With the 56th annual Super Bowl fast approaching, it’s time to take a look at the NFL players who have collected the most rings. Awarded to every member of the winning team, they are perhaps the best indicator of a single player’s skill. Unlike many other trophies, like the Vince Lombardi cup, rings are given out individually instead of to the whole team.
We are looking at the athletes with the most rings, discounting those won by being the owner or coach of a winning franchise. If an athlete had rings from playing but also rings from any coaching/managerial ties, we discounted the rings they didn’t play for.
Think you know who will win the Super Bowl this year? In that case, you should check out NFL Super Bowl odds and see if you can’t profit from the big game.
1. Tom Brady
That’s right, our #1 ring winner is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in football history. With the recent news of his retirement, Brady will be leaving the NFL with seven Super Bowl rings as a quarterback. Six of them were with the New England Patriots, then he added another through his late-career seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Only one other man, 49ers and Broncos administrator Neal Dahlen, has seven rings. Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick has eight but, in both cases, Belichick and Dahlen’s are from coaching and administration.
That only makes Brady’s seven rings even more impressive. Here are the Super Bowls that Brady and his team took home the top prize:
- Super Bowl XXXVI – 2001
- Super Bowl XXXVIII – 2003
- Super Bowl XXXIX – 2004
- Super Bowl XLIX – 2014
- Super Bowl LI – 2016
- Super Bowl LIII – 2018
- Super Bowl LV – 2020
2. Charles Haley
When it comes to football players with Super Bowl rings, Charles Haley is the second-most prolific ring winner with five rings. Being active from 1986 to 1999, he may need some introduction for younger readers. He played for the San Francisco 49ers for most of his career, along with a Dallas Cowboy stint too.
Tom Brady and Charles Haley are the only two football players that have more than four Super Bowl rings. What’s more, Haley was the first player to win five Super Bowls, full stop. Winning two as a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers, he later played defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys to win three more as part of their 90s winning team alongside the likes of Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith.
Haley and his team won in the following Super Bowls:
- Super Bowl XXIII – 1989
- Super Bowl XXIV – 1990
- Super Bowl XXVII – 1993
- Super Bowl XXVIII – 1994
- Super Bowl XXX – 1996
3. Marv Fleming
Many players have won four rings but it was Marv Fleming that did it first. As a tight end, Fleming had the pleasure of playing with the 60s Green Bay Packers, and then the 70s Miami Dolphins. Yes, he was also part of the Dolphins’ legendary perfect season in 1972, which is where one of his four rings comes from.
The first two rings came from Super Bowl I and II in 1966 and ’67. Then, after leaving the Packers in ’69, he signed up with the Dolphins in time for their 70s run. The second two rings came from Super Bowl VII and VIII in ’72 and ’73.
4. Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri also has four rings but he’s unique in the league – he’s a kicker. Vinatieri doesn’t just hold several field goal records, he’s also the leader in Super Bowl wins by a kicker.
He won three with the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX in 2001, 2003, and 2004, respectively. Then he signed up with the Indianapolis Colts, who went to Super Bowl XLI in 2006.
5. The Four-Ring Steelers
The largest cohort of players who earned four rings belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their 1970s roster. The Steelers won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV in 1974, ’75, ’78, and ’79. In the interest of celebrating them all, here’s the lineup of players without coaching/admin personnel.
- Joe Greene
- Terry Bradshaw
- Franco Harris
- Lynn Swann
- Jack Lambert
- Jack Ham
- Mike Webster
- Donnie Shell
- Gerry Mullins
- John Stallworth
- Mel Blount
- Mike Wagner
- Rocky Bleier
- Larry Brown
- J.T. Thomas
- L.C. Greenwood
- Jon Kolb
- Sam Davis
- Steve Furness
- Randy Grossman
- Dwight White
- Loren Toews
Honorable Mentions
Joe Montana, Keena Turner, Jesse Sapolu, Eric Wright, Mike Wilson, and Ronnie Lott also deserve honorable mentions for their four Super Bowl wins with the 49ers during their 80s Super Bowl run.
Rob Gronkowski has four rings too, three with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers, all alongside Brady.
Conclusion
Those are the players who have won the most Super Bowl games. Many have won three/four rings since they are awarded to the whole team. That said, figures like Brady, Haley, and Fleming got ahead of the crowd by moving to other winning teams in the league. With another Super Bowl upon us soon, time will only tell who wins the rings this year.
