BALL STATE	CENTRAL MICHIGAN	EASTERN MICHIGAN
"Cardinals"	"Chippewas"	"Eagles"
Muncie, IN	Mount Pleasant, MI	Ypsilanti, MI

NORTHERN ILLINOIS	TOLEDO	WESTERN MICHIGAN
"Huskies"	"Rockets"	"Broncos"
De Kalb, IL	Toledo, OH	Kalamazoo, MI

Comments

Ball State, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Miami and Western Michigan have used new helmet designs in 2016 (shown above), as have several other teams.

Historical Helmets

AKRON

c.mid 1960s	1966	1967 - 1969

c.1975 - 1978	1979	1980? - 1982

1983 - 1985	1986 - 1987	1988 - 1994

1995 - September 8, 2001	September 22, 2001 - end of 2001	2002
	*see note 1 below

	'A'	'B'
November 24, 2005	2003 - 2013	2013
*see note 2 below

'C'	'D'	'E'
2013	2013	2014 -

'F'	'G'	'H'
2014 -	2015 -	2015 -
	*see note 3 below

'I'
2015 -

In 2015 Akron used four of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: G-F-H; H-H-G; H-H-G; G-G-I; H (the last game being vs Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Boise, ID).

In 2014 Akron used two of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: E-E-E; F-F-F; E-F-F; F-F-E.

Akron used four different helmet design in 2013 in the following sequence: A-B-C; C-D-D; D-D-D; D-D-D.

The 1979 Akron helmet had a gold shell, a white/blue/white stripe sequence, and a logo on the sides of the team name "Zips" (photograph below). I would appreciate a larger and clearer photograph from the 1979 season.

*1 This design was first used during Akron's game at Purdue on September 22, 2001, which was the team's second game during the 2001 season. The red central stripe was added "in support of the 'Fire Truck Fund', an effort to raise money...in the Greater Akron area to purchase a new fire truck for the City of New York", following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (source: the Official Athletic Site of the University of Akron, Sep. 20, 2001). The red stripe was to remain for the rest of the 2001 season, according to the article.

*2 This special helmet design was worn during a home game against Kent State during the 2005 season.

*3 Numerals are present on the left side only of this design; at the bottom rear side of the helmet was a large "kangaroo head" logo, offset somewhat towards the right hemisphere of the helmet, hence appearing as below as seen from the right side.

BALL STATE

1957 - 1960	1961 - 1967	1968

1969	1970	1971 - 1984

	'A'	'B'
1985 - 1989	1990 - 2014	2014

'C'	'D'	'E'
2015 -	2015 -	2015 -
		*see note 1 below

'F'	'G'	'H'
2015 -	2015 -	2015 -
*see note 2 below

'I'	'J'	'K'
2016 -	2016 -	2016 -
*see note 3 below	*see note 4 below	*see note 5 below

'L'
2016 -
*see note 6 below

In 2015 Ball State used six different helmet designs in the following sequence: C-H-G; G-G-G; D-E-E; F-F-E.

In 2014 Ball State used two of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: B-A-A; B-A-A; A-A-B; B-B-A.

Ball State's 1999 media guide listed the following information for helmets used by the team prior to the period covered by this web site: leather helmets were used from 1924 through 1955, and in 1956 the team used red helmets, each with a single white stripe. The designs shown above are believed to be the complete set for the period covered by this site (1960 to present).

*1 Uniform numerals are present on the left side only of this design; the right side features BSU's "cardinal" logo (as shown below).

*2 Uniform numerals are present on the left side only of this design; the right side features BSU's "cardinal" logo (as shown below).

*3 Uniform numerals are present on the left side only of this design; the right side features BSU's "cardinal" logo (as shown below).

*4 Uniform numerals are present on the left side only of this design; the right side features BSU's "cardinal" logo (as shown below).

*5 The "BALL STATE" logo is present on the left side only of this design; the right side features BSU's "cardinal" logo (as shown below).

*6 Uniform numerals are present on the left side only of this design; the right side features BSU's "cardinal" logo (as shown below).

BOWLING GREEN

1960	1963	1961; 1964 - 1967
	*see note 1 below	*see note 1 below

1968	1969	1970

1962; 1971 - 1975	1977	1978

		'D'
1976; 1979	1980	1981 - 2003; 2014

		'F'
2004 - 2006	2007 - 2010	2012

'B'	'C'	'E'
2014 -	2014 -	2014 -
*see note 2 below

'G'	'H'	'I'
2015 -	2015 -	2015 -

'J'	'K'	'A'
2015 -	2015 -	2011 -

'L'	'M'
2015 -	2016 -

In 2015 Bowling Green used eight different helmet designs in the following sequence: H-G-H; I-E-E; J-A-K; A-K-L; K-A (the last two games being at Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game, and vs Georgia Southern in the GoDaddy Bowl at Mobile, AL).

In 2014 BGSU used five different helmet designs in the following sequence: A-C-A; B-A-E; A-D-E; A-A-E; A-E (the last two games being vs Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game at Detroit, MI, and vs South Alabama in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl at Montgomery, AL).

BGSU used two different helmet designs in the following sequence in 2013: A-B-B; A-B-B; B-A-A; A-B-B; B-A (the last two games being vs Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game at Detroit, MI, and vs Pittsburgh in the Little Caesar's Bowl at Detroit, MI).

In 2012 BGSU used the following sequence: B-A-B; A-B-A; A-B-B; B-B-A; F (the last game being vs San Jose State in the Military Bowl at Washington, DC).

To the best of my knowledge the above are all of the different helmet designs used by BGSU since 1960.

*1 These two designs are among the more unusual helmet designs I have encountered while working on this website. From the photographs of these that I have seen, it appears that an irregular area of white spray paint was applied to each helmet, and then a template was used to apply an orange falcon over the white area (or, just as likely, perhaps a template in the falcon shape was applied to the helmet first, then peeled off after the white paint was sprayed over it). The white areas had "blurry edges" and varied in size and shape considerably from one helmet to the next, but were placed in approximately the same region on each helmet.

BUFFALO

c.1960 - 1962	1963 - 1965	1966

1967	1968	1969 - 1970

1977	1978 - 1979	1980

1981 - 1983	1984 - 1989	1990 - 1994

1995 - 1996	1997	1998 - 1999

		'B'
2000	2001 - 2005	2014 -

'C'	'D'	'A'
2014 -	2015 -	2006 -

'E'	'F'	'G'
2015 -	2015 -	2015 -

'H'	'I'	'J'
2015 -	2015 -	2016 -

In 2015 Buffalo used eight of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: A-B-D; E-F-A; B-G-D; H-D-I.

In 2014 Buffalo used three of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: A-A-B; A-B-B; A-A-B; C-A.

Buffalo discontinued its football program following the 1970 season, at which time the team was classified as a "major" one by the NCAA. The program was reinstated at the Division III level in 1977; it moved to Division II in 1988, to Division I-AA in 1993, and to Division I-A in 1999.

As for the "missing" helmets, I have partial information for each of these:

• 1969-1970: the team appears to have used plain gold or silver helmets with a dark/white/dark sequence of stripes (the dark stripes were almost certainly blue);
• 1977: plain dark-colored helmets with a single lighter stripe (very probably blue helmets with a white stripe);
• 1978-1979: like 1977 but with the addition of a script "Buffalo" logo (probably white in color) on the sides;
• 1980 only?: white helmet shells with a cartoon "running bull" logo on the sides, and a single dark stripe; facemask color is unknown;
• 1981? - 1983: like 1980 but stripe sequence changed to red/blue/red (or maybe red/white/blue/white/red).

Additional information about the missing helmets would be appreciated. I would need only a color photograph in order to add the 1969-1970 and 1977 helmets to the site.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN

1960 - 1961	1965	1962 - 1964; 1966

1967 - 1972	1973 - 1979	1980 - 1988

1989	1990 - 1996	2006 - 2008

September 8, 2012	September 21, 2013	1997 - 2005; 2009 - 2014
*see note 1 below	*see note 2 below

'A'	'B'
2015 -	2015 -

Central Michigan used two of the above helmet designs in 2015 in the following sequence: A-A-A; A-A-B; B-B-A; A-A-A.

Some photographs from the 1964 season show some CMU players wearing a simple "C" logo on their helmets, as in the photograph below. It is unclear if this logo was ever used by most of the team simultaneously, so I have not (for now) included it in the list of helmet designs above. Otherwise this is believed to be the complete set of historical helmet designs for CMU for the period covered by this web site (1960 to present).

*1 Worn during the 2013 home game vs Michigan State.

*2 Worn during the 2013 home game vs Toledo.

EASTERN MICHIGAN

c.1950s - 1965	1966	1967 - 1975

1976 - 1978	1979 - 1983	1984 - 1990

1991	1991 - 1992	1993 - 1995
*see note 1 below	*see note 1 below

1996 - 1998	1999	2000 - 2001

		'B'
2002 - 2003	2004 - 2009	2012
		*see note 2 below

'C'	'F'	'D'
2012 -	2012; 2014 -	2013

'E'	'G'	'A'
2013	2014 -	2010 -
*see note 3 below

'H'	'I'	'J'
2015 -	2015 -	2015 -
	*see note 4 below

'K'
2015 -

During the 2015 season EMU used the following sequence of helmet designs: H-B-G; I-J-G; J-K-K; G-G-K.

In 2014 EMU used: A-A-A; A-F-C; C-G-G; G-G-G.

In 2013 EMU used: A-D-A; C-C-E; E-A-E; E-E-E.

In 2012 EMU used the following sequence: B-B-A; C-C-C; A-A-F; F-F-F.

Through the 1990 season, EMU's teams were known as the "Hurons"; hence the logos on the pre-1991 helmets.

*1 During 1991, the "100" logo was worn on the left side of the helmet for the entire season in recognition of the university's 100th season of football. The big "E" was used on the right side of the helmet during both 1991 and 1992; during 1992, the left side of the helmet was left "blank".

*2 First worn September 1, 2012 (at Ball State).

*3 The "E" logo was worn only on the left side of this design; on the right side were green uniform numerals and a large pale gray outline of the state of Michigan (as depicted below).

*4 The "E" logo was worn only on the left side of this design; on the right side were white uniform numerals (as depicted below).

KENT STATE

1960 - 1963	1964 - 1965	1966

1967 - 1968	1969 - 1970	1973
	*see note 1 below	*see note 2 below

1971 - 1972; 1974 - 1975	1976 - 1978	1980 - 1986

1987 - 1988	1990	1990
	*see note 3 below	*see note 3 below

1989 - 1992	1993	1994 - 1997

1998 - 1999	September 4, 2004	January 6, 2013
	*see note 4 below	*see note 5 below

October 5, 2013	November 2, 2013	October 10, 2015
*see note 6 below	*see note 7 below	*see note 8 below

2000 -
*see note 9 below

In 1979, Kent State used helmets that I think were probably yellow rather than gold, though I am not sure about this. A blue football-shaped decal containing the word "Kent" in a script font was worn apparently on only the right sides of these helmets, which also featured a blue-white-blue sequence of stripes and facemasks of an unknown color (I think probably blue rather than gray).

*1 Kent State used a version of the "100" logo during at least part of the 1969 season. The decal was placed at the bottom rear of the helmet and consisted of a dark-colored football shape with a white outline and with the numerals "100" in white.

*2 All photographs I have seen of the 1973 helmets appear to show the "KSU" logo as having an elliptical shape, as opposed to the football-shape of the logo used during the rest of the 1971-1975 period.

*3 At least three different stripe variations were used during the 1990 season. Photographs from game #2 vs Akron show helmets with no stripes; two yellow stripes bordered by very narrow blue stripes can be seen on the helmets in photographs from game #7 vs Ohio; and for game #3 vs Western Michigan, the helmets appear to be the same as those used in 1989, 1991, and 1992 (with a single blue stripe). I would appreciate hearing from anybody who can clarify which design was used during Kent State's other games in 1990.

*4 Plain blue helmets were used during the September 4, 2004 game at Iowa.

*5 Worn vs Arkansas State during the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, AL.

*6 Worn during the 2013 home game vs Northern Illinois.

*7 Worn during the 2013 game at Akron.

*8 Worn during the 2015 game at Toledo.

*9 During the entire 2014 season Kent State wore the number "54" on the right side of each helmet (as shown below) as a tribute to team member Jacob Bitsko, who died unexpectedly of natural causes on August 20, 2014. 54 was Bitsko's uniform numeral.

MIAMI

1960	1963 - 1964	1965

1966 - 1971	1972 - 1973	1974 - 1977

1979	1980	1981 - 1982

1983 - 1985	1986	1987 - 1989

1990 - 1992	1978; 1993	1994 - 1996

1997	January 6, 2011	1998 - 2010
	*see note 1 below

2011 - 2012	September 21, 2013	August 30, 3014
	*see note 2 below	*see note 3 below

2013 -	2016 -

Miami's team nickname was "Redskins" prior to the 1997 season.

*1 Worn vs Middle Tennessee State during the 2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl game in Mobile, AL. The helmet design featured a red "M" on the left side and red uniform numerals on the right side. These two features, plus the red/white/red stripe sequence, were reportedly worn during this game to commemorate three different successful periods of the team's history.

*2 Worn during the 2013 home game vs Cincinnati.

*3 Worn during the 2014 home game vs Marshall. The large "hawk head" logo was used only on the left side of each helmet; on the right side red uniform numerals were used (as depicted below).

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

? - 1968	1969	1970 - c.1975
*see note 1 below

c.1975 - c.1976	c.1976 - 1979	c.early 1980s
	*see note 2 below	*see note 3 below

c.late 1980s	1997	? - 1996; 1998 - 2000

2001	November 13, 2013	November 26, 2013; December 6, 2013

	'A'	'B'
2002 - 2013	2014 -	2014 -

'C'	'D'	'E'
2014 -	2014 -	2014 -

'F'	'G'	'H'
2015 -	2015 -	2015 -

'I'	'J'
2015 -	2015 -

In 2014 Northern Illinois used five of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: B-A-A; A-C-A; C-C-D; D-D-E; D-E (the last two games being vs Bowling Green in the MAC Championship game at Detroit, MI, and vs Marshall in the Boca Raton Bowl at Boca Raton, FL).

The dates of use for several of the designs shown above are uncertain - clarification would be appreciated for these.

*1 NIU was using black helmets with white numerals on the sides by at least 1965; I do not have much information yet from the years before then.

*2 Gray facemasks may have been used with this design during the earlier years of its use.

*3 Some photographs that I have seen from the early 1980s suggest that NIU was using helmets of a darker shade of red than is shown here, perhaps a crimson color similar to that presently used by Oklahoma or Alabama.

OHIO

1960 - 1961	1962	1963 - 1965

1966	1967 - 1972	1973 - 1976
	*see note 1 below

1977	1978	1979 - 1990

1991 - 1994	1995	2003

	'B'	'C'
November 8, 2008	November 3, 2011; 2012 - 2013	2012 - 2013
*see note 2 below	*see note 3 below	*see note 4 below

'D'	'E'	'A'
2014 -	2014 -	1996 - 2002; 2004 -

In 2015 Ohio used three of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: A-D-A; A-D-A; E-D-D; A-E-A .

In 2014 Ohio used three of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: A-A-A; A-D-D; A-D-D; D-E-D.

In 2013 Ohio used: C-B-C; A-C-A; A-A-C; A-B-C; C (the last game being vs East Carolina in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl at St Petersburg, FL).

In 2012 Ohio used: C-A-C; A-A-A; C-C-C; B-A-C; C (the last game being vs Louisiana-Monroe in the Independence Bowl at Shreveport, LA).

To the best of my knowledge the above are the complete set of historical helmet designs for Ohio for the period 1960 to 2012.

*1 During the 1969 season, a version of the "100"/football shaped-logo was worn at the bottom rear of the helmet. The football shape was some dark color, and the numerals were apparently white.

*2 This design was used during the 2008 home game against Bowling Green, apparently as a tribute to the 1968 Mid-American Conference champion Ohio team, who were recognized at halftime of the game.

*3 First worn during the 2011 home game against Temple.

*4 First worn September 1, 2012 (at Penn State).

TOLEDO

? - 1961?	1962?	1963?

1964 - 1966	1967 - 1972	1973

1974	c.1975	c.1976

c.1977 - 1980	1981 - 1996	1997 - 2008

		'C'
December 28, 2011	2009 - 2011	2012 - 2013
*see note 1 below		*see note 2 below

'B'	'A'	'D'
October 6, 2012	2012; 2014 -	2012 - 2013
*see note 3 below	*see note 4 below	*see note 5 below

'E'	'F'	'G'
2013	2013 - 2014	2013
*see note 6 below	*see note 7 below	*see note 8 below

'H'	'I'	'J'
2013	2014 -	2014
*see note 9 below

'K'	'L'	'M'
2014	2014	2014
		*see note 10 below

'N'	'O'	'P'
2015 -	2015 -	2015 -

Toledo used five different helmet designs during the 2015 football season in the following sequence: N-A-I; A-O-I; I-O-I; A-P-I (the last game being vs Temple in the Boca Raton Bowl at Boca Raton, FL). 'A' was also in use during the September 3 home game vs Stony Brook which was canceled at halftime following a lengthy lightning delay; this game is offically a "no contest".

During the 2014 football season Toledo used seven of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: A-A-F; F-I-I; I-F-J; K-L-A; M (the last game being vs Arkansas State in the GoDaddy Bowl at Mobile, AL).

In 2013 Toledo used six of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: E-E-C; C-C-F; F-F-G; G-H-D.

In 2012 four designs were used in the following sequence: A-A-A; A-C-B; C-D-D; D-C-A; A (the last game being vs Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Boise, ID).

Toledo's helmet history is unclear for the earliest years covered by this web site (early 1960s). The team apparently used white helmets from at least 1960 through 1966. Judging from a very small number of photographs it would appear that these white helmets had a single dark stripe in 1960 and 1961 (probably blue, if the school colors have not changed); a single photograph from 1962 shows numerals on the sides of the helmet (otherwise like 1961); and in 1963 a "rocket" logo different from the 1964-1966 one was used (photo below). Numerals of unknown color are also visible at the back of the helmets in all available clear photos from 1963 through 1966.

The 1973 helmets were similar to the 1967 - 1972 version shown above, but for a different decal being used; the logo was a small, light-colored football shape that probably contained a picture or letters or something - the photographs that I have are not nearly clear enough to show what's inside (below is the clearest photo I have received). The 1974 helmets were apparently dark blue with a single light-colored stripe and with no decals on the sides. The stripe was probably either white or yellow, but a color photograph would be necessary to clarify.

*1 Worn vs Air Force during the 2011 Military Bowl at Washington, DC.

*2 First worn September 29, 2012 (at Western Michigan).

*3 Worn during the 2012 home game vs Central Michigan.

*4 First worn September 1, 2012 (at Arizona).

*5 First worn October 20, 2012 (vs Cincinnati).

*6 First worn August 31, 2013 (at Florida).

*7 First worn October 5, 2013 (vs Western Michigan).

*8 First worn November 2, 2013 (vs Eastern Michigan).

*9 Worn November 20, 2013 (vs Northern Illinois).

*10 Worn January 4, 2015 during the GoDaddy Bowl at Mobile, AL (vs Arkansas State). Uniform numerals were worn only on the left side of each helmet; on the right side was a dark blue shape like that of the state of Ohio containing a yellow "rocket" logo (as represented below).

WESTERN MICHIGAN

1964 - 1968	c.early 1960s; 1969 - 1973	1974

1975	1976 - 1977	1978 - 1983

1984	1985 - 1992	1993 - ?

? - 1997	1998 - 2004	2005 - 2010

'A'	'B'	'C'
2011 - 2012	2012	2013 -
		*see note 1 below

'D'	'E'	'F'
2013 -	2013 -	2013 -
*see note 2 below	*see note 3 below

'G'	'H'	'I'
2013 -	2014 -	2014 -
*see note 4 below

'J'	'K'	'L'
2014 -	2014 -	2014 -

'M'	'N'	'O'
2014 -	2015 -	2015 -

'P'	'Q'	'R'
2015 -	2015 -	2015 -

'S'	'T'
2015 -	2016 -

In 2015 Western Michigan used eight of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: D-C-N; H-O-D; P-O-Q; R-O-S; D (the last game being vs Middle Tennessee State in the Bahamas Bowl at Nassau, Bahamas).

In 2014 WMU used eight of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: H-C2-D1; D1-I-J; C2-J-J; K-C2-L; M (the last game being vs Air Force in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Boise, ID). 'C2' is identical to 'C', except that the bronco logo is present on both sides of the helmet ('C' has uniform numerals on the right side). 'D1' is identical to 'D', except that the bronco logo is present on both sides of the helmet ('D' has numerals on its right side).

During the 2013 season WMU used seven different helmet designs in the following sequence: C-D-D; C-E-C; C1-G-C; D-E1-F. 'C1' is identical to 'C' above, but has a logo on its right side, instead of the numerals used on 'C'. The logo is a brown bucking bronco (photograph below) - I would appreciate a copy of the artwork for this logo.

'E1' is identical to 'E' above except that the bronco logo is used on both sides of the helmet ('E' has numerals on the right side).

During the 2012 season WMU used the following sequence: A-A-A; A-B-A; A-A-B; A-A-B.

In 1974, Western Michigan's helmets were of some light color, apparently either yellow or gold, and had a stripe sequence of brown-white-brown. No decals are visible in any of the photographs that I have seen of this design.

*1 The bronco logo was worn only on the left side of this design; on the right side brown uniform numerals were worn (as depicted below).

*2 The bronco logo was worn only on the left side of this design; on the right side white uniform numerals were worn (as depicted below).

*3 The bronco logo was worn only on the left side of this design; on the right side gold uniform numerals were worn (as depicted below).

*4 The bronco logo was worn only on the left side of this design; on the right side pink uniform numerals were worn (as depicted below).