The iconic Vince Lombardi Trophy is making its way across Southern California this Spring as part of the LA Rams’ Super Bowl Trophy Tour and its latest stop is right here in Santa Monica.
For four hours on Saturday afternoon, the sterling silver Tiffany & Co. (yes, really) football will be on display on the western end of the Santa Monica Pier and available for local football fans to take selfies to their hearts’ content.
The trophy will be on display free of charge and open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, and fans will be invited to take photos. According to LA Rams promotional information, the tour stops “will feature appearances from Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders, mascot Rampage, a merchandise trailer and more.”
The Rams announced the Pier would be the latest stop on the Trophy Tour, which also included Thousand Oaks (where the Rams practice) and Inglewood (where the Super Bowl was held). After its brief visit to Santa Monica, the trophy will head inland, going on display at the LA County Fair in Pomona on May 13; the Riverside Convention Center on May 14; Ontario Town Square on May 15; and SoFi Stadium on June 4 and 5. From there, it goes on a tour of stores and shopping malls, including the Nike store in East LA on June 11; Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara on June 12; and Fashion Island Mall in Newport Beach on June 18.
The trophy appearance on the Santa Monica Pier takes the Super Bowl celebration full circle, in a sense, as many NFL Super Bowl weekend events were staged on the Pier and elsewhere in Santa Monica.
Led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams eked out a narrow victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13, coming out victorious by a score of 23-20; wide receiver Cooper Kupp was named the game’s MVP.
The win marked the Rams’ second Super Bowl victory, with the first coming in 1999 (as the St. Louis Rams). Prior to the establishment of the Super Bowl as the NFL’s championship game, the Rams won two NFL championships: one as the Cleveland Rams in 1945 and the other as the Los Angeles Rams in 1951.
The Vince Lombardi Trophy is named for famed former Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, who helped lead the Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowl games in 1967 and 1968.
Interestingly, the Rams NFL team — initially founded in Cleveland — was named after the Fordham University Rams, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Fordham Rams were a popular and successful football program at the time, the 1930s, due in part to star player Vince Lombardi.
emily@smdp.com
