New National Championship Trophy Unveiled in Texas

Starting this season, there will be a new way to crown a champion in college football —and a new trophy to go with it. The National Championship Trophy that will go to the winner of the first-ever College Football Playoff was unveiled at a press event in Irving, Texas, on Monday.

“We are confident that it will become an icon of college football,” said Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff, at the trophy unveiling.

The trophy is actually two pieces. The top is a 26.5-inch trophy with a football shape at the top. It fits into a 1-foot-high base. This is really cool because the trophy can be pulled out and held up over the winner’s head. The trophy is made of 24 karat gold, bronze and stainless steel. Where the trophy fits into the base also is in the shape of a football, which also is pretty neat.

I got an up close look at the trophy at the end of the press event:



The trophy will be awarded for the first time on Jan. 12, 2015, at AT&T Stadium, where the first-ever title game will be held.

“It is contemporary, bold and modern,” added Michael Gericke, a partner with Pentagram, the company that designed the trophy.

After the trophy made its debut, I chatted with Gericke about how his team came up with the design for the new trophy:



You can learn more about the new National Championship Trophy and the playoff system at collegefootballplayoff.com.