Michigan

Don Moorhead 1970
(game worn)
 

Hail to the victors valiant and hail to Don Moorhead's 1970 University of Michigan gamer. In his junior year Don was coach Bo Schembechler's first Rose Bowl quarterback and he was Michigan's team co-captain and All Big Ten in his senior year. After graduation Don had a brief pro career in the Canadian Football League with British Columbia which had to be quite an adjustment for him after regularly playing in front of more than 100,000 spectators for three years on Saturdays in Ann Arbor. Recognized for his leadership and pure football abilities, including running and passing, Don now teaches young people those skills as a teacher and administrator in the Michigan public high school system.

The famous Michigan helmet design did not originate from a commissioned artists drawing as most other helmet logos did. The leather helmets used by Michigan (and many other teams) in the pre plastic shell era were constructed by stitching together various pieces of standardized pre cut leather material including a front piece shaped like a wing or crown and other pieces shaped like piping that went from the front to the rear of the helmet. Michigan simply had the crown and piping portion dyed yellow and the remainder of the helmet construction dyed blue which resulted in their unique and long standing design. Don Moorhead's 1970 Michigan helmet started out as a Riddell "TK-2" impregnated sunflower gold colored shell. The exterior of the shell was painted with a maze or lighter shade of yellow. After the paint dried a pattern in the shape of the Michigan crown (or wing) and striping was applied. The helmet exterior was then painted navy and after it was dry the pattern material was removed to reveal the imbedded Michigan design. Don's helmet was further customized to include the "Aero Cell" padding option as he was a running quarterback and Schembechler's weekday practices were famous for their brutal contact. In fact many pro scouts refrained from drafting Michigan backs because of all the wear and tear they had accumulated from Bo's numerous full scrimmage practice sessions. The rear of Don's helmet is flush with achievement awards and a dymo tape that reads "27 G" which reflected his number and game (rather than practice) helmet.