Kramer to Get his Ring

Packers' Kramer to get Super Bowl ring back

MILWAUKEE (May 15, 2006) -- Jerry Kramer, star right guard of the Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi, will get back his Super Bowl championship ring that was lost 25 years ago.

The ring from the first AFL-NFL title game showed up on an auction house's Web site last month. The auction house's president will return the ring to Kramer on May 16 at Lambeau Field, said Jennifer Smith, Kramer's spokeswoman.

"We are giving him the ring back," confirmed Doug Allen, president of Mastro Auctions Inc., in the Chicago area.

Allen had pulled the ring from auction last month after Kramer contacted him. Allen declined to disclose the circumstances surrounding the ring's planned return. Allen has declined to identify the person who put up the ring for auction through Mastro, saying he was prevented by his contract from doing so.

But Smith identified the person as Steven Mitnick, a Frenchtown, N.J., attorney. When reached for comment Monday by The Associated Press, Mitnick said, "I'm not interested in commenting."

The ring disappeared when Kramer, who played for the Packers from 1958-68, was on a flight from Chicago to New York.

Smith said he took it off in the plane's bathroom and returned to his seat, where he realized he didn't have it. He went to retrieve it, but the ring was no longer there.

Kramer, who lives in Boise, Idaho, contacted Mastro Auctions on April 21 after getting a call from John Nitschke, the son of former teammate Ray Nitschke. Nitschke told him the ring was being offered on the auction house's Web site.

Kramer had a replica of the Super Bowl ring made after the original disappeared.

I'm happy for Jerry.

Man, that was one slimy eBay deal.

A ring stolen from an airplane toilet?

C'mon!

Lesson is the only sure way to not lose your ring is to never take it off.

There is going to be a special presentation at 10:30 this morning, at Lambeau. Maybe I'll stop by to check it out before I get to the office!

This is a great story! I am glad one of the Packer legends is getting a valuable momento back.

Oregonpackfan