The 10 Greatest Championship Trophy Designs

Sorry L.A., the basketball party is over for you guys. And that awesome trophy is probably going to go to the dudes from Florida. Oh well. That trophy is really sick too. Is it as sick as the Stanley Cup? Eh, maybe not, but both are pretty epic. NBA and NHL have two of the sickest trophies ever, but there are others out there. Complex perused the annals of professional sport to find the greatest moments in championship trophy design, and the long road to victory all comes down to this gallery. Click on the thumbnails above to see the top 10 trophy designs in sport championship.

10. Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship Rosewaster Dish


5-time champ Venus Williams has said the women's dish is better than the men's cup (also awarded at Wimbledon) and we agree. The 19-inch sterling silver salver was made in England in 1864, and the decorations on it are highly mythological, with the goddess Sophrosyne as it's centerpoint. Surprisingly, the dish is a copy of a plate from the 1500s made by a German artist whose design sits behind glass in the Louvre. Unfortunately for Venus, her sister Serena, and all other women's singles champions, Wimbledon doesn't loan out the dish for the year to the winner. Instead, winners are given a small replica along with the prize money.

9. Thrasher Magazine Skater of the Year Trophy


This title, bestowed to the skater who has received the most votes from loyal readers, is given out once a year by the monthly skateboard bible. Design-wise, it's nothing too tech, but the dude is wearing shorts, and the cement parking curb base holds it down. Since 1990, Thrasher's history of winners is legendary, and only Chris Cole and Danny Way have won it twice. Shockingly, Mark Gonzales has never been awarded the hardware. Rumor has it Brian Anderson sold his 1999 S.O.T.Y. trophy on eBay years back due to a sudden need for some quick funds. P.S.—this only gets the #9 sport because skateboarding isn't a sport, brah.

8. Indianapolis 500 Borg-Warner Trophy



This trophy was designed by metal parts manufacturer Gorham Inc. in Rhode Island in 1935 for the Borg-Warner auto parts company. The trophy is presented in the winner’s circle after every Indy 500. Not only do winners get their name and average race speed engraved, they get their face welded on it too. Plus, at the very top is a naked guy waving a checkered flag. Obligatory pause, we guess, even though it’s 2011. The trophy is made of sterling silver and stands about five feet tall. Winning drivers need their pit crew to help lift.

7. WBA Championship Belt


There are countless sanctioning bodies that award title belts in boxing, but the WBA's is one of the four major belts needed for a boxer to become an Undisputed Champion. While the WBA is known to be the most corrupt, it does award the sickest belt. Measuring in at 44 inches long, this 18-carat gold plated belt was originally designed and handmade by Phil Valentino of Val Originals Sporting Awards in Rhode Island. Interestingly, Valentino has designed just about every championship belt seen in boxing today. While Valentino passed away about 10 years ago, his legacy lives on through a former craftsman now based in New Jersey.

6. NFL Vince Lombardi Trophy


Former Vice President of Tiffany & Co. Oscar Riedner sketched this trophy design on a napkin during lunch with the Commissioner of the NFL. It is made of sterling silver, and the regulation-size football has been handcrafted by Tiffany for every Super Bowl since Lombardi coached his Green Bay Packers to victory in 1967. After the trophy is won, it is sent back to Tiffany's for scoreboard engraving and then returned to the winning team for them to keep. At every Superbowl, two Lombardi trophies are on hand in the unfortunate event that one gets damaged during the celebration mayhem.

5. MLB Commissioner's Trophy


The original MLB Commissioner's Trophy was first awarded in 1967 to the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. Since then, the trophy has gone through slight redesigns over the years as new teams have been added to the league. Currently, the gold-plated flags – representing each team – rise above an arched silver ox baseball that symbolizes the world. This sterling silver trophy is also made each year by Tiffany. It's not the easiest to pass around during the champagne shower, and tripping over it would make for a lengthy trip to the disabled list.

4. Division 1-A Paul Bunyan's Axe


Ok so this isn't pro, but it’s cool enough—Minnesota versus Wisconsin in the ultimate chopdown! The Axe of Paul Bunyan was created by Wisconsin's athletic "W" Club in 1948 as a way for the two schools to keep track of college football’s oldest rivalry. The scores of each game are emblazoned on the six foot long handle. The Axe represents both colleges’ pioneering routes, while embracing the legend of the giant mythological lumberjack. If the team who currently possesses the Axe wins the game, they get to parade it around the stadium. If the other team wins, they get to rush the opponent's sideline and "steal" the Axe back. Tight.

3. FIFA World Cup Trophy


FIFA commissioned for this trophy in 1974 and received submissions from sculptors around the world. In the end, they selected an Italian design and the trophy itself was made in Italy. On the sculpture, two athletes rise in victory holding up the earth. It’s made of 75% pure gold, and the trophy is disappointingly hollow (although it would have been too heavy to lift if it were). The winning country is engraved on the bottom and after the 2038 World Cup there will be no more room for text. Winners of the much-to-do tournament receive a gold plated replica to take home.

2. NBA Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy


The image of a tearful Michael Jordan caressing his first championship trophy is cemented in sport history. The current sterling silver trophy with 24-carat gold overlay was created for the 1977 NBA Finals (it was renamed the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy in 1984). Since then, it is recreated yearly once again by Tiffany for the winning franchise to house in their permanent collection.

1. NHL Stanley Cup Trophy


An epic edition of one. The winning team gets to drink champagne out of it. Players names get engraved on it. The Cup's been through endless shenanigans and has visited many strip clubs. In 1892, it was just a punch bowl awarded by the biggest hockey honk, Lord Stanley of Preston, who also happened to be the Governor General of Canada. In 1947 the NHL took control of the cup and gave its base a redesign. New wider bands were added to give room for all the new names to be engraved. Currently, the Cup is about 35 inches high and weighs 34 pounds. Of the 2000+ names of players, coaches and management on the Cup, only 12 are of women.