Question for you. When Riddell manufactured the All American helmet , was the shell used actually a Riddell shell such as the PAC 3 ? The reason I'm asking is that the All American helmet I bought on Ebay was actually All American inner padding ( sized for a large helmet and marked "rejected" on several areas ) , stuffed into a medium size Riddell shell. Please set me straight.

Thanks, Paul

Dear Paul:

The Riddell All American helmet used a shell made by Riddell. The "Riddell"  trademark is stamped on the inside rear lip of the shell near the center ridge. The Riddell molded shell has remained virtually unchanged since 1969. The basic 1969 shell has been modified through the years by changing only drill hole locations and padding attachment devices (rivets, plastic pegs or Velcro) to accommodate the evolution of their model changes. The shell for the late 1980s "All American" model is virtually the same as the shell for the early 1970s "PAC 3" model except that the "All American" model shell, which used Velcro to attach all the interior padding, is devoid of the drill holes that had to be made to the "PAC 3" model shell to hold its plastic pegs in place. It sounds like you have padding for a size large "All American" model helmet and a size medium shell that was originally made for a Riddell model other than the "All  American" model. For more about the "All American" model see last months questions and answers article.

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Hello -

I am a huge football fan, and have always been intrigued by the different types of helmets. You have left out a certain face mask that was used by the Lions, and packers -- similar to the type that Gary Danielson wore and the mask of Eric Hipple - definitely different styles, but the same manufacturer. Do you know the name of that company? Whatever happened to the Dunbar masks??? I remember the Chiefs having many players that wore them (Gary Spani, etc....) Also, I was wondering if MaxPro, Rawlings, Wilson, Kelly still make helmets? Also, are any of your helmets for sale? Whatever happened to all the helmets from the USFL, WFL? What a great site! Look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Jim

Dear Jim.

The mask that you are asking about that was worn by Eric Hipple and Gary Danielson (you must be a Lions fan) was manufactured by Riddell. Did you know that this type of mask was also worn by Cris Collingsworth (Bengals), Ken Stabler (Oilers -- but not while a Raider) and John Jefferson (Chargers / Packers). The full cage version of this mask was worn by Lester Hayes (Raiders). As a result of your question I will see that it gets added it to the mask section of the Helmet Hut web site. I think you meant to ask about "Dungard" rather than "Dunbar" masks. They went out of business in the mid 1980s due to problems associated with the dramatic increase in product liability insurance. Max Pro, Rawlings, Wilson and Kelly no longer make football helmets primarily due to the same season. Many game worn helmets from the WFL and USFL have resurfaced and can be found on Ebay and other sports memorabilia auctions such as "American Memorabilia," "Leylands," "Bricol" and "Mastro." Occasionally these helmets are advertised for sale in the weekly publication "Sports Collectors Digest." According to my wife all of my helmets are for sale!

Dear Doc-

For the first year if inter league play, the Denver Broncos' unveiled a new uniform style in 1967 which included a royal blue helmet (replacing the orange colored helmet shell used from 1962-'66). In our research, every photo of the Broncos from 1967 appears to be without the "D" logo (which seems to have come into use in 1968 and used thereafter until 1996). In conversations with Broncos' former equipment manager Larry Elliot, he swears that Denver never wore a helmet without a logo during his tenure (1966-'83). It would also appear that the helmets striping pattern was reversed with the 1967 helmet having a white center  stripe bordered by orange on either side. From 1968 to '96 the pattern is reversed with an orange center bordered by white. If this is the case, the Broncos' may be the last of the modern-era pro teams to have a uniform without a helmet logo (excluding the exempted Browns). Can you provide any insight to this debate?

Best Regards-

Patrick W. Scoggin,

Dear Patrick:

Bet the farm with the doubting old Bronco equipment manager because you are 100% correct -- the 1967 Bronco helmet did not have logos. Your observation regarding the 1967 helmet striping is also accurate -- a middle white stripe flanked by orange stripes. Per your invite I visited your interesting web site. Allow me to add the following additional information regarding Bronco helmet design history: The 1962 through 1965 helmets were orange with a white center stripe as correctly reflected on your web site. However the 1964 and 1965 helmets also had blue striping next to each side of the center stripe. The additional blue stripes did not show up very well in black and white photos but if you look carefully you will see them (For unknown reasons a select few of the helmets carried forward from the 1963 season were not updated with the additional blue stripes but were still used in the 1964 season along with the updated style) Your web site correctly states that the 1966 helmet striping was changed to reflect a blue center stripe with white striping next to both sides of the center stripe. In addition the white silhouette horse logo was also changed to include both a thin blue outline and some muscle definition within the logo near the hind leg.