Super Bowl Rings Tell Stories of Lost Treasure and Devotion

When John Schmitt lost his Super Bowl III ring while surfing in Hawaii, he never expected to see it again. Four decades later, a stranger's family tracked him down to return it, and now they vacation together every year.

The New York Jets center's ring disappeared in the ocean in 1971. A lifeguard found it while snorkeling and tucked it away in his closet, where it sat until he died in 2011. His great-niece discovered the hidden treasure and contacted the NFL, which connected her to Schmitt.

"We've become a big family," Schmitt says of the reunited bond that brought his ring home.

These precious circles of gold and diamonds tell surprisingly human stories. Green Bay Packers receiver Bob Long never even saw one of his three championship rings after giving it to his newborn son 40 years ago. "I haven't seen it in 40 years," Long says, explaining he gave each of his three children a ring from his three championships.

Cherry Starr once panicked when she saw her late husband Bart's Super Bowl II ring on eBay for $100,000. She raced to their safe and found the real one still there. To protect the legacy forever, she donated both rings to the Packers Hall of Fame during Bart's final trip to Lambeau Field in 2017.

Some champions wore their rings in unexpected ways. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Lee Roy Jordan convinced his wife to let him wear his Super Bowl VI ring instead of his wedding band. "I dislocated my right ring finger so many times I couldn't get it on that finger," Jordan explains. His wife agreed, and they've now been married 55 years.

The 1969 Kansas City Chiefs received their rings unceremoniously in the mail. "It was very quiet," kicker Jan Stenerud remembers. But coach Hank Stram included a small wooden plaque with instructions: "Remember that you are World Champions. Handle yourself with class and style, grace and dignity."

Sunny's Take

These rings represent more than victories frozen in time. They've survived ocean depths, sparked family reunions across thousands of miles, and replaced wedding bands in marriages that lasted lifetimes. Miami Dolphins safety Dick Anderson wears his 1972 ring proudly, looking at the 17 diamonds that represent the only perfect season in NFL history.

Whether tucked in safety deposit boxes for grandchildren or lost to arthritis-swollen fingers, these symbols of achievement continue collecting stories as rich as the games that created them.