ASU

1975 ASU
(Authentic Reproduction)
 

Another change in helmet design again brought an undefeated season, as it did in 1970. That 1970 team kicked off a number of extraordinarily good seasons with the Sun Devils going 11-1 in '71, 10-2 in '72, and 11-1 again in 1973. Three wins in the new Fiesta Bowl game followed each season but in 1974, Frank Kush finally faced a rebuilding year. The young players that took ASU to a 7-4 record, returned with valuable experience for 1975. The key to success for this team, more than experience, was a burning desire to win and the pace was set by their most talented athletes. WR John Jefferson, DB Mike Haynes, and high school Sports Illustrated coverman/coverboy and surprise starter at QB Bruce Hardy worked harder than anyone else and literally pulled everyone up a notch. "The Crunch Bunch" defense got enough publicity to feel wanted and as they tore through their schedule, USC coach John McKay spoke for many when he said, "I want Arizona State and Arizona in the Pac-8!" With the Sun Devils anxious to play on a bigger stage than the WAC, this team truly set the stage for an upgrade in ASU athletic fortunes. In the final regular season game, what is known as "The Catch" in Arizona had a laid out John Jefferson catching the ball on his fingertips no more than an inch off of the south end zone turf to fuel a come from behind win over rival Arizona. This then led to the biggest victory to date in Sun Devil history as an aroused and determined ASU team defeated fifth ranked Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl 17-14 on three clutch field goals by the coach's son Danny Kush. The Sun Devils had again changed helmets and again they had gone undefeated as they had in 1970. The rewards were huge too as ASU received a number two national ranking and Kush was named the American Football Coaches Association Coach Of The Year. Their great looking headgear featured their standard gold shell with maroon center stripe and a very unique maroon-outlined gold sun design with a maroon ASU within its body. This distinctive logo would get a slight re-working for 1976 with a flip in the sunshine logo which now featured a maroon bodied sun with yellow/gold ASU in the design of the body. Unfortunately, an upgraded schedule that included two Pac-8 teams including Rose Bowl champion UCLA brought a dip to a 4-7 slate, Kush's only losing season.

If interested in any of these ASU helmets please click on the photos below.