42 Stops to Super Bowl XLII: #20 - Super Bowl Ring Stories

The 42 Stops to Super Bowl XLII is a series that will feature stories, stats and interesting trivia that you can use to act smart as you prepare for Super Bowl XLII.

ESPN.com is doing a neat story about Super Bowl rings. They go through all of the previous 41 Super Bowls and tell a story about a championship ring from each of those games.

They cover everything from the Packers Jerry Kramer losing his Super Bowl I ring and his quest to get it back to the Colts' Adam Vinatieri receiving his fourth ring last year.

There is the story of Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who wears all his Super Bowl rings ... at the same time ... whenever he's due to collect a new one. So, if the Patriots win Super Bowl XLII, he will show up with his three Super Bowl rins with the Patriots and two with the New York Giants.

There is the Dolphins' Mercury Morris losing his Super Bowl VII ring ... then losing his replacement. There is Don Shula's Super Bowl VIII ring making a cameo in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. There is the Raiders' Skip Thomas who pawned his Super Bowl XI ring to try to pay for his house (it didn't get enough). The Steelers' Rocky Bleier who leased his rings out to keep them from his divorce settlement ... then had them stolen from him from a dressing room.

There is the sad story of Walter Payton losing his ring and never recovering it before his 1999 passing. Doug Williams sees his ring as a crowning achievement for African American quarterbacks, seeing it is the only one won by a starting black quarterback. There is the Cowboys' Larry Brown, who sees his Super Bowl XXX ring and thinks of his son, who died late in the season after three months of life. There is the emotion of Shannon Sharpe giving his first Super Bowl ring to his older brother, Sterling.

The Niners' John Frank had his ring stolen from him ... then whomever took it, lost it themselves. The person who found it made sure it was returned to Frank. ESPN's Mark Schlereth talks about how none of his rings fit because an offensive lineman's fingers are so swollen when they fit the players, the ring ends up being way too big.

There is Trent Dilfer, one of just two QBs to win a Super Bowl as a starter but not start for the team the following year (the other was John Elway, who retired after Super Bowl XXXIII), making it an awkward ring ceremony. Dilfer came back to the ceremony just to piss everyone off and make the Ravens brass feel uncomfortable.

For the over 2,000 people who have won Super Bowl rings in their career, there are over 2,000 stories to go along with it. Please check out the site to learn more about it.