History of Leather Football Helmets
More than 100 years ago, when football originated, no thought was given to head protection. Football has its roots in games such as rugby and soccer. Players in these sports still don't wear helmets but football's evolution has made the helmet mandatory.
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History
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Since football originated among colleges, it is fitting that the first football helmet was worn during an Army-Navy game in 1893. It was made from leather. The Naval Academy, located in Annapolis, Maryland, benefited from the talents of a local tradesman (some say shoemaker, others say blacksmith) who created the helmet for Admiral Joseph Mason Reeves. The admiral wore the helmet after a Navy doctor said one more kick to the head could paralyze or kill him.
Features
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A couple of years later, Lafayette College halfback George Barclay feared cauliflower ear (when trauma to the area causes damage and disfigurement). He designed protective headgear to cover the ears that was held in place by leather straps developed by a harness maker. This gave the first football helmets the name "head harness." Most players through 1915 did not use helmets. It may not have made any difference, since the helmets had a number of different styles--some looking like caps, yet contained minimal padding. Additional padding was added to the leather headgear at various intervals through the 1940s.
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Designs
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These early helmets did not have any identifying marks, logos or colors. As rivalries grew among schools, players painted their helmets. Simple colors allowed quarterbacks to identify their receivers even when they were covered by opposing players. The first logo, Rams horns, was painted on a professional leather helmet in 1948. While colors and logos were becoming popular, the life of the leather helmet was slowly coming to an end.
New Features
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The John T. Riddell Company of Chicago introduced the first plastic football helmet during 1939. Plastics were a new formulation and not yet mastered by manufacturers and World War II made certain materials scarce. These new helmets shattered and caused injuries. This gave the leather football helmet some extended life, though the plastic helmet eventually became the headgear of choice of the National Football League.
Added Protection
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Face masks evolved in the same way, with early versions shattering. Eventually, they were improved and evolved into the protective tubular bars that covered the face by the mid-1950s. These face guards morphed into the protective face shields used by players today.
Fun Fact
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During the infancy of plastic helmets, Fred Naumetz of the Los Angeles Rams split nine helmets in one season.
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