"News/Reflections"
HELMET HUT NEWS/REFLECTIONS November 2009:
By Dr. Ken
Marking myself as an old-fogy and perhaps too conservative for the times, I would once again call for a bit of simplicity in the design of football helmets specifically, and uniforms in general. The NFL’s use of what they are terming “Legacy” uniforms, especially some of the original American Football League team uniforms being worn in honor of the AFL’s 50th Anniversary, are a step in the correct direction. I will be the first to point out that there are numerous flaws in many of the uniforms; striping that is too wide, colors that are a shade “off” of the original, shoulder stripes that today’s manufacturers refuse to bring all the way around the joint and under the armpit and yes, I could go on for a paragraph or two. However, almost all of these uniforms, even with the imperfections, even with serious errors, are better than the majority of the modern NFL uniforms. The maligned Denver Broncos uniform of 1960-’61 is an improvement over the current Broncos uniform with its piping, swirls, and distracting additions. Needless to say, the modern players seem compelled to “disrespect” the unique vertically striped socks by twisting them so that they appear on some to be diagonally striped. Even what appears to be a jersey that is a shade too yellow and lacking in the original “mustard brown” hue is set off beautifully by the simple brown helmet with white center stripe and identifying numerals on the sides.
Simplicity has a place in today’s sports environment. Looking at college helmets of the past HELMET HUT has presented a number of simple designs that immediately let the observer know which university the specific player is representing. The Iowa helmet from the 1977 and 1978 seasons [http://www.helmethut.com/College/Iowa/IAXXUI7778.html ] is simply stated and clear, with no mistakes regarding the identification of the team.
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I
recall
the
President
of
Division
1 AA
Hofstra
University
on
Long
Island
stating
that
he
wanted
the
helmet,
jersey,
pants,
and
any
other
visible
football
related
attire
to
be
emblazoned
with
the
school
name.
A
former
Hofstra
player,
President
James
Shuart
shepherded
the
growth
of
what
had
been
a
small
commuter
college
into
a
highly
respected,
nationally
known
academic
bastion
of
excellence,
complete
with
law
school
and
the
building
of a
new
medical
school.
He
believed
that
football
was
an
economical
and
obvious
way
to
spread
the
name
of
the
school
he
loved
and
the
uniforms
of
the
late
1970’s
through
his
reign
into
the
early
2000’s
demonstrated
this
philosophy.
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There have of
course, been attempts, to “keep it simple” while trying to
definitively identify the university’s team that perhaps became a
bit complicated. Hawaii had an exciting football tradition for
decades before those on the mainland discovered the Rainbow
Warriors. With transfer rules rather lax and players able to
withdraw from large schools and immediately play at Hawaii until the
more standardized NCAA rules put into effect in the 1970’s, the
junior college and major conference schools were certainly aware of
the type of ball played there. The helmets for a number of years,
were a simple gold but one would not have identified the headgear
with the proud Warrior squads. They switched to white but when using
what was felt to be a definitive identifying decal, the 1974 team
had something recognizable, but not particularly simple.
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There’s a warrior, there’s a rainbow, and there’s an “H” so yes, one might immediately point and say, “Hawaii!” but a simple design it is not.
If one takes the time to peruse the HELMET HUT COLLEGE section, they will view a number of simply stated, beautiful designs, some as simple as Penn State, some with a more identifying theme like Iowa, but all associated with the wonderful teams and great play of their favorite schools and specific teams.
