The Jim Stillwagon Salesman Sample Ring Collection—Including Lots 617, 641 and 1129–1132
The following rings hail from the personal collection of former NCAA football star Jim Stillwagon, who transitioned from the gridiron to a successful career in the sports-awards industry. Stillwagon started out with the Jostens jewelry company and reigned as a top-5 salesman from 1978 to 1983. He later went independent—broadening his expertise to include a wide range of product lines—and founded Stillwagon Promotional Awards. Stillwagon’s ring manufacturer of choice during these post-Jostens years was J. Jenkins and Sons of Baltimore. In addition to these four rings, we are also offering a Buster Douglas Heavyweight Championship Ring and a Terry Bradshaw Super Bowl Ring elsewhere in this sale.

As for Stillwagon’s collegiate football legacy, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound defensive tackle was notoriously strong, aggressive and fierce. He grew up in Mt. Vernon, OH (60 miles northeast of the Horseshoe), where devotion to the Buckeyes is a foregone conclusion. Yet Stillwagon idolized Notre Dame and had his sights set on South Bend...until, that is, he met Woody Hayes. “He just liked me because I had a short haircut and went to military school and said, ‘Yes, sir,’” Jim later recalled. He received the very last scholarship in that greatest-ever recruiting class (which ultimately never lost a game at Ohio Stadium)—and may well have been its premier player. As one of the Super Sophs, he led the Buckeyes to an undefeated national championship in ‘68. Their powerhouse defense kept opponents to just 10 points per game in ‘69, and the team staked claim to another national title in ‘70 as the Wagon was named OSU’s MVP, plus received the supreme laurels of his position: The Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award. It was the Golden Age of the Woody Hayes era and the finest three-year run in Ohio State history. Drafted by the Packers (who wanted to turn him into a linebacker), Stillwagon chose to suit up instead for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, where he became a fan favorite and three-time All Star over five Argo seasons.