Oops! Looking at other trophy mishaps following JD Vance’s fumble

Vice President JD Vance got to celebrate his alma mater’s most recent college football title at the White House on Monday, but it came with him being on the wrong side of a viral moment.

While remarks were being made during Ohio State’s trip to the White House, Vance tried to lift the College Football Playoff championship trophy. However, the award was dismantled as he lifted it, with star running back TreVeyon Henderson needing to swoop in to fix the situation. 

Vance laughed off the moment on social media a little bit later, joking that he “didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy.” 

Monday’s mishap was far from the first time that someone has messed up a trophy during a celebration, though. So, let’s take a look at some of the more unfortunate moments people have had with trophies over the years. 

Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey trophy gets run over

After winning its first Copa Del Rey title in 18 years, Real Madrid got a little too excited during its championship parade. As a double-decker bus moved down a street in Madrid, legendary center back Sergio Ramos scored the celebration equivalent of an own goal. He dropped the trophy, which fell in front of the bus. As the driver didn’t have any time to react, the trophy got run over by the bus. The trophy wound up getting dented. 

Maria Sharapova nearly injures herself with US Open trophy

Sharapova couldn’t contain her excitement when she defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in the women’s singles final at the 2006 US Open. During the trophy celebration, Sharapova instantly began to jump up and down, which caused the lid of the trophy to fall off and nearly hit her head. 

Wisconsin smashes Mayo Bowl trophy

Graham Mertz’s most memorable moment during his time as Wisconsin’s quarterback arguably came off the field. After leading Wisconsin to a 42-28 win in the 2020 Mayo Bowl, Mertz and his Badgers teammates each danced with the trophy in the locker room. Once Mertz got it, the glass football slipped from its placeholder and shattered all over the floor.

Now, head coaches get doused in mayo after winning the Mayo Bowl, a likely safer celebration. 

Maple Leafs burn Lord Stanley

When you have a trophy that has existed for over 100 years, it’s bound to have gone through some bumps and bruises over the years. The closest call the Stanley Cup came to getting completely destroyed came in 1962, when the Maple Leafs dropped the trophy in a bonfire and severely damaged it.

The team expensed the repairs for the trophy. Two years later, when the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup again, Red Kelly’s infant son accidentally urinated in the trophy as the two posed for a picture. 

Nicolas Aube-Kubel trips with the Stanley Cup in hand

The most recent mishap with the Stanley Cup came in 2022. After members of the Colorado Avalanche took their trip around the ice with the trophy following their victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Aube-Kubel skated with the trophy in hand as he went to go join his team for a picture, but he tripped and fell. While he luckily had the Stanley Cup to help break his fall, a dent was put in the trophy that caused it to be repaired shortly after. 

Florida and Alabama each see a BCS trophy get smashed

Prior to the advent of the College Football Playoff, college football teams vied for the BCS crystal football. 

But as cool as a crystal football might look, it’s relatively easy to destroy. Both Florida and Alabama learned that the hard way. While visiting Florida on a recruiting trip in 2008, ex-NFL player Orson Charles went to pose with the trophy the team won for its title in 2006. As Charles did that, he accidentally knocked the trophy over, causing it to smash.

Four years later, Alabama’s 2011 BCS championship trophy suffered a similar fate. Long snapper Carlson Tinker’s father, Carleton, got to lift the trophy during Alabama’s spring game in 2012. After he placed the trophy back down, though, Tinker heard a smash, with it shattering all over the floor. 

“I’m not really sure how the thing fell off,” Tinker told ESPN shortly after the incident.

Tinker offered to repay for the damages by working at the school on weekends, but the program got a replacement trophy instead. 

Rob Gronkowski puts a dent in the Lombardi Trophy

Gronkowski left his mark with the New England Patriots — literally. After winning his third Super Bowl title with the team in 2018, Gronkowski announced his first retirement in March 2019. A few weeks later, he had one last celebration with his Patriots teammates when they threw out the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game.

But before the Patriots took the field at Fenway Park that day, they had some fun throwing a baseball around. Gronkowski went to take a pitch with the Lombardi Trophy in his hand. He didn’t swing, but he bunted instead, making strong enough contact with the ball that it caused a dent in the Lombardi Trophy. 

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