Winning a Heisman Trophy is difficult. Plus, they're hard to carry around.
But a Heisman Trophy winner's ring is both portable and accessible — if you're willing to write a check for $23,900.
That was the winning bid for former Notre Dame great Tim Brown's 1987 Heisman ring on Thursday night, although it was auctioned against the original owner's wishes.
Brown, who played high school football at Dallas' Woodrow Wilson High, told dallasnews.com he would take the auction house to court to prevent the ring from going up for bid.
"That was not the avenue this thing was supposed to go and shouldn't have gone," Brown said. "But this is just one of these crazy things, and hopefully we'll be able to get it resolved without going to court."
Brown didn't say how the ring ended up in someone else's possession, but he was unsuccessful in getting the auction halted.
Heisman rings rarely come up for auction. Last year, Rashaan Salaam's 1994 Heisman ring sold at auction for $8,140 plus a buyer's premium for a total of $10,835.
Brown's ring had an opening bid of $5,000 and quickly reached $16,000 by the time live bidding began at 7 p.m. CT. The final price included a 19.5 percent buyer's premium.
Brown's ring was made more attractive because of the Notre Dame connection and his lengthy NFL career with the Raiders.
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
