October 28, 2017 Sports Memorabilia
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/28/2017
A real players ring from the Steel Curtain era is certainly a rarity to show up on the market. They are coveted by the players who won them and the diehard fans lucky enough to obtain one even though the Super Bowl happened over 40 years ago. This particular ring was presented to QB Joe Gilliam. Jefferson Street Joe was the first African American quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers even taking the reigns in 1974 for the first six games. He remained with the team through Super Bowl X. He spent the rest of his career bouncing around semi-pro leagues and even had a brief comeback in the USFL while battling a drug addiction. Although he had been clean for several years he succumbed to a cocaine overdose on Christmas day of 2000. At his funeral, Doug Williams was quoted as saying "Joe made it all possible for every one of us black quarterbacks. The struggles he went through eased the struggles we had to endure." The ring made by Balfour has two real diamonds for the Steelers second Super Bowl title that flank the Lombardi trophy on top. The shank has Gilliam in large letters and the Steelers logo while the other side has Super Bowl X and the score around the star logo worn on the super bowl jerseys. Ring is size 11, and made of 37 grams of 10k gold. The ring shows wear from use and there is a small knick on the lower portion of the L in Gilliam. Excellent condition overall.
Condition: (Excellent).