Published: July 20, 2007 07:47 pm         

NEW: Super Bowl ring stolen from Colts assistant coach

INDIAN LAND, S.C. — Pete Metzelaars came so close to getting a Super Bowl ring so many times as a player, but it was as an assistant coach for the Indianapolis Colts that he finally got the long-sought hardware.

Now, that ring, won this year with the Colts, and four AFC championship rings he won as a player with Buffalo are gone along with some of his wife’s jewelry, Lancaster County authorities say.

Someone broke into Metzelaars’ home on Wednesday, disconnected power and phone lines and stole the rings, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tom Holland said.

“We’re asking anyone with information to please give us a call,” Holland said. “They’ve got his name on it so you can’t really wear them out anywhere.”

Metzelaars is the Colts’ offensive quality control coach and has been with the team since 2004.

The 47-year-old Michigan native played 16 years in the NFL for Buffalo, Carolina and Detroit. He was a member of the Panthers’ inaugural team in 1995. His best season came in 1993 when he caught 68 passes for 609 yards and four touchdowns before the Bills lost to Dallas in the Super Bowl.