The football helmet. Most people will not admit it, but how many kids picked thier favorite teams based on a cool looking uniform or more importantly a rocking helmet logo? Well, I will admit it--I did.
My favorite team used to be the Tampa Bay Bucs. They were truly an awful team in the late 1970's (0-26 during one stretch). For some silly reason, I thought their orange-dominated helmet was cool. Looking back on it, it is obvious that “Bruce” the jaunty Buc, was a little too….jaunty. Didn’t stop me from buying the helmet as an adult, though.
Bucs 1976-1996 _______ Bucs 1996-Current
In 1994, the National Football League mandated that teams wear alternate 'throwback' uniforms at various points throughout the season.. That year saw teams wearing some alternative logos on their helmets. This is when I started collecting helmets. It is a fun hobby and I have over 50 collected.
Tracking the evolution of some teams helmets is very fun. The team with the longest running helmet design? That honor goes to the Arizona Cardinals. Their angry looking Cardinal logo has run continuously without modification since the second week of 1960 when the team was based in St. Louis.
Apparently, the 2004 season will not see any new radical helmet logo changes. The Indianapolis Colts will have a darker shade of blue in their uniforms, the Bengals unveiled a new B tiger-striped logo that will not appear on the helmet, and the Jacksonville Jaguars will have all black road pants with the logo on the hip.
To buy a helmet you will chose between Authentic and Replica helmet products. Authentic helmets are like the players wear complete with the steel face masks and real padding. Replica helmets often have plastic facemasks and styrofoam padding. Autographed authentic helmet products typically have a higher value at re-sale.
To purchase a helmet, follow the links of your favorite team. If you are interested in team specific histories for each team logo, click on the link to the left.