Though young fans may not have memories of it, the Washington Redskins used to be a dominant team in the NFL, and they have several Super Bowl championships to show for it.
Ahead of the Kansas City Cheifs and San Francisco 49ers matchup in Super Bowl LIV in a couple of weeks, ESPN put together a montage of stories from each Super Bowl in the past 53 years, centering around the rings that were handed out to players, and what was done with those rings in the years following. For the Redskins, who won Super Bowl XVII, XXII, and XXVI, there are some great anecdotes that came out.
For wide receiver Alvin Garrett, who won his ring in 1982, the prized possession ended up becoming more of a piece of jewelry that served a greater goal in the end. According to the ESPN piece, in 1989, Garrett sold the ring via an ad in The Washington Post to fund his desire to become a minister.
“I flew to La Guardia in New York and the guy paid me cash for it,” Garrett said. “My life was so screwed up I needed God.” In 2016, someone who worked in the jewelry business in New York was picking through a box of items. The person found Garrett’s damaged ring with the diamonds missing and contacted the Redskins, who located Garrett, living in Huntsville, Alabama.
For quarterback Doug Williams, who became the first-ever black QB to start and win a Super Bowl in 1987, the ring signifies so much more than it’s worth in gold. Williams told ESPN that he still keeps it in the case, and he plans to hand it down to his family one day.
“They all want to touch it; they all want to put their hands around it and they all say, ‘Wow, what a great day. Man, I prayed for you.’ It’s bringing back memories for them because it was such a history-making day. The people from where I grew up, it’s almost like they wear that ring. That day will never happen again in the history of football; there will never be another first African American quarterback to win.”
For running back Brian Mitchell, who won his ring in 1991, a close call almost left him without his prized possession that was won in Super Bowl XXVI. It was years later when Mitchell wore his ring on a night out drinking and woke up the next morning without it.
“When it’s real cold, your fingers seem smaller,” he said. That’s why he guessed: Maybe it’s still in the limousine. He called the driver, who opened the door and found it stuck in the door jamb.
It’s understandable why Mitchell says that he rarely wears his ring anymore, especially when he is going out with friends.
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