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The Army-Navy Game of 1893
In 1893, Joseph Reeves, went to the doctor for head injuries. The doctor said that he was hit in the head so many times that a hard enough hit could lead to "instant insanity". Reeves went to a local shoemaker and had him mold a leather "Helmet" with ear flaps. The football "Helmet" was born. -
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The First Helmets
In the Early 1900's, it was optional to wear the leather helmets. Many people preferred to play without them, due to the heat and difficulty to hear. In the late 1910's they fixed the problems with new a design. The design had air holes for ventilation, ear holes for better sound, and straps of fabric lining to absorb hits better. -
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The "Leatherheads"
The soft leather material was replaced with harden leather, slightly increasing the absorption of head blows. The helmets inspired the popular image of "old-timey" football and the name "Leatherheads". -
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The First Plastic Helmet
In 1939, John T. Riddel introduced the first plastic helmet. In the following years a chinstrap was added to the helmet and a new comfortable suspension lining was added. But George Patton, a General in the army, contracted Riddel and licensed the technology. The new helmets were utilized by soldiers in WWII. During WWII plastic became scarce, and the manufacturing became difficult. The use of Helmets became mandatory in 1943. -
The First Design
In 1948 a art major, as well as LA Rams halfback, Fred Gehrke, had an idea to paint a design on it. He made the first designed helmet in the NFL, which was two golden horns painted down the sides. -
The Face Bar
In 1955, Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham, took a hard hit to the face, requiring fifteen stitches to the chin. During Halftime of the game, Otto was given a thin plastic bar attached to his helmet. But the material was brittle and often shattered. Coach Paul Brown went to Riddel at the end of the season to ask for a plastic bar that was thin as a finger and strong enough to withstand a hit. Riddel made the mask and all Browns players were required to wear them. Soon others would follow. -
The Radio in the Helmet
During the beginning of the1956 season, two engineers offered the Coach of the Browns a radio transmitter that allowed the coach to talk into the helmet. It was used to speed up plays and change substitutions. Cleveland, and other teams, were eventually banned from using the transmitters. -
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The New Era of Helmet designs
Throughout the 60's and 70's more bars were added to face masks, more padding was added for extra protection, and new colorful designs were put on helmets. -
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The first of the Modern Helmets
All throughout the 80's all the football Helmets had become a high tech piece of engineering. -
The Radio in the Helmet is Back
In 1995 the radio transmitters were allowed back into the game. Almost 40 years after the first concept. -
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The Last Single Bar Face Mask
In 2004 , the NFL banned players from wearing the single bar face masks, except for kickers. 2007 was the last time that the single helmet bar was used. -
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The Modern Helmets
As the game gets faster and stronger, so does the helmets. And new helmets today are made to evolve with the game. Concussions that players suffer each year is increasing dramatically. In 2017 a Seattle based tech company introduced a new Helmet that would absorb hits and bend with the blow, reducing dangerous head movement. The invention of the helmet was to improve player safety, more than 100 years later it’s still being improved to do the same, and many more, functions.