1982 Players Association
(Game Worn)

The 1982 NFL strike lasted 57 days, from September 20th to November 16th.  The Collective Bargaining Agreement did not change the system but diminished the owners' slice of the profits.  It also assured that players would have access to up-to-date information when negotiating their salaries. The strike resulted in owners agreeing to an "improved" salary benefit package for the players over the 1983-1987 seasons.  But issues like free agency, pensions, severance pay remained in dispute.  We're all glad they resolved the big stuff  in 1982 so no other strikes were necessary....................

Three things stayed unchanged in the strike seasons of 1983 and 1987.   1) The players wanted more money  2) The owners wanted to keep more money  3) The Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl.

During this off time in 1982 the players formed their own quasi league,  NFLPA  The National Football League Players Association.    NFL striking players traveled around the country playing "official" games to raise money for the Union.  The pictures above show the helmet used by Minnesota Vikings, Hall of Fame Ron Yary in these "official" games.

Yary's  7 5/8" helmet was a Riddell model A.C.E.-1, impregnated blue with those "uuuhhmm" wonderful USFL Riddell cages.  The NFC wore blue helmets and the AFC wore white.  Each had red white and blue striping with a two part logo that was affixed on each side of the helmet.

There were just a few games played and very little money raised as a result.  Even NBC chose not to broadcast the NFLPA, but to satisfy their die-hard football fans, quickly switched gears to the Canadian Football League, the originators of the "Run and Shoot".  Ratings for these CFL games in 1982 did beat out repeat broadcasts of the Super Bowls and "Chico and The Man".