1995 Tampa Bay Storm ArenaBowl IX Championship Ring - Player Issued
The Tampa Bay Storm were the most dominant franchise in Arena Football League history, and 1995 was one of their finest seasons. This is a genuine player-issued ArenaBowl IX Championship ring in 10k gold with diamonds, made by Herff Jones. A tangible piece of arena football's golden era.
Why Arena Football championship rings are so rare
The Arena Football League operated for over three decades and produced some of the most thrilling indoor football ever played — yet AFL championship rings almost never surface on the collector market. Roster sizes were smaller than in the NFL, fewer rings were produced per championship, and the league's die-hard but niche fanbase means these pieces have largely stayed in private hands.
The 1995 Storm were a juggernaut. Finishing the regular season 10–2 as the AFL's top seed, they tore through the playoffs, notching one of the most dramatic wins in league history, a 56–49 semifinal victory over Albany in which Stevie Thomas returned a kickoff from his own end zone for the game-winning touchdown with seconds on the clock. That moment was later voted the #2 greatest highlight in AFL history. They then defeated their arch-rivals the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl IX to claim their third championship in five seasons.
The championship was the first under head coach Tim Marcum, widely regarded as the greatest coach in arena football history, who had already won four ArenaBowl titles before arriving in Tampa Bay. Quarterback Jay Gruden (brother of NFL coach Jon Gruden) led the offense alongside playmaker Stevie Thomas in one of the AFL's most celebrated dynasties.
Crafted by Herff Jones in 10k gold set with diamonds, this ring was built to the exacting standards of a legitimate professional championship piece. An extraordinary find for any sports memorabilia collection.
| Year | 1995 |
| Championship | ArenaBowl IX |
| Material | 10k Gold with diamonds |
| Manufacturer | Herff Jones |
| Type | Player-issued |
| ArenaBowl result | Storm def. Orlando Predators |
| Regular season record | 10–2, AFL #1 seed |
Tampa Bay Storm — Quick Facts
- One of the AFL's four original founding franchises, operating continuously from the league's inaugural 1987 season
- Won five ArenaBowl championships (1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, and 2003) — the most successful dynasty in AFL history
- The 1995 playoff run included the #2 greatest moment in AFL history — Stevie Thomas' last-second kickoff return to defeat Albany 56–49 in the semifinals
- Head coach Tim Marcum, in his first season with Tampa Bay, brought four prior ArenaBowl titles to the franchise — widely considered the greatest coach in arena football history
- Played home games at the ThunderDome (now Tropicana Field) in St. Petersburg, setting 18 of the 19 largest crowds in AFL history during their tenure there
- The Storm's rivalry with the Orlando Predators — known as the "War on I-4" — was the defining rivalry of the AFL era, with both teams meeting in ArenaBowl IX
- The franchise finished with 241 wins — more than any other team in AFL history — before ceasing operations in 2017