If you are a local high school sports fan (like me) and take a scroll through Twitter, more than likely you’ll stumble upon the ongoing football helmet frenzy. Currently, the Kansas Helmet Project page (@kshelmetproject) is holding a 64-team tournament to find the top high school helmet in the state.
Humboldt is the only helmet with local ties, and has received quite a bit of love so far. The black base with the orange paw print advanced through the first round over Maize South, garnering 58% of the vote.
After the first round of votes, Humboldt sat ninth overall with 3,764 votes behind Pratt, Hartford, Hesston, Valley Heights, Colgan, Atchison County, Hays and Wellsville. Round 2 saw Humboldt cruise past Topeka High, placing them against Hutchison in the Region IV semifinals.
Personally, I like Humboldt’s helmet. It’s simple, has tradition, and more than anything else, reminds me of Clemson’s helmet (which I also enjoy). Helmets are football, which makes sense why I love them so much.
Ever since the days of running around with a blow-up Dallas Cowboys helmet as a toddler, I have had a fascination with helmets. The 32-team NFL helmet set was a huge addition to my toy collection. I’d conduct my own Pro Bowl with 22 helmets, and a pencil eraser as the football. It was a blast.
Anyways, the ongoing Twitter helmet competition got me thinking… Which helmets out of the hundreds I’ve seen in college or pro are the best? I figured I’d take a crack at it. The list I developed was trimmed down to five, and was based on logo(s), color, tradition, and performance.
No. 5 — Los Angeles Rams
Really, any team that has ram horns on their helmet deserves some credit for strapping on a fine piece of equipment. The ram horns logo was the first design to be painted on an NFL helmet, debuting in 1948.
Not only is the design crisp, but the colors are clean. Whether it has been the traditional royal blue and yellow, navy blue and white, or navy blue and gold — each version has done its duty. Also, this helmet has a winning tradition. The Rams are the only NFL franchise to have won a championship in each of the three cities they have resided in (Cleveland, Los Angeles, St. Louis).
No. 4 — University of Michigan
When Herbert “Fritz” Crisler left Princeton as their head coach in 1938, he was hired by the University of Michigan, and brought the winged-style helmet with him. Ever since, the helmet has been one of the most recognized in college football.
The winged design was fairly popular when helmets were made of leather. Rivals Ohio State, Michigan State, and Indiana all featured some sort of wing variation in the early 1900s. No program has more wins than Michigan, and the Wolverines have added 11 national titles as well, with three of them coming with the wings on their heads.
No. 3 — Pittsburg Steelers
With six Super Bowl titles, the Steelers have built themselves a reputation for winning. They’ve done it with a logo on one side of the helmet, and the players’ number on the other.
The logo is based on the Steelmark logo belonging to the American Iron and Steel Institute, combining perfectly with the industry Pittsburgh was built on. Match that with the black base and facemask, and you have one mean-looking piece of equipment.
