Winnipeg Blue Bombers unveil Grey Cup championship rings celebrating 2019 win

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers unveiled their 2019 Grey Cup championship rings on Thursday night.

Made by Canadian jeweller Baron Championship Rings, the diamond-studded two-toned ring celebrates Winnipeg's 33-12 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last November.

The distinctive Blue Bombers "W" made of diamonds and custom blue enamel sits atop the ring.

The outer edge of the face is lined with 11 sapphire stones representing the organization's total championship wins and is complemented by the title of "Grey Cup Champions."

One shoulder displays the player's name and number in diamonds over the IG Field background.

The opposite side features the Winnipeg skyline behind the Grey Cup and the Golden Boy, framed by the team name and year.

A personalized message unique to each player is engraved in the ring with the final score of the 107th Grey Cup etched above the phrase "For The W."

"One of the things we kept telling Wade [Miller, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers] was bigger. Bigger," said linebacker Adam Bighill, who was on the design committee that helped design the ring.

"He came through."

Bighill said there were about five or six meetings to discuss the ring, part of which included reviewing championship rings from the past decade and figuring out how the 2019 Bombers' ring could be different.

"We're all champions here in Manitoba and Winnipeg, so to be able to celebrate this entire province, and bringing a championship back for them is really what it's all about," said Bighill.

"The ring is special. You're able to remember this forever, with the people you did it with, but most importantly you can celebrate it with everybody else here who cares so much about it."

Wide receiver Nic Demski didn't know how much the ring weighs when asked by reporters Thursday evening, "but it's definitely bringing my hand down."

"I'm doing a workout just holding it up right now," Demski said.

Demski, a former University of Manitoba Bisons player, was full of smiles after his long wait to see the hardware. But receiving it was different than he imagined, he said.

"I wish my teammates were here to open it up with them, but obviously in times like this, you can't really control that type of stuff," he said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It was good that we had some teammates here. But [the missing teammates will] get their rings, and I'm sure we'll meet again and we'll talk about it then."

Sports are back in action now after being shut down for months due to the pandemic. But during the lull, TSN was playing archived CFL games from last season, which helped bring back a lot of fond memories for Demski and Bighill, they said.

"This past playoffs definitely hasn't left my head at all," said Demski. "It's going to be memories that last a lifetime."