Marcellus Casey, son of Salem native and former football great Carey Casey, recently received his Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LIV ring. Marcellus is the Chiefs team chaplain.
Long time area football fans are sure to remember Carey. A 1974 graduate of Andrew Lewis High School, he was one of the best runningbacks ever to suit up for the storied Lewis team. He was a sophomore on the team that played T.C. Williams High in the state championship game at Victory Stadium in 1971, the game made famous by the movie “Remember the Titans.” He went on to play at the University of North Carolina.
After college Carey went on to a career in the ministry, including stints as the team chaplain for the Cowboys and Chiefs as well as the 1988 summer Olympics in Korea. The acorn didn’t fall far from the tree as Marcellus is in his fourth year as team chaplain for the Chiefs, who are off to another good start at 3-0 after defeating the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. Recently the Kansas City coaches and players gathered in a private, socially distanced ceremony at Arrowhead Stadium to receive their rings, which were hand-crafted by Jostens, the industry leader and provider of custom, hand-crafted fine jewelry for professional sports teams,
“To become Super Bowl champions is an amazing feat, and to be trusted to create a ring to celebrate that achievement is truly an honor,” said Chris Poitras VP and COO of Jostens Professional Sports Division. “We have had the privilege to partner with the Chiefs to craft not only their Super Bowl LIV Championship ring, but their first ever Super Bowl ring as well. This ring truly celebrates the Chiefs history, their fans and the incredible success of the 2019 season.”
For 60 seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have been proud defenders of Chiefs Kingdom. The ring top pays tribute to this legacy with 60 diamonds set inside a stunning arrowhead-shaped adornment. Also contained within, the letters KC created in yellow gold shimmer with 16 custom-cut rubies that represent the franchise’s 10 AFC West division titles combined with six playoff appearances under Head Coach Andy Reid. 50 diamonds surround the rubies and logo that signify the 50 years between Super Bowl victories.
The symbolism continues on the ring top. An additional 122 diamonds cascade along the ring top edges, calling to mind the 100th season of the NFL, and the 22 playoff appearances in franchise history. Two marquise diamonds represent the two Super Bowl victories, and four baguette rubies on the top and bottom ring edges symbolize four straight AFC West titles from 2016 to 2019. Wrapping it all up, the words WORLD CHAMPIONS crafted from contrasting yellow gold, appear on the ring’s outermost edges.
On the left side, the ring recipient’s name sits at the top in shining yellow gold. Below, flags that capture the ’69 and ’19 Super Bowl victories fly high alongside the player’s number or title set in diamonds. BE GREAT, the team’s championship season motto, is set in a banner beneath, followed by the numbers 142.2, the decibel rating that makes Arrowhead Stadium the loudest in the world. All of this is given definition by the stands seen at the very bottom, evoking a fan’s view from the stadium seats.
The right side pays tribute to the fanbase at the top with the words CHIEFS KINGDOM. Located directly in the center, the Super Bowl LIV logo is set in white gold, surrounded by a banner displaying the final score, 31 to 20. The ring side is completed with the championship year date, 2019.
Etched inside are the scores, logos and point deficits of the teams the Chiefs defeated on their Super Bowl journey. 0202 represents the day the Chiefs were crowned World Champions, and 2020 honors the year in which it all happened. As an added touch of personalization, player’s individual signature graces the interior. The final detail of the ring is a football located on the outer band which features the initials LH, a touching tribute to franchise founder Lamar Hunt.
The rings feature a total of 9 baguette diamonds which total .9 carats, 2 marquise diamonds equaling .7 carats and 244 round diamonds for a total of 3.3 carats. The rings also boast 4 baguette rubies, and 32 custom-cut rubies which are equal to 5.95 carats. The rings have an incredible total gem carat weight of 10.85 carats.
