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Tyrone Crystal Produces Soccer Awards Trophy
 For over 120 years in the town of Dungannon, in the County
of Tyrone, Ireland, the Tyrone Crystal Company has created one of the few fully
handcrafted lead crystals available today. Tyrone Irish Crystal is recognized as
the finest crystal made in Ireland. Each dazzling piece is entirely made by
hand, from the mixing of raw materials for the crystal, through the
mouth-blowing process, to hand-cutting, hand-polishing and finally packaging.
The Tyrone Crystal factory began in 1771 and operated until
1870 when all crystal manufacturing in Ireland ceased. In 1970 it was reopened
through the efforts of Father Austin Eustace. Father Eustace initiated the
reopening of the crystal factory because of his distress over the high rate of
unemployment and poverty in the town. The world-renowned Gurt Elsner, member of
the famous glass blowing Elsner family in Germany, was hired to teach young
Irish lads the art of glass blowing. It is from these humble beginnings that
Tyrone Crystal now operates a 100,000-square-foot, fully modernized factory.
 It was Gurt Elsner, who has been designing works of art for
Tyrone Crystal for approximately 20 years, with the assistance of the factory's
master cutter, Bobby Faye, who created the beautiful Missouri Athletic Club's
Hermann Trophy.
The Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy is an exact replica of a regulation number
five soccer ball and weighs 10 pounds. It is the first soccer ball trophy to be
produced by Tyrone Crystal, adding to its aesthetic and monetary value. Tyrone
Crystal is honored to have the opportunity to create this award for such an
outstanding accomplishment by this year's best college soccer players.
Tyrone Crystal trophies have been presented for achievements
in politics, humanitarianism and sports.
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