This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/10/2001.
Ernie Stautner was a bulldog-faced, nose-in-the-mud defensive tackle who played on losing Pittsburgh Steeler teams from 1950 to 1963 and had to wait until his playing career ended to reap his rewards. Undersized at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, Stautner was all-NFL twice, played in 9 All-Pro games and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969. He took his competitive fire and smarts to the Dallas Cowboys as defensive line coach and in the 1970s reaped 2 championship rings when the 'Boys won Super Bowl XI in 1972 and Super Bowl XII in 1978. Stautner's ring is a dazzling gem that features 2 large, approx. 40-point diamond stones on top surrounded by 22 smaller diamond stones and chips. Around the crown is engraved "Dallas Cowboys, World Champions," with each word separated by one of 4 approx. 10-point stones. The bottom large diamond has been replaced. The left shank is engraved with the Lombardi Trophy and "Super Bowl XII, 1977, 27-10" and the right shank has "Stautner" above a Cowboy helmet with the lone star logo, 4 stars and "N.F.C." The size-14 1/2 ring, which has scattered, hardly discernible markings, shines as brightly as a beacon and is a hunk of hardware, even by Texas standards.