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Shattered Dreams: 9 Tales of Broken Trophies

Trent Richardson with the BCS trophy. © Tyler Kaufman/Icon SMI/Corbis

Carleton Tinker, the father of Alabama long snapper Carson Tinker, accidentally shattered the Crimson Tide’s 2012 BCS championship trophy last month. Tinker can take comfort in the fact that he wasn’t the first person to break the crystal football, which is one of nine other examples of accidentally damaged trophies.

1. Terrible First Impression

Florida recruit Orson Charles was touring the Gators’ football stadium in 2008 and accidentally knocked the 2006 BCS championship trophy – a Waterford crystal football – off its pedestal. “If you were outside the stadium, it was so loud, I think you would’ve heard it shatter,” Charles told the Tampa Tribune. “I just stood there with this baby look and said, ‘Sorry.’” Florida assistant coach John Hevesy jokingly told Charles that he had to commit to the Gators, but the highly touted tight end went to Georgia instead. Charles was a fourth-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in this year’s NFL Draft.

2. One Shining Moment, One Broken Trophy

In 1939, Oregon defeated Ohio State, 46-33, in the first NCAA men’s basketball championship, the culmination of an eight-team, single-elimination tournament. The trophy was delivered to the Webfoots’ locker room in two pieces after Oregon guard Bobby Arnet broke the trophy while trying to save a loose ball during the game.

3. Truman Fumbles the Independence Bowl Trophy

Hours before North Carolina and Missouri squared off in the 2011 Independence Bowl, Missouri’s mascot, Truman the Tiger, dropped the game trophy—a crystal bowl—during a photo opportunity. Missourian reporter Harry Plumer tweeted from the scene: “Asked Truman if he broke the trophy. He nodded. Asked him what happened. Threw his paws in the air, then covered his eyes to mimic sobbing.” The Tigers won the game and hoisted a replacement bowl.

4. The Wheels on the Bus Crush the Copa del Rey Trophy

Sergio Ramos doesn’t have a whole lot of experience using his hands and it showed when the defender dropped the 33-pound Copa del Rey trophy under the wheels of a moving bus after Real Madrid defeated Barcelona in 2011. Emergency services gathered the broken pieces.

5. Kelly Bates, Canadian Trophy Buster

B.C. Lions offensive guard Kelly Bates was a little too excited after his team defeated the Montreal Alouettes in the 2006 Canadian Football League Grey Cup. “I can’t believe it,” Bates said. “I did the same thing when I was at the University of Saskatchewan. I’m not a strong man, but I grabbed the Cup, gave it a shake, and it just broke.” According to SLAM!, a Canadian sports website, the Lions were the second Vancouver-based team to break a championship trophy. In 1979, the Vancouver Whitecaps of the North American Soccer League broke the trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies for the league title.

6. Rockets Rough Up Knicks, Larry O’Brien Trophy

The Houston Rockets handled the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in much the same way they handled the New York Knicks in the seven-game, rough-and-tumble 1994 NBA Finals. “We broke that son of a gun,” Houston forward Matt Bullard said. “We were handing it around, and the ball just came off.”

7. Yankees Damage World Series Trophy

The 1996 World Series marked the Yankees’ first championship since 1978, so the team can be forgiven for snapping the flag representing the Cleveland Indians off the trophy during the postgame celebration. The Yankees have had a little more experience handling championship hardware since then.

8. Eddie George’s Heisman Loses a Finger

Eddie George was at La Guardia Airport, preparing to return to Columbus after being awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1995. Security officials insisted that George put his new hardware through the X-Ray machine. It emerged on the other side with a bent middle finger and missing the tip of its right index finger. “I’m kind of mad about it, but it doesn’t matter as long as I’ve got it,” George told reporters with a grin. Airport officials promised to pay for the repairs.

9. The Stanley Cup Goes For a Dip

USA TODAY hockey writer Kevin Allen wrote a book about all the crazy adventures of hockey’s iconic trophy. In “Why Is The Stanley Cup in Mario Lemieux’s Swimming Pool?” Allen recounts the story of Phil Bourque throwing the Cup from the top of an ornamental waterfall into Lemieux’s pool in 1991. It took several players to retrieve the Cup, which was reportedly lopsided after being removed from the water.

Man live-tweets 12-hour Proposal!

A man recently took his girlfriend on a series of eight dates over the course of twelve hours. At the end of this romantic journey, he proposed to her and she said “yes.” Why is this unbelievable ‘Ripley-worthy’ news? Because the fella live-tweeted the whole thing.

The man — whose name is Mike Duerksen — kicked things off on Friday, by explaining his plan through a series of tweets.

“The plan is simple: [O]ver the next 12 hours I’ll be taking her on 8 different dates to 8 different places,” he began. ”Each location has a story and special meaning behind it — some of them sentimental; others are inside jokes.” On each date, he would give his girlfriend a card containing ”a picture, a memory and a wish for the future.”

And then on the final date, by a bonfire in the same place where he first asked her out, Duerksen would propose to his girlfriend.

Duerksen met his wife-to-be — whom he only references as J — at a conference in Paraguay, about three years ago. Out of over 6,400 attendees, she was the one who caught his eye. He concocted a plan to sit beside her at a session and then “stalked her for the rest of the conference.” Nothing really happened beyond that though, and at the end of the event J simply went back to her home in Pennsylvania and Duerksen went to his, in Winnipeg.

“This is where the story gets good,” writes Duerksen:

While that meeting and the romance which ensued was pretty darn cinematic, the live-tweeted proposal didn’t go off without a hitch.

At one point J — who, according to her husband-to-be, isn’t a Twitter user — insisted that Duerksen get off his phone so that he could focus on their time together. (He somehow managed to keep live-tweeting anyway.) It also rained, nearly putting a stop to a nice stroll along a river, but Duerksen came prepared with a “huge” umbrella.

Many (many!) tweets later, both from Duerksen and Twitter users closely following along, it was time for the big moment — but there was another problem: The weather wouldn’t allow for a bonfire where Duerksen originally planned for the final date to end.

Thankfully he had an alternate plan:

And as you already know, J said “yes” to the proposal that followed — even though her husband-to-be spent half the day glued to his phone.

Congrats to Mike & “J” from all of us at Ripley’s Niagara.

“Believe It or Not!” Robert Ripley Is Nominated for the Sideshow Hall of Fame

The legendary Robert Ripley, among the first to bring the strange and unusual to the masses with his odditoriums and his cartoon panel “Believe It or Not!,” has been nominated for Coney Island’s prestigious Sideshow Hall of Fame.

Voting will take place on Friday, April 13, during the first night of the 10-day Congress of Curious Peoples, sponsored by Coney Island USA.

“It is due time Rip makes it into the hall of fame, after narrowly missing it the last two years,” said Tim O’Brien, VP Communications for Ripley Entertainment Inc. “We are going all out this year and plan to pull all the punches we can to make sure he gets elected.”

Ripley, who lived and worked in New York City from the time he was 23, created his first Believe It or Not! cartoon for the New York Globe in 1918, published his first Believe It or Not! book in 1929, opened the city’s first Believe It or Not! museum in 1939 and operated the Odditorium at the New York World’s Fair in 1940.

He also starred in his own radio show and later his own television show – being a pioneer in both mediums – all while living in New York.

The opening night event, being sponsored by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! will feature a show by the Lizardman, a popular entertainer at Ripley’s odditoriums worldwide. His show will be followed by nominating speeches and then the official vote.

Ripley’s is taking no chances this year and is having its own voting process, beginning on April 1 on the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Facebook pages. For 13 days, fans can vote for Ripley and at the same time become eligible for Believe It or Not! prize packages. Voting results will then be presented to the judges on April 13 in an attempt to persuade them of Ripley’s popularity.

Happy April Fool’s Day

We know April Fools’ Day is about pranking your friends with the most embarrassing and elaborate stunts – and being able to get away with it – but what really is April Fools’ Day?

April Fools’ Day is celebrated in different countries on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools’ Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other.

Ripley’s ‘Trashy Fashion Show’ Winners Announced!

Ripley’s “Trashy Fashion Show” on Saturday, March 24,  produced three winners and three new exhibits that will go on display at Ripley’s museum in St Augustine, Florida.  Teen and “tween” designers swept the competition, winning all three categories.

Masha Sardari in a paint brush paper bag dress.

Kennedy Trugter in her newspaper dress.

Analise Barnard and co-designer Amani Grant won first prize in the twelve and under division for their dress entitled “High Energy.”  The party dress and headband were created entirely from coffee filters.  The over-the-shoulder mini dress model entered the catwalk partially concealing  the gown with a cape made of trash bags.  The cape was shed and the amazing dress revealed.  The two won $100 for their efforts and Ripley’s paid them another $100 to acquire the dress.

Kennedy Trugter, age 15, won the student prize of $100 for her party dress made entirely out of newspaper.  The sleeveless top was adorned with newspaper flowers and ruffles, while the skirt was triple-tiered with hundreds of pleated paper sections.  Ripley’s also acquired this dress for an additional $100.

Analise Barnard in a dress made from coffee filters.

The 17 and up category was won by Masha Sardari, who had two entries.  The first was a formal, knee length gown made from used paint brushes and paper bags.  Her second entry was a cocktail dress made from a used shower curtain.  Ultimately, it was her first gown that took the prize.  She too won $100 and Ripley’s acquired the dress for display for another $100.

Other entries included dresses made from magazines, bottle caps, grocery bags, paper cups, snack wrappers, trading cards and magazines.

In the art competition, Evan Rachelle won the youth division for his artwork entitled “A Bucket of Crayola” which was created from old, melted crayons on canvas.  The sculpture “Full of It” won best overall and was the creation of Stephanie Seivert and Abby Solaun, both 16.  “Full of It” was a life sized sculpture of a man created from packing tape, magazines and cardboard.

Believe It or Not! ….. Did you know

In 1846, the Daily News became London’s newest newspaper. Its editor-in-chief was none other than author Charles Dickens. #BION

Follow Ripley’s Niagara on Twitter for more unbelievable facts!!

It’s March Break Folks!!

“Ripley’s Dog” Welded Sculpture

Believe It or Not!

Check out these impressive welded sculptures by Portland-based artist Brian Mock– this one titled “Ripley’s Dog”. Made entirely out of found/discarded objects to give them a new life. Check out his site for more incredible pieces.d

LeBron James to promote Pork Doughnuts?? ….It’s True, Believe It or Not!

International food chain Dunkin’ Donuts has recently announced a multi-year advertising agreement with NBA star LeBron James to endorse its products in China. In addition to the sweet glazed treats, Believe It Or Not!, the company will also introduce savory shredded pork donuts to cater to local tastes. Nigel Travis, CEO at Dunkin’ Brands Group, explained that:

Donuts are a very flexible product. You can do savory donuts, you can do donuts with shredded pork – that’s in China. We also have a range of other savory products that we have been testing and introducing country by country.

Currently, Dunkin’ Donuts has over 150 stores in China and plans to open another 100 stores in the next two to three years. Both LeBron James and pork-flavored dough treats seem to be highly popular among the general population in China, and could be a winning combination for Dunkin’ Donuts.

Down the Hatch- Without A Scratch! Ripley

Pictures from World’s Sword Swallowers Day with Vanessa Neil at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Niagara Falls Odditorium…. Believe It or Not! Vanessa is Canada’s ONLY Female Sword Swallower! (Plz don’t try this at home kids!!)