Steelers receive Super Bowl XLIII rings

By John Harris, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Super Bowl XLIII Most Valuable Player Santonio Holmes proudly displayed his new ring following a much-anticipated ceremony Tuesday night at Heinz Field honoring the players, coaches and executives who made it possible.


The Steelers' Santonio Holmes shows off his new Super Bowl Ring after the team received them in a ceremony Tuesday at Heinz Field.Andrew Russell/Tribune-Review

"I'll probably wear it the whole night. I'll probably end up sleeping with it,'' said Holmes, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers' 27-23 victory against the Arizona Cardinals.

Holmes said his ring differs somewhat from his teammates' because "MVP'' is engraved inside.

"I've always wanted to be part of some championship team where I had a major role in it,'' Holmes said. "I played in two state championship games in high school. I won a national championship (at Ohio State). Winning the Super Bowl, this is the first time I actually had a chance to contribute, and I'm very proud of myself.''

There were stories galore among the players who appeared as happy last night as they did following the franchise's record sixth Super Bowl victory in Tampa, Fla., four months ago.

Roethlisberger was the first player to leave the ceremony, making his way to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Mellon Arena. As he hurried to his car, Roethlisberger was asked if winning Super Bowl XLIII was better than winning Super Bowl XL in his second pro season.

"A little bit,'' he said.

Roethlisberger is among 22 players on the roster who have rings from Super Bowls XL and XLIII.

"You think about winning two Super Bowls, the schedule we had and what we had to go through, this one is really special,'' said cornerback Ike Taylor, one of 10 players to start in both Super Bowls.


A look at all six of the Steelers' Super Bowl rings.
Tribune-Review

Former Steelers Larry Foote and Nate Washington, who were members of both Super Bowl teams, also attended the ceremony.

"I'm just happy to see these guys, happy to see it all pay off,'' said Washington, who signed a free-agent contract with the Tennessee Titans.

The ring can best be descibed as a combination of flash and class.

Nearly twice the size of the previous Super Bowl ring, it features six diamonds surrounding the Steelers' logo, which rests atop a football-shaped design with 32 diamonds.

One side of the ring features six Lombardi trophies rising from Heinz Field and the score of Super Bowl XLIII. The other side has each players' name and jersey number along with the Steelers' helmet and NFL shield.

"(Defensive captain) James Farrior helped design it," safety Ryan Clark said. "He said it was big, maybe too big. I think it's perfect.

"You saw a bunch of grown men act like kids. It was kind of like Christmas. You know what you're going to get, but you never know how excited you're going to be until you open that box.''

There are a small number of people in the organization with six Super Bowl rings. That group is headed by team chairman Dan Rooney.

Hall-of-Famer Joe Greene, entering his sixth season in the personnel department, is the only person to play with the Steelers to have six Super Bowl rings. College scout Bill Nunn, who has been with the Steelers since 1968, also has six rings.


Steelers' Super Bowl ring: Latest one includes 63 diamonds and traditional setting of black and gold

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/


Rebecca Droke/Post-Gazette

This may be the sixth Super Bowl ring for some in the organization, but for many such as Nick Eason, the Super Bowl XLIII ring is their first.

The Steelers' Super Bowl ring keeps getting bigger, and Joe Greene, who picked up his sixth last night, could not decide which he likes more.

You have six kids, you love them all equally.

"There is no best," Greene said.

The latest, which weighs in at 3.7 ounces and contains 63 diamonds that go 3.61 carats, is Greene's and the Steelers' biggest, by far, dwarfing their ring from Super Bowl XL.

Counting all the diamonds, it was another whiteout night across town in Pittsburgh.

"It is a beautiful ring," said Greene, who earned four as a Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the Steelers and two more as a scout. "Beautiful, beautiful ring."

Greene is one of five club employees who have earned six rings, including Dan Rooney and scout Bill Nunn. At one time, 22 players owned four Super Bowl rings, earned over six seasons in the 1970s.

Last night, the two-ring club of modern Steelers numbered 28 members, including linebacker Larry Foote. After the Steelers granted his wish to be released so he could sign with his hometown Detroit Lions, Foote rejoined them for one final time for their ring ceremony inside Heinz Field's East Club Lounge. He skipped their White House visit May 21, but said there was no way he would miss this trip.

Homestead native Charlie Batch, who picked up his second ring, held it up next to his Super Bowl XL ring, which looked half the size of the new one.
"Everybody's in awe right now," Batch said. "When everybody opened his box, it was like 'Wow!' "


Rebecca Droke/Post-Gazette

First Super Bowl ring for Nick Eason.

The latest ring, in keeping with a long-held tradition of championship rings, is gaudy. In keeping with Steelers tradition, it is black and gold -- 14-karat gold (and all those diamonds) on a black background.

The face contains six large, brilliant-cut diamonds, one for each Super Bowl victory. There are seven other diamonds that represent the Steelers' seven conference championships and seven others below to add up to their 14 division titles in a football design.

The face includes a red, blue and yellow stone to resemble their hypocycloid logo. On one side of each ring are six Lombardi Trophies with the 27-23 score of their victory against Arizona in the Super Bowl. On the other is the ring owner's name, the Steelers helmet logo, the NFL logo and the player's number.

"This is the defining moment," Batch said, "to put an exclamation point on last season. It signifies everything we accomplished last season."

The Steelers moved the start of their ceremony 30 minutes ahead to 6 p.m. because many of them had tickets to the Stanley Cup final game between the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.

The ceremony, which included dinner and a band, was supposed to last until 11 p.m.

Ben Roethlisberger was the first to emerge at 7:43 p.m., holding the large box with the large ring inside. He jumped into his Porsche and sped across town to Mellon Arena for the game.

The 28 players who received the past two Steelers Super Bowl rings:
Jeff Reed, Roethlisberger, James Farrior, Hines Ward, Batch, Bryant McFadden, Tyrone Carter, Ike Taylor, Deshea Townsend, Willie Parker, Troy Polamalu, Foote, Andre Frazier, Greg Warren, Chris Kemoeatu, Kendall Simmons, Chris Hoke, Marvel Smith, Max Starks, Trai Essex, Heath Miller, Nate Washington, Travis Kirschke, Aaron Smith, James Harrison, Arnold Harrison, Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel.

NOTES -- Coach Mike Tomlin canceled practice yesterday and took his team bowling instead, a tradition he began last year. The Steelers have two practices left on the schedule, today and tomorrow, before they break until training camp opens July 31. ... Some good seats still can be had for Steelers home games this coming season, and they will go on sale through Ticketmaster beginning at 10 a.m. June 20. Individuals can buy up to four tickets for the regular season; there is no limit to the two home exhibition games. Most tickets are $59 to $62, but some single seats also are available up to $240.