The Kansas City Chiefs are eyeing history in 2024, but before they head out on their summer break, they had one last celebration for what they accomplished in 2023.
Members of the Chiefs received their Super Bowl championship rings in a private ceremony at Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on Thursday. More than 400 rings were handed out at the ceremony, with each being personalized while also celebrating the franchise’s history.
The rings, which were made by Josten jewelers, each have 529 diamonds, 38 rubies and 14.8 carats worth of gems, and were created in 10-karat white and yellow gold. The ring tops have the Chiefs’ arrowhead logo, which was shaped from 16 custom-cut rubies, representing the number of division titles the franchise has won. The arrowhead is fashioned in yellow gold and set with 50 diamonds. In the foreground of the ring top, the Chiefs’ four Super Bowl trophies are outlined. The left side of the ring top has the word “WORLD” and the right side has “CHAMPIONS.”
“Back-to-back” is embezzled on one side of the ring, along with the Super Bowl LVIII logo and the final score of the game. The other side is personalized to feature the recipient’s name and position. Additionally, that side includes the four years the Chiefs have won the Super Bowl (1969, 2019, 2022, 2023). That side also includes an outline of GEHA Stadium.
There are several other unique details on the ring. The game-winning play, “Tom and Jerry,” of Super Bowl LVIII is outlined with Andy Reid’s handwriting inside the ring top. “Loud” and “142.2” are also inscribed into the rings to represent Chiefs Kingdom. There are 22 sequential diamonds to represent the number of points the Chiefs scored in the second half and overtime of the Super Bowl LVIII win.
There are also 19 diamonds within the Super Bowl LVIII logo on the ring, which is a combination of the number of consecutive winning seasons (11) and AFC West titles (eight). There’s also a commemorative patch honoring Norma Hunt (“NKH”) on the inside of the ring. Hunt, the wife of Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt and the mother of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, passed away in June of last year.
Each year that members of the Chiefs won a Super Bowl trophy is inscribed inside the removable top of the ring. Several members of the Chiefs, such as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and Reid, have three years written inside of it. They’re all on the hunt for a fourth now, seeking to become the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowl titles in a row.
“The first thing I think of is how great last season was and the adversity we dealt with,” Mahomes said Thursday night before the Chiefs received their rings. “Then I’m going to think about how I can get another one for the pinkie finger. It’s going to take a lot of hard work (to win three straight titles). It’s never been done before for a good reason. It takes a special group of guys, and I think we’ve got that group.”
Kansas City became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles in nearly two decades last year, with the 2003-04 New England Patriots being the last team to do it. The Chiefs have lost a handful of contributors from last year’s team since their Super Bowl win in February, losing five starters from that game over the offseason.
Still, the Chiefs’ nucleus is still intact with Mahomes, Kelce, Reid and Jones. As minicamp concluded Thursday and the team set to embark on one last break before training, Reid knows the focus is already on making history.
“It goes by fast. Once you get through that parade, you’re kind of off and heading in the direction of the new season,” Reid told reporters of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration on Thursday. “It’s a night — I don’t want to slight tonight — because there’s a lot that goes into that and there’s a lot of hard work that’s gone into that and this is kind of the reward for it. But I think the guys know that it’s going to be nice to get the ring, but they’ve moved on.”
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