{
  "id": 10002515,
  "title": "“He Deserved It”: Steelers Surprise 4× Super Bowl Champion With Ring He Missed 48 Years Ago",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/he-deserved-it-steelers-surprise-4-super-bowl-champion-with-ring-he",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T15:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/deserved-steelers-surprise-4-super-150007015.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pittsburgh Steelers honored defensive player J.T. Thomas with a Super Bowl XIII championship ring on Friday night, fulfilling a 48-year-old desire of his. Thomas missed the entire 1978 season due to sarcoidosis, including the Super Bowl win that year. The Steelers presented the ring during a Hall of Honor dinner at Acrisure Stadium, presented by team president Art Rooney II. Thomas, who played nine seasons with the Steelers and participated in three Super Bowls, had already been selected for the Steelers Hall of Honor Class of 2026. While the ring does not change the fact that Thomas did not play in Super Bowl XIII, it gives him the same championship jewelry as his teammates who won the title while he was recovering from his illness. Thomas returned in 1979 and helped Pittsburgh win another Super Bowl, adding another championship to his record.",
  "summary": "The Pittsburgh Steelers gave one of their top defensive players from the 1970s a missing piece of his championship history Friday night. J.T. Thomas missed the entire 1978 season because of an illness, including the Super Bowl that Pittsburgh won that year. Thomas had already been selected for the Steelers Hall of Honor Class of […] The post “He Deserved It”: Steelers Surprise 4× Super Bowl…",
  "key_points": [
    "Steelers honor J.T. Thomas with Super Bowl XIII ring after 48-year wait",
    "Thomas missed 1978 season due to sarcoidosis, including championship game",
    "Ring given during Hall of Honor dinner, matching teammates' championship jewelry"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}