One of the more unsung championship teams in football history was the 1991 Washington Redskins. Coached by Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, the Redskins finished the regular season atop the NFC with a 14-2 record, leading the NFL in scoring. QB Mark Rypien threw for 3,564 yards and 28 touchdowns, with Gary Clark and Art Monk each going over 1,000 yards receiving. A stingy defense led by Darrell Green, Charles Mann and Wilber Marshall allowed the second-fewest points in the league.
Super Bowl XXVI, held January 26, 1992, at the Minneapolis Metrodome, pitted the Skins against the AFC Champion Buffalo Bills, who went 13–3 in the regular season and advanced to their second consecutive Super Bowl thanks to QB Jim Kelly and the team’s patented no-huddle "K-Gun" offense. In a lopsided game, the Redskins jumped out to a 24-0 lead and defeated the Bills, 37–24, to become the fourth team to win three Super Bowls. On the flip side, Buffalo became the third team to lose it back-to-back – a streak that would eventually double. The staunch Redskins defense sacked Bills QB Jim Kelly four times and intercepted him four times. Rypien, meanwhile, completed 18 of 33 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.
Featured here is an attractive 1991 Super Bowl XXVI Champions Ring presented to Washington Redskins quarterback Cary Conklin, who served primarily as the team’s third string. The lovely design by Tiffany & Co. is made of 10-karat gold with a total of 29 diamonds on the face, including three large round ones set inside a lovely Native American feather motif. “WASHINGTON REDSKINS WORLD CHAMPIONS 1991” in relief surrounds the perimeter. On one shank is "CONKLIN 12 QB" above the Redskin logo positioned in front of three Super Bowl trophies. Washington’s final overall record of 17-2 is depicted at the bottom. The other shank reads "HAIL TO THE REDSKINS" above the Super Bowl XXVI logo with a raised image of the White House below. "TIFFANY & Co 10K 420” is hallmarked inside the band.
The ring comes in size 11-3/4 and weighs 51 grams. It includes the original red velvet presentation box with the Redskins old logo embossed on the inner roof. A letter of provenance from Cary Conklin is also included. What an incredible piece of jewelry celebrating the last time Washington D.C. won the Lombardi Trophy. With the Redskins logo now extinct and the new Commanders era upon us, this ring will become even more of a collector’s item in the future.