Some of the most iconic moments in sports history involve players, coaches, and team owners triumphantly lifting their hard-earned trophies. However, some championship trophies would be difficult, if not impossible, to lift due to their tremendous weight.
In some cases, the trophies’ heft is the result of their sheer size, while others are heavy because of the material from which they were crafted. Whether they are fashioned from brass, silver, or wood, one thing that the ten heaviest sports trophies ever won have in common is the impact they have made not only on the victors who earned them but on their respective sports.
The Dallah Trophy
This ornate silver trophy is awarded to the winner of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament in Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates. As one of the premier events on the European Tour, this tournament attracts a world-class field of the best professional golfers from around the globe.
- Weight – 33 pounds (15 kilograms)
- Material/Construction – Silver
- Sport – Professional golf (European Tour)
- Interesting fact – The Dallah trophy is fashioned after a traditional coffee brewing and serving vessel, and the word Dallah means “coffee pot” in Arabic.
(Source: Omega Watches – Official Website)
The America’s Cup Trophy
Standing over three and a half feet tall (110 cm), the America’s Cup trophy has, for the past 172 years, been awarded to the victorious team in what is arguably the world’s oldest international sporting contest. Also known as the Auld Mug, this remarkable piece of silverware has been modified several times to accommodate the growing list of winners’ names etched into its pedestals.
- Weight – 33 pounds (15 kilograms)
- Material/Construction – Silver body and carbon fiber base
- Sport – Yacht racing
- Interesting fact – The America’s Cup trophy always travels with a security entourage and is flown first class in a customized Louis Vuitton travel case.
(Source: Yachting World)
The Stanley Cup Trophy
It is perhaps one of the most iconic scenes in all of sports, playing out in the middle of every June – exuberant hockey players taking turns skating around the ice with the Stanley Cup raised triumphantly over their heads. Standing at nearly three feet high (90 cm), the Stanley Cup may very well be the most famous and recognizable sporting trophy in the world.
- Weight – 35 pounds (16 kilograms)
- Material/Construction – Silver and nickel alloy
- Sport – Professional ice hockey
- Interesting fact – The Stanley Cup has a main “barrel” with rings encircling it, and on each ring is stamped the winning team its full roster of players’, coaches’, and owners’ names for each year. Currently, the Stanley Cup is on its fifth barrel ring.
(Source: The Hockey Hall of Fame – Official Website)
The Harley J. Earl Trophy
The Daytona 500, which takes place at the beginning of the racing season every February, is considered the Super Bowl of NASCAR. To the victor goes the Harley J. Earl trophy, which measures just under two feet in length and is oval-shaped to mimic the Daytona International Speedway’s track.
- Weight – 54 pounds (25 kilograms)
- Material/Construction – The base is made from lucite, and the trophy topper is handcrafted from bronze.
- Sport – Motorsports (NASCAR)
- Interesting fact – The Harley J. Earl trophy that is currently awarded to winning drivers is actually a much smaller replica of the original award, which measures an incredible four feet tall and five feet wide and bears the names of all previous winners. It is on permanent display in a museum near the speedway.
(Source: Car and Driver)
The Premier League Championship Trophy
The Premier League Championship trophy is awarded to the soccer team that finishes first among 20 clubs after a grueling nine-month long season comprising 38 matches. The trophy measures nearly three and a half feet (104 cm) tall and weighs in at an impressive 56 pounds.
- Weight – 56 pounds (25.4 kilograms)
- Material/Construction – The main trophy body is made from sterling silver while the base is fabricated from malachite (a semi-precious stone mined from Africa).
- Sport – Professional soccer
- Interesting fact – The lion is the official mascot of the Premier League, and the trophy’s design is a take on the theme “The Three Lions of English Football.” Two lions form the handles of the trophy, and when the victorious team’s captain raises the trophy over his head, he becomes the third lion.
(Source: Premier League – Official Website)
The Emperor’s Cup Trophy
To the wrestler (rikishi in Japanese) with the best overall record during a tournament that extends for 15 days, goes the Emperor’s Cup trophy. Standing over three and a half feet tall (108 cm), the massive trophy bears the names of victorious sumo wrestlers.
- Weight – 66 pounds (30 kilograms)
- Material/Construction – Sterling silver
- Sport – Sumo wrestling
- Interesting fact – After all the fanfare and photo sessions have subsided, the Emperor’s Cup is quietly returned to the Japan Sumo Association for public display, with the victors receiving smaller replicas.
(Source: The Japan Times)
The Borg-Warner Trophy
The winner of the Indianapolis 500, otherwise known as the Indy 500, wins this massive trophy that stands over five feet tall (five feet four inches to be exact). The Borg-Warner trophy is a fitting prize for the first driver to cross the finish line under the waving checkered flag, for the Indianapolis 500 is widely considered one of the most prestigious motorsports events in the world.
- Weight – 110 pounds (50 kilograms)
- Material/Construction – Sterling silver
- Sport – Motorsports (Indy car racing)
- Interesting fact – Not only are all Borg-Warner trophy winners’ names etched onto the trophy, but their faces are also sculpted in bas-relief on silver plates that are affixed to the body of the trophy. To date, 105 faces appear on the Borg-Warner trophy (some appear two, three, and four times as multiple-time winners of the race).
(Source: Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Official Website)
The Victory Bell Trophy
One of the fiercest rivalries in college football is the annual contest between the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans. To the victorious team goes not only a year of bragging rights in Los Angeles but also possession of the Victory Bell Trophy. The Victory Bell is so massive that it takes a team of undergrads to push it around on its carriage.
- Weight – 295 pounds (134 kilograms)
- Material/Construction – Brass
- Sport – College football
- Interesting fact – The Victory Bell trophy was an actual working bell taken from Southern Pacific freight locomotive that was mounted onto a carriage to be wheeled around. The carriage is painted in the victorious school’s colors and spends all but two days per year in a highly secured storage location – one is on game day, and the other is the Monday following the game.
(Source: University of Southern California Athletics – Official Website)
The Chief Caddo Trophy
Standing over seven feet six inches tall, the Chief Caddo trophy that is awarded to the winner of the annual rivalry football game between Northwestern State University and Stephen F. Austin State University is considered by many to be not only the largest trophy awarded in college sports but in all sports worldwide. They may be right.
- Weight – 320 pounds (146 kilograms)
- Material/Construction – Wood (black gum)
- Sport – College football
- Interesting fact – The trophy is named after the native American tribe that was the original settlers of the two towns in which the universities are located (Natchitoches, LA for Northwestern State and Nacogdoches, TX for SFA).
(Source: Crescent City Sports)
The Fremont Cannon Trophy
While this annual contest may not be a marquee matchup on the national college football landscape, the rivalry game between Nevada and UNLV does feature one of the biggest trophies in the game. The Fremont Cannon trophy, named after Captain John C. Fremont, is awarded to the game-winner and is considered in many circles to be the heaviest rivalry trophy in all of college football.
- Weight – 545 pounds (248 kilograms)
- Material/Construction – Fabricated by Kennecott Copper Corp’s Nevada Mines Division
- Sport – College football
- Interesting fact – The Fremont Cannon trophy is a replica of the howitzer that accompanied Captain Fremont’s expedition to the western United States in the 1840s. It was a working cannon and would be fired after scores until it suffered irreparable damage when it was dropped by exuberant UNLV students celebrating a victory.
(Source: Nevada SportsNet)
Conclusion
In sports, trophies signify the accomplishment of victory and recognition of the personal commitment and sacrifice of the victors. While on a philosophical level, the particular attributes of a trophy should not matter in the grand scheme of things, trophies with impressive mass can add to the spectacle of any contest small or large and serve as symbolic reminders of what is at stake.
