Jerry Rice presents Lombardi trophy to Vegas

By Nick Antonakas, WEBN Correspondent

The NFL’s Super Bowl Experience theme park was packed on its first day open to the public, with all eyes focused on the delivery of the Vince Lombardi trophy. The NFL’s most prestigious prize was unloaded from the back of a FedEx truck by none other than Jerry Rice, a three-time Super Bowl champ and San Francisco 49ers legend. 

The delivery of the Lombardi trophy is a longstanding tradition in the lead up to the Super Bowl to get fans “up close and personal” with the famous trophy. The trophy sent as a special delivery to Mandalay Bay Convention Center is the fifth Lombardi trophy in the NFL’s history. 

Rice, who has held the Lombardi three times and has competed for it four times, needed to follow all precautionary measures in the delivery of the prestigious prize. This included removing one of his Super Bowl rings and slipping on the famous white gloves to avoid any fingerprints getting on the trophy. 

Rice, like almost every pass thrown his way, did not drop the Lombardi trophy in its introduction to Sin City. With Las Vegas hosting the Super Bowl for the first time in NFL history, Rice was honored to be a part of the inauguration. 

“It was amazing,” Rice said. “To deliver the trophy for the first time here in Las Vegas is something I’ll never forget.”