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First Football Helmet Ever Made
The origin of the football helmet dates more than a hundred years ago back to the Army Navy game in 1893. Admiral Joseph Mason Reeves had the first helmet made for him by an Annapolis shoe maker. -
George Barclay Creates Football Helmet Model
Throughout 1896 George Barclay was working on his model of the football helmet after he feared he would get seriously injured while playing football. His model contained leather straps which were one of the first makings of the chin strap to hold the helmet on the head throughout physical play. -
ZH Helmet Created
The ZH helmet was one of the most innovative leather helmets created because of its suspension, ventilation, and communication ideas. -
First Facemask on a Helmet
Vern McMillan created first modern face mask in 1935.
McMillan had claimed that goals of his invention were to create a mask that could be affixed to the helmet. He created a mask that would not hinder the vision of players, protect their noses, and transfer impact to the outer shell of the helmet. Rubber covered wire mask had been the original material of mask. -
First Plastic Helmet
After decades of players wearing the same styled leather helmet, employees at the John T. Riddell Company in Chicago invented a new helmet made out of plastic. This new material was stronger, durable, and lighter than previous models. -
First Logo on a Helmet
The creation of the first logo on a football helmet took place in 1948 by Fred Gehrke, a player for the Los Angeles Rams. Gehrke created the logo in his free time and presented it to team owner, Dan Reeves, who approved it. -
First Radio in Football Helmet
To reduce substitutions during game play, John Campbell and George Sarles came up with the idea of putting a radio transmitter in the back of a quarterback's helmet to transfer in plays instead of switching out receivers. -
Double Bar Face Masks
In 1960 the double bar face mask was introduced to give players more protection on the face. -
Shock Absorption
In January 1963 Riddell put the first aero-cells in helmets. These pockets act as a powerful shock absorber. -
First Polycarbonate Helmet
The poly-carbonate helmet was introduced in 1986. Poly-carbonate is lighter than typical plastic and far more durable due to the means of manufacturing. Brought into NFL as a means to prevent greater injuries and significantly reduce concussions. -
Face Mask Grill
In 1990, the face mask grill was introduced which is a larger face mask then just the normal 2 bar face mask at this time. Also face mask were required to be transparent by the NFL. -
Riddell Revolution
In 2002 Riddell created the “Revolution,” the first major development in the field in 25 years. This product made several advancements in player safety on all levels, through a very heavily researched new design. The new helmet is meant to ensure increased safety as well as comfort for football players on all levels of play. Immediately following its introduction key athletes promoted the product by wearing it, such as Peyton Manning and Brady Quinn. -
Schutt Ion 4D
The Schutt Ion 4D has been the most popular football helmet in the world since its inception. Many professional players such as Brandon Jacobs wear it and a number of schools including Penn State have a large number of athletes using them as well. This helmet is revolutionary in many different ways. It is designed focusing on maximum safety, but still being able to look stylish. The padding made of Thermoplastic Urethane keeps air circulating to keep the temperature cool. -
Riddell Speedflex
The state-of-the-art design includes The Flex System, with selective flexibility engineered into the helmet’s shell, face mask and face mask attachment system with hinge clips to help reduce impact force transfer to the athlete. Almost every component in the SpeedFlex – from the shell to the face mask to the Smart Helmet compatibility is next-generation. -
Schutt F7 VTD
The F7 VTD is the first helmet to feature movable tectonic plates on the outside of the helmet, helping to manage rotational energy and reduce impact.
