Newly designed Halas Trophy on the line
NFC Championship winner will get new trophy
Updated: Monday, 17 Jan 2011, 5:32 PM CST
Published : Monday, 17 Jan 2011, 11:30 AM CST
Reporter: Ben Krumholz
GREEN BAY - The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears will be fighting on Sunday for a Super Bowl birth and to be the first team to win the newly designed George Halas trophy.
Since 1984 the winner of the NFC Championship game has won the trophy named after the legendary Chicago Bears head coach.
The NFL says it wanted to change the look of the AFC and NFC Championship game trophies to coincide with the look of the Lombardi Trophy.
“Because the Vince Lombardi trophy is all sterling silver and it shines when it's on the field, it gets hoisted up a certain way and we felt those same materials, that same football aspect of it should be captured in the redesign,” said Shandon Melvin, a NFL spokesperson.
The NFL hopes the redesign can make the trophy more significant in fans' eyes.
For the Packers organization, winning the Halas trophy for the first time in '97 meant more than just a trip to the Super Bowl.
“Everyone said it couldn't be done in Green Bay again,” said Tom Murphy, who is a Packers Hall of Fame board member. “To win it in Green Bay for the first time since they've had a championship caliber game since the Ice Bowl in the 1967 season. It was incredible.”
Murphy says winning the Halas Trophy against the Bears would be extra special.
“It doesn't matter whose name is on it I guess,” said AJ Hawk, Packers linebacker. “We just like to have it, but when it comes down to it that's not really our goal.”
The Packers’ goal is the Lombardi trophy, but no matter the look, the team will need the Halas trophy first.
The Packers won the Halas trophy twice before, in 1997 and 1998.
The new championship game trophy took nine months to design. Tiffany and Company makes it, which is the same company that makes the Lombardi Trophy.
