The Road to the Super Bowl (for the Super Bowl Trophy)

Congratulations to Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy and the Indianapolis Colts on winning Super Bowl XLI. And I'm not just saying that because I predicted a Colts win (and Manning MVP) back in September. The Colts successfully navigated a long and bumpy road on the way to hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

But what about the journey of the trophy itself?

"¢ The Vince Lombardi Trophy was named in 1970 after the former Green Bay Packers coach, who won the first two Super Bowls. The original name was the World Championship Game Trophy. And while we're on the subject, the game wasn't called the Super Bowl until 1969. AFL-NFL World Championship Game Sunday didn't have the same ring to it.

"¢ The trophy is manufactured by Tiffany & Co. in Parsippany, New Jersey. Parsippany is also the town where Mom & Pop sold Jerry Seinfeld's sneakers.

"¢ The trophy is twenty-two inches tall and weighs seven pounds.

"¢ Two Vince Lombardi Trophies are created and brought to each Super Bowl, in case one is damaged during the postgame celebration. Or just dropped and broken or stolen, I suppose.

"¢ After the Super Bowl, the trophy is sent back to Tiffany & Co. to be engraved with the winning team's name, the date, and the final score.

"¢ The San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers all have won five Vince Lombardi Trophies.

"¢ See how Tiffany manufactures the trophy in this photo gallery.