The short answer
Tiffany designer Oscar Riedener created the Super Bowl trophy's football-on-a-kicking-tee form in 1966 and sketched the concept for NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle on a cocktail napkin. The first four editions were called the World Professional Football Championship Trophy. After Vince Lombardi died in 1970, the NFL renamed the award for the coach. Unlike many travelling trophies, a new sterling-silver Lombardi Trophy is made for each Super Bowl winner to keep.
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The trophy began with the AFL-NFL championship
The first Super Bowl was officially the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted a trophy that matched the scale of the new meeting between the leagues.
He approached Tiffany & Co. before the 1966 season’s championship. The object preceded the familiar “Super Bowl” branding and its later memorial name.
A football novice found the lasting shape
Tiffany design chief Oscar Riedener reportedly knew little about American football. He bought a regulation ball, studied it at home and developed the idea of mounting it in kicking position on a three-sided stand.
Riedener sketched the concept on a cocktail napkin during a meeting with Rozelle. The accepted form has remained recognisable ever since.
The first four trophies had another name
Green Bay received the first two, followed by the New York Jets and Kansas City. Those awards were the World Professional Football Championship Trophy.
The NFL-AFL merger became official in 1970. Vince Lombardi, coach of the first two winning Packers teams, died that September. The league renamed the trophy in his honour before Super Bowl V.
Tiffany makes a new original every year
Many famous cups remain with the organiser while champions receive replicas. The Lombardi Trophy works differently: Tiffany produces a new sterling-silver trophy for each edition and the winning franchise keeps it permanently.
That makes every winning object an original, not a temporary presentation cup. It is the opposite custody model from the Champions League trophy.
Its proportions come from a real football
The Hall of Fame lists a height of 20.75 inches and a weight of 107.3 ounces. The silver football is regulation size and sits above three concave faces.
The pose is a kick, even though the NFL scoring rules make touchdowns the game’s headline play. The design captures the ball as the common object behind every scoring route.
The name joined design to memory
Lombardi did not design the cup and the original concept was not created as his memorial. Renaming combined an existing league symbol with the coach most closely connected to its first champions.
That sequence matters. Like the Heisman Trophy, the object existed before the person’s name became inseparable from it.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the Lombardi Trophy?
Tiffany design chief Oscar Riedener created the football-on-a-stand design.
Was it always named for Vince Lombardi?
No. The first four were World Professional Football Championship Trophies; the NFL adopted Lombardi's name in 1970.
What is it made from?
It is made from sterling silver by Tiffany & Co.
How big is the trophy?
The Hall of Fame lists it at 20.75 inches tall and 107.3 ounces.
Does the Super Bowl winner keep it?
Yes. A new trophy is made each year and the winning franchise receives permanent possession.
Which team received the first one?
The Green Bay Packers received the first after winning the 1966 season's AFL-NFL Championship Game.