Chicago Blackhawks (Jonathan Toews) Sports Poster Print – 24 X 36 $4.99 This poster shows Jonathan Toews in action on the ice. At the bottom it says “Jonathan Toews” and has the Chicago Blackhawks logo. This poster measures approx. 24″ x 36″… |
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Buffalo Sabres (Ryan Miller, Standing) Sports Poster Print – 24 X 36 $4.99 This poster shows Ryan Miller standing in his full uniform. At the top it says “Ryan Miller” and at the bottom is the Buffalo Sabres logo. This poster measures approx. 24″ x 36″… |
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Chicago Blackhawks (Patrick Kane) Sports Poster Print – 24 X 36 $4.99 This poster shows Patrick Kane in action on the ice. On the right it says “Patrick Kane” and has the Chicago Blackhawks logo. This poster measures approx. 24″ x 36″… |
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Second Heaven – New Jersey Devils 2000 Stanley Cup Champions [VHS] $19.95 The New Jersey Devils have suffered through a number of disappointing seasons following their first championship in 1995. They dispelled their frustrations, though, by winning the 2000 Stanley Cup, as recounted in Second Heaven, the official NHL championship video. The 1999-2000 season was a chaotic one for the Devils, for even as they led the Eastern Conference with eight games left in the regula… |
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Nothing Else Matters – Dallas Stars 1998-99 NHL Championship Season [VHS] $2.99 … |
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Mission Accomplished – Colorado Avalanche 2001 Stanley Cup Champions [VHS] $14.95 One team: the Colorado Avalanche, a veritable all-star team packed with Hall of Famers-to-be. One goal: the Stanley Cup, professional sports’ most venerable trophy, which the Avalanche last won in 1996. This stirring official NHL championship video chronicles the Avalanche’s relentless pursuit of hockey’s supreme prize in 65 minutes of interviews and thrilling on- and off-the-ice footage of t… |
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NHL: Stanley Cup 2008-2009 Champions: Pittsburgh Penguins $9.78 Own the most watched NHL event of the year. Complete with highlights from the regular season, playoffs and the final series. Watch as your team fights for, and eventually hoists The Cup! The 2009 release will contain full coverage of the winning season, including exclusive interviews, key insights and behind the scenes action. After a regular season filled with injuries, fatigue, and playoff p… |
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Detroit Red Wings – NHL Stanley Cup Champions 2007-2008 $2.47 Own the most watched NHL event of the year. Complete with highlights from the regular season playoffs and the final series. Watch as your team fights for and eventually hoist the Cup! The 2007-2008 release will contain full coverage of the winning season including exclusive interviews key insights and behind the scenes action.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES/HOCKEY Rating: NR UPC:&n… |
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NHL Original Six Series – The New York Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup Champions $39.99 This 15-disc “Complete Game” Collector’s set celebrates the last New York Rangers team to win the Stanley Cup, in 1994. The set includes all 7 games from the Western Conference Finals vs. the New Jersey Devils, in which Mark Messier solidified his legend with the Game 6 “Guarantee” and forced a defining Game 7. It also includes all 7 games from the Stanley Cup Finals vs. the Vancouver Canucks. As … |
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Detroit Red Wings NHL 2008 Stanley Cup Champs 2pc Rocks Glass Set $27.50 A set of Officially Licensed Rocks Glasses decorated with hand-crafted metal Team Logos. The perfect compliment to your Bar or Game Room theme. Availability: Usually ships within 3-4 business days…. |
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NHL Stanley Cup Champions 2008-2009 (DVD) $15.52 All the action, highlights, and drama of the 2008-09 Stanley Cup Championships are captured here. It`s a must-have for any fan of the sport, since this production goes above and beyond any typical coverage of the event, including interviews, insights, … |
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NHL Stanley Cup Champions 2006-2007: Anaheim Ducks (DVD) $35.26 Description not available. |
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Lord Stanley’s Cup: Hockey’s Ultimate Prize (DVD) $9.2 A collection of Stanley Cup highlights featuring the greatest players to grace the game, from Gretzky to Fedorov to Messier. Inc |
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1994 Stanley Cup Finals Patch $14.19 Patch commemorates the 1994 Stanley Cup FinalsCollectible fully embroidered and measures approximately 3.75 inches wide x 3.75 inches tallMemorabilia makes a great gift for any hockey nut |
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NY Islanders ‘Stanley Cup Banners In the Rafters’ 20×24-inch Photo $212.99 Celebrate the New York Islander Stanley Cup with this photographSports photo comes with 16 team signaturesSports collectible includes a Steiner Sports Certificate of Authenticity |
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NHL Stanley Cup 2006 (DVD) $15.98 Description not available. |
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NHL Stanley Cup Champions 2008-2009/NHL: Sidney Crosby On the Ice and Beyond (DVD) $19.38 NHL STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 2008-2009: All the action, highlights, and drama of the 2008-09 Stanley Cup Championships between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins are captured here. It`s a must-have for any fan of the sport, since this produ… |
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NHL Stanley Cup Champions 2004 (DVD) $7.35 In one of the most thrilling Stanley Cup finals in the history of the NHL the Tampa Bay Lightning captured their first NHL champ |
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NHL Stanley Cup Champions 2007-2008 (DVD) $24.54 All the action, all the highlights, and all the drama of the 2007-2008 Stanley Cup Championships are captured here. It`s a must have for any fan of the sport since this production goes above and beyond any typical coverage of the event, including inter… |
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NHL Stanley Cup Championships 2007 (DVD) $15.98 Description not available. |
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NHL Stanley Cup Champions 2007-2008 (DVD) $15.98 All the action, all the highlights, and all the drama of the 2007-2008 Stanley Cup Championships are captured here. It`s a must have for any fan of the sport since this production goes above and beyond any typical coverage of the event, including inter… |
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2009 Stanley Cup Matted Photo $23.49 Show your devotion to your team with a matted photoSports memorabilia commemorates the 2009 Stanleny cupCollectible print is double matted |
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Ron Francis 2002 Stanley Cup 8×10 Autographed Photograph $50.99 Ron Francis is an NHL Hall of Fame playerHockey collectible is a hand-signed, 8×10 photographMust-have sports memorabilia features the winning goal in game one of the 2002 Stanley Cup |
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NHL Original 6: NY Rangers Stanley Cup Champions 1994 (DVD) $64.86 Description not available. |
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NHL Greatest Moments in Stanley Cup History (DVD) $74.09 Description not available. |