Big Ten Conference

ILLINOIS INDIANA IOWA
"Fighting Illini" "Hoosiers" "Hawkeyes"
Champaign, IL Bloomington, IN Iowa City, IA
MARYLAND MICHIGAN MICHIGAN STATE
"Terrapins" "Wolverines" "Spartans"
College Park, MD Ann Arbor, MI East Lansing, MI
MINNESOTA NEBRASKA NORTHWESTERN
"Golden Gophers" "Cornhuskers" "Wildcats"
Minneapolis, MN Lincoln, NE Evanston, IL
OHIO STATE OREGON PENN STATE
"Buckeyes" "Ducks" "Nittany Lions"
Columbus, OH Eugene, OR State College, PA
PURDUE RUTGERS UCLA
"Boilermakers" "Scarlet Knights" "Bruins"
West Lafayette, IN New Brunswick, NJ Los Angeles, CA
USC WASHINGTON WISCONSIN
"Trojans" "Huskies" "Badgers"
Los Angeles, CA Seattle, WA Madison, WI

Historical Helmets

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

c.early 1960s - 1970;
September 6, 2008		 1971 - 1976 1977 - 1979
1980 - 1982 1983 - 1987 1988
'E' 'B'
1989 - 2004 2005 - September 1, 2012 2012
'C' 'A' 'D'
2012 - 2013 2013 2013
*see note 1 below
'F' 'G' 'H'
2014 - 2016 2014 - 2016 2014 - 2016
'I' 'J' 'K'
2014 - 2015 2014 2015
'L' 'M' 'N'
2016 2016 - 2017 2017
'O' 'P' 'Q'
2017 - 2020 2018 - 2020 2018 - 2020
'R' 'S' 'T'
2018 2020 2021
'U' 'V' 'W'
2022 2023 - 2023 -

During recent years Illinois has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

Many years ago I received a rather low-quality photograph from a visitor to this website which supposedly showed a 1969 Illinois football helmet with the college football centennial "100" logo on the back side of the helmet. Since that time the university has digitized its old yearbooks and published them on the internet; I was unable to locate any photographs in the 1970 yearbook (which would contain photographs from the 1969 football season) showing the "100" decal in use that year; so the earlier report may have been erroneous. If so, the above are apparently all the different helmet designs used by Illinois during the period covered by this website, though it is possible that some others were used during the very early 1960s. The first design shown above was used at least as early as 1962.

*1 Illinois used a special helmet decal during the last three games of the 2013 season (first worn November 16 vs Ohio State); the logo depicted ten white stars arranged in the shape of an "I" inside an outline of the state of Illinois. The ten stars represented ten former football team members who also served in the military and lost their lives during World War II or the Vietnam War. The ten were identified as John Berner, Tony Butkovich, Bruce Capel, Dick Good, Ralph Hathaway, James McDonald, Paul Milosevich , George Rettinger, Frank Rokusek, and Bob Wilson.

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INDIANA UNIVERSITY

1959? - 1961 1962 - 1964 1965 - 1966
1966? - c.1972 c.1973 - 1975 1976 - 1982
*see note 6 below
1983 1984 - 1990 1990 (end of season)
*see note 1 below
1991 - 1995 1996 1997 - 2000
2001 November 19, 2005;
November 17, 2007		 2005 - 2007
December 31, 2007 - 2010 September 10, 2011;
additional games 2011-2012		 2002 - 2004;
2011 - 2012
*see note 2 below
'A' 'B' 'C'
2013 - 2016 2013 - 2014 2013 - 2017
*see note 3 below
'D' 'E' 'F' (and 'F1')
October 1 - 8, 2011;
2013 - 2015		 2013 2013 - 2014
*see note 4 below
'G' 'H' 'I'
2014; 2016 2014 - 2016 2015 - 2017
*see note 5 below
'J' 'K' 'L'
2015 - 2016 2015 - 2016 2015
'M' 'N' 'O
2015 - 2016 2016 2016
'P' 'Q' 'R'
2017 2017 2017 - 2021
'S' 'T' 'U'
2017 - 2018 2017 2017
'V' 'W' 'X'
2017 - 2019; 2021 2018 - 2019 2019
*see note 7 below
'Y' 'Z' 'AA'
2020 2021 2022 -
'AB'
2021 -

During recent years Indiana has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

*1 Indiana switched to black facemasks by at least the last game of the 1990 season - vs Auburn in the Peach Bowl at Atlanta, GA. I do not know if these were used for any earlier games during 1990.

*2 First worn during the 2011 home game vs Virginia; subsequently worn September 24, 2011 (at North Texas), October 22, 2011 (at Iowa), November 19, 2011 (at Michigan State), and September 8, 2012 (at Massachusetts).

*3 Helmet design 'A' features a "logo" on its left side depicting a torch surrounded by nineteen stars - a design which is present on the Indiana state flag (though different colors are used on the flag). The right side features a white "IU" logo like that of the "2002-2004; 2011-2012" design shown above.

*4 Helmet design "F1" is identical to "F" but with numerals only on the left side; on the right side is a crimson "IU" logo (like that of design 'E').

*5 Helmet design "G" uses the torch and stars "logo" on its left side only; on the right side is a crimson "IU" logo (like that of design 'E').

*6 During at least some games in 1969 Indiana's helmets were adorned with the college football centennial "100" logo; the logo was worn on the back of the helmet, towards the bottom (photo below from Purdue's 1970 yearbook showing the Indiana helmet). The football shape was probably blue.

*7 During Indiana's October 13, 2018 home game vs Iowa the number 44 was worn on the left side of each helmet in memory of former Indiana football player George Taliaferro (1927 - 2018); the white "IU" logo (like that of design 'R') was worn on the right side during this game. 44 was Taliaferro's uniform number during his football career at Indiana.

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UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

1958 - 1964;
September 25, 2010		 1965 1966 - 1970
*see note 2 below
1971 1972 - 1973 1974 - 1976
1977 - 1978 November 2, 1991;
December 29, 1996 		September 4, 2004;
September 8, 2012
*see note 3 below
November 5, 2011;
November 1, 2014;
November 11, 2017;
November 16, 2019;
December 27, 2019		 November 10, 2012 September 12, 2015
*see note 4 below *see note 5 below *see note 6 below
November 4, 2017 November 10, 2018 October 12, 2019
*see note 7 below *see note 8 below
1979 -
*see note 1 below

An unconfirmed report was received years ago indicating that Iowa used a version of the college football centennial "100" decal in 1969 but no such decal is visible in any of the photographs that I have seen (including those in the university yearbook) showing Iowa helmets during the 1969 season.

*1 From (I think) 1985 through 1992, Iowa Head Coach Hayden Fry added to his team's helmet design a small, circular yellow decal containing the letters "ANF" in black; the letters stand for "America Needs Farmers". The decals were apparently always placed high up on the right side of the helmet, about midway between the hawkeye decal and the central stripe. The "ANF" decal was slightly less than half the size of the hawkeye decal during this time period. Coach Fry also had his players wear a small American flag decal for a season or two around the time of the Persian Gulf War; in the two photographs that I have of these helmets, the flag is placed opposite the "ANF" decal on the left side of the helmet, and is roughly the same size as the "ANF".

Iowa began to use the "ANF" decals again in 2009, and they have apparently been in use for nearly all of the team's games since then. They were not present during the games of September 25, 2010, September 8, 2012, November 10, 2012, and November 4, 2017. The "ANF" decals in use since 2009 are much smaller than those used during the 1985-1992 period. Below is a representation of the right side of an Iowa helmet with the "ANF" decal of the 2009-present period.

*2 During at least part of the period when this design was in use, some players wore decals on the sides of their helmets; the decals were a black version of the same one shown on the 1972-1973 helmet design. These were apparently presented as "awards" of some sort, and 1968 and 1969 are the only years from which I have seen any dated photographs of these special decals.

*3 Iowa removed all decals from its football helmets for the 1991 game at Ohio State, in recognition of the victims of a campus shooting; and again during the December 29, 1996 appearance in the Alamo Bowl vs Texas Tech, in memory of the family of one of the team's members, who were involved in a fatal traffic accident while en route to the game.

*4 On November 5, 2011 and November 11, 2017 Iowa used helmets which were "blank" on the left side but had a hawkeye logo with an American flag color scheme on the right side (as depicted below).

On November 1, 2014 Iowa again used helmets with a "blank" left side; these had a hawkeye logo with a camouflage pattern on the right side (as depicted below).

On November 16, 2019, November 27, 2020, November 13, 2021, November 12, 2022, and November 11, 2023 Iowa used helmets with a "blank" left side; these had a hawkeye logo with a different American flag colorization on the right side (as depicted below).

During Iowa's appearance in the Holiday Bowl (vs Southern California) at the end of the 2019 season the team wore helmets which were "blank" on both sides, in memory of former Head Coach Hayden Fry who had died ten days earlier; the yellow stripe and "ANF" decal were present during this game.

*5 Worn during the 2012 home game against Purdue. The black hawkeye logo is present on the left side only of this design; on the right side is a hawkeye logo with an American flag color scheme (as shown below).

*6 The number "9" was worn on the left side of each Iowa helmet during the team's 2015 game at Iowa State in memory of former team member Tyler Sash, who had died four days earlier at age 27; 9 had been Sash's uniform number during his career at Iowa. The traditional hawkeye logo remained in place on the right side of each helmet during this game.

*7 Uniform numerals are present on the left side only of this design; a hawkeye logo adorns the right side (as shown below).

*8 During Iowa's November 10, 2018 home game against Northwestern the number 24 was worn on the left side of each helmet in memory of former Iowa football player Nile Kinnick, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1939 and lost his life while serving in the US Navy in 1943. 24 had been Kinnick's uniform number during his football career at Iowa. On the right side of this helmet design is a hawkeye logo with an American flag color scheme (as represented in note 4 above; the version used in 2011 and 2017).

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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

1963 - 1965 1959 - 1962; 1966 1967
*see note 1 below *see note 2 below *see note 3 below
1967 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 - 1981
1982 - 1990 1991 1992 - 1996
1997 - 2000 November 14, 2009 November 20, 2010
'A' 'B'
2001 - 2010 2011 2011
'C' 'D' 'E'
2011 - 2014 2012 - 2014 2012 - 2014
*see note 4 below *see note 5 below
'F' 'G' 'H'
2012 - 2014 2012 - 2014 2013 -
'I' 'J' 'K'
2014 2015 - 2016 2015 - 2016
'L' 'M' 'N'
2015 2016 2017
'O' 'P' 'Q'
2018 2019 - 2023 -
'R'
2023 -

During recent years Maryland has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

The above are believed to be the complete set of historical helmet designs used by Maryland during the period covered by this web site (1960 to present).

*1 In all the color pictures that I have seen showing this helmet design, the terrapin appears to be primarily yellow, but I think it is possible that a mostly brown or perhaps red version may have also been used briefly (some photographs that I have seen seem to indicate a darker-colored terrapin). It appears that most players wore black numerals on either side of the middle stripes on both the fronts and backs of their helmets during this period.

*2 A slightly different numeral style may have been used in 1966 than was used during the earlier period, and narrow red stripes may have been present between the black and yellow stripes during 1966.

*3 This design was used in 1967 during at least games number 2, 3, and 7 against Syracuse, N.C. State, and Clemson, respectively. The red helmet with black stripes was used during at least game number 9 against Virginia.

*4 The left side of this design is as depicted here, but the right side is very different, consisting of black and yellow quadrilateral shapes (I will probably add a representation of the right side of the helmet here eventually).

*5 As is the case with helmet 'C' the right side is different from the left side.

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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

1959 - 1968;
September 10, 2011;
January 3, 2012		 1969 - 1974 October 1, 2011;
additional games 2011
*see note 1 below
September 1, 2012 1975 -
*see note 2 below

Michigan has used some variation of what has come to be known as the "winged" or "Michigan" helmet design since 1938. During the era covered by this web site (1960 to present) I believe there have been only some minor changes to the shape of the "wings" and to the widths of the stripes, and perhaps some minor color changes. Very small players' uniform numerals were worn on the helmets through most of the 1960s.

There's a nice history of the "Michigan helmet" design (which was actually first used at Princeton) at the university's web site.

*1 First worn vs Minnesota on October 1, 2011; this design was used for the remainder of the 2011 season with the exception of the Sugar Bowl game.

*2 Worn vs Alabama in a game played at Arlington, TX. The helmet numerals used during this game were of a different style and were slightly smaller than those used in 2011.

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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

1960 - 1964 1969 c.1965; c.1970 - 1972
*see note 1 below
c.1966 - 1968; c.1972 1973 1974 - 1975
*see note 1 below
1976 1977 1978 - 1982
1983 - 1993 1994 1995 - 2000
*see note 2 below *see note 2 below
2001 - 2002 September 6, 2003 September 23, 2006
2003 - 2006 2007 - 2009 October 15, 2011
'B' 'C'
October 20, 2012;
November 16, 2013		 2015 - 2016 2017 -
'A' 'D' 'E'
2010 - 2019 - 2020 -
*see note 3 below
'F' 'G' 'H'
2020 - 2020 - 2021 -
'I' 'J' 'K'
2021 - 2021 - 2021 -
'L' 'M' 'N'
2021 - 2022 - 2022 -
'O' 'P' 'Q'
2022 - 2022 - 2022 -
'R' 'S' 'T'
2022 - 2023 - 2023 -
'U' 'V' 'W'
2023 - 2023 - 2023 -
'X' 'Y'
2023 - 2023 -

During recent years Michigan State has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

As I had long suspected the color of the college football centennial "100" logo worn on Michigan State's helmets in 1969 has turned out to be blue rather than green; see the excellent video from a 1969 game vs Iowa at this youtube address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS0G70l0idk . Nice views of the helmet are available at about 22:42 and at 39:08. Below is a screen capture:

*1 The helmet design without the white outline around the logo was used during at least part of the 1965 season, in addition to the 1967-1968 and 1970-1972 periods. The version with the white outline is visible in photographs dating from 1965, 1966, and 1972, so the chronology of these two designs seems to be rather complicated, and a game-by-game analysis would probably be necessary to identify precisely when each was used. Photographs from the 1970 to 1972 period strongly suggest an outline around the logo that appears darker than the helmet shell color itself, perhaps black or a darker shade of green.

*2 Both of these designs are "blank" on the left side but both have a white "S" on the right side similar to the one worn on both sides of the 2001-2002 design. The "S" apparently had a narrow black outline in 1994 only.

*3 The left side of this design is "blank" but a logo adorns the right side (as shown below).

*4 A different logo is worn on the right side of this design (as shown below).

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UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

? - 1967; Oct. 21, 2006 1968 - 1971 1972 - 1975
*see note 1 below
1976 1977 - 1978 1979 - 1985
1986 - 1991 1992 - 1995 1996
1997 - 1998? 1999? - 2006 2007
October 9, 2010;
October 16, 2010		 2008 - 2011 December 27, 2013
*see note 2 below
'C' 'A' 'B'
2013 - 2014 2012 - 2016 2014 - 2016
'D' 'E' 'F'
2017 - 2017 - 2017 -
*see note 2 below
'G' 'H' 'I'
2017 - 2017 - 2017 -
'J' 'K' 'L'
2017 - 2017 - 2018 -
*see note 2 below *see note 2 below
'M' 'N' 'O'
2018 - 2018 - 2018 -
'P' 'Q' 'R'
2018 - 2018 - 2018 -
'S' 'T' (and 'T1') 'U'
2019 - 2019 - 2019 -
*see note 2 below for 'T' *see note 2 below
'V' 'W' 'X'
2019 - 2019 - 2019 -
*see note 2 below *see note 2 below
'Y' 'Z' 'AA'
2019 - 2019 - 2019 -
'AB' 'AC' 'AD'
2019 - 2019 - 2020 -
*see note 2 below
'AE' 'AF' 'AG'
2020 - 2020 - 2020 -
*see note 2 below *see note 2 below
'AH' 'AI' 'AJ'
2021 - 2021 - 2021 -
*see note 2 below
'AK' 'AL' 'AM'
2021 - 2021 - 2021 -
'AN' 'AO' 'AP'
2021 - 2022 - 2022-
*see note 2 below *see note 2 below
'AQ' 'AR' 'AS'
2022 - 2022 - 2022-
*see note 2 below
'AT' 'AU' 'AV' (and 'AV1')
2022 - 2022 - 2022-
*see note 2 below *see note 2 below
'AW' 'AX' 'AY'
2022 - 2023 - 2023 -
*see note 2 below *see note 2 below
'AZ' 'BA' 'BB'
2023 - 2023 - 2023 -
*see note 2 below

During recent years Minnesota has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

*1 Minnesota's helmets were apparently adorned with black uniform numbers during the 1960s but I think it is possible that other colors, most likely maroon and/or dark blue, may have been used during some years. When this design was used during the October 21, 2006 home game against North Dakota State, the numbers were black.

*2 The right side of each of these designs differs from the left side as depicted below.

December 27, 2013 'F' 'J'
'K' 'T' 'U'
'W' and 'AW' 'X' 'AC' and 'AY'
'AE' and 'AG' 'AH' 'AN'
'AO' 'AQ' 'AU'
'AV' 'AV1' 'BA'

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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA

1957 - 1960 1961 - 1965;
September 26, 2009		 1966
*see note 1 below
January 2, 1967 -
1968		 1969 1970 - 1981
*see note 2 below
September 29, 2012 September 14, 2013 September 27, 2014
October 24, 2015 September 24, 2016 November 10, 2018
October 26, 2019;
November 21, 2020		 September 11, 2021 January 1, 1982 -
*see note 3 below

The above are to the best of my knowledge all of the different helmet designs used by Nebraska during the period covered by this site (1960 to present).

*1 This image most closely resembles the helmet design used in 1961. The 1962 - 1965 helmets were similar, but the numerals were worn considerably higher up on the sides of the helmet, perhaps less so in 1965 than in the previous three years.

*2 The "NU" logo was first used during Nebraska's appearance in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama at the end of the 1966 season. for the most part, the "NU" was replaced with just an "N" in 1970, but at least some players on the team were still using the "NU" as late as 1971.

*3 Nebraska used red facemasks for the first time during the team's appearance in the 1982 Orange Bowl against Clemson.

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NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

c.1960 - 1967 1968 - 1974 1975 - 1976
*see note 1 below
1977 (first game) 1977 1978
1979 1980 1981 - 1992?
'C'
1993 October 22, 2011 September 10, 2011;
2012 - 2014; 2016 -
'D' 'F' 'B'
2012 - 2013; 2016 January 1, 2013; 2015 - 2017 2013 -
'E' 'G' 'H'
2013 2014 - 2015; 2019 - 2015; 2019 -
*see note 2 below
'I' 'J' 'K'
2015 - 2017 2016; 2018 2016 -
'L' 'M' 'N'
2017 2017 - 2018 2017
'O' 'P' 'Q'
2017 2017 - 2018 2018
'R' 'S' 'T'
2018 2018 2018
*see note 4 below *see note 5 below
'U' 'V' 'W'
2019 - 2020 - 2020 -
'X' 'Y' 'Z'
2020 - 2021 - 2022 -
'A' 'AA' 'AB'
1994 - 2021; 2023 - 2022 - 2023 -
'AC' 'AD'
2023 - 2023 -

During recent years Northwestern has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

To the best of my knowledge the above are the complete set of historical helmet designs for Northwestern for the period covered by this web site (1960 to present).

*1 There may have been some variation to the sizes and styles of the numerals used during this period.

*2 The right side of this design was completely different from the left and appeared as represented below.

*3 Design 'A1' differs from 'A' in that uniform numerals are worn on the right side of the helmet (as shown below).

*4 Uniform numerals are worn on the left side only of this design; an "N" logo adorns the right side (as shown below).

*5 Uniform numbers are worn on the left side only of this design; the usual "N" logo is worn on the right side, purple outlined in silver (hence like the logo on both sides of design 'K').

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

1960 - 1964 1965 1966 - 1967
*see note 1 below *see note 1 below
November 21, 2009 November 27, 2010 October 29, 2011
'B'
2012 - 2014 October 17, 2015;
November 3, 2018;
October 5, 2019		 November 5, 2016;
November 26, 2016
'A'
October 28, 2017;
December 2, 2017 		1968 -

In 2014 Ohio State used two of the above helmet designs in the following sequence: A-B-A; A-A-A; B-B-A; A-A-A; A-A-A (the last three games being vs Wisconsin in the Big 10 Championship Game at Indianapolis, IN, vs Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal game at New Orleans, LA, and vs Oregon in the National Championship Game at Arlington, TX).

In 2013 OSU used: A-A-A; A-B-A; A-A-A; A-A-B; A-B (the last two games being vs Michigan State in the Big 10 Championship Game at Indianapolis, IN, and vs Clemson in the Orange Bowl at Miami, FL).

Ohio State's current primary helmet design has been used essentially unchanged since 1968, making it (until the team's recent use of alternate designs) one of the longest-running continously-used designs among the NCAA Division I-FBS colleges. There have been some minor changes to the relative widths of the stripes, however (in particular, the black stripes were somewhat wider prior to 1979 than they have been since then).

*1 The "red stripe" on these helmets actually consisted of some extra padding worn on the exterior of the helmet shell, making this a physical feature of the helmet rather than just an "artistic" one. Ohio State used this helmet style during at least the period 1960 through 1965, and possibly earlier, but it has been reported to me that from 1960 through 1963, the "padding only came halfway down the back of the helmet". The other colleges known to have apparently used this "padded" helmet design (all at about the same time as did Ohio State) are Ohio University, Fresno State, Duke, Harvard, Brigham Young, Davidson, East Stroudsburg, Marietta, Merchant Marine Academy, Hampden-Sydney, Johns Hopkins, Lebanon Valley, Southern Oregon, and Frederick.

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UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

c.1961 1963? - 1966? 1967 only?
1968 1969 - 1971 1972 - ?
c.mid 1970s 1978 - 1983 1984 - 1994
'J'
1995 1996 - 1998;
September 26, 2009		 December 21, 2006
'B' 'H'
October 20, 2007;
additional games 2007-2010		 December 1, 2007;
September 6, 2008;
September 20, 2008		 November 15, 2008;
2009-2011; 2016 -
*see note 1 below
'D' 'E' 'F'
December 4, 2009 2010 - 2011 December 4, 2010
'C' 'G' 'I'
January 10, 2011 2011 - November 5, 2011
*see note 2 below
'K' 'L' 'M'
November 12, 2011 January 2, 2012 2012 - 2014
*see note 3 below
'N' 'O' 'A'
2012 2012 - 2014 1999 - 2011
'P' 'Q' 'R'
2012 - 2014 2013 - 2014 2013 - 2014
'S' 'T' 'U'
2013 2014 2014 -
'V' 'W' 'X'
2015 2015 2015
*see note 4 below
'Y' 'Z' 'AA'
2015 2015 2015
'AB' 'AC' 'AD'
2015 2015 2015
'AE' 'AF' 'AG'
2015 2015 2015
'AH' 'AI' 'AJ'
2016 2016 2016
*see note 5 below
'AK' 'AL' 'AM'
2016 2016 2016
'AN' 'AO' 'AP'
2016 2017 2017 -
'AQ' 'AR' 'AS'
2017 2018 - 2018 -
'AT' 'AU' 'AV'
2018 - 2019 - 2021 -
*see note 6 below
'AW' 'AX' 'AY'
2020 2021 - 2021 -
*see note 6 below
'AZ' 'BA' 'BB'
2022 - 2022 - 2022 -
'BC' 'BD' 'BE'
2022 2023 - 2024 -
*see note 6 below
'BF' 'BG'
2024 2024 -

During recent years Oregon has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

*1 When first used in 2007 this design featured a subtle "flame" pattern which was even less prominent than the faint pattern appearing on the greenish-yellow helmets used occasionally by Oregon from 2006 to 2008, and I have not attempted to represent the "flames" in this depiction (indeed they may not have even been present after the first or second use of the white helmets). First used at Washington on October 20, 2007; subsequently used November 24, 2007 (at UCLA), September 13, 2008 (at Purdue), October 25, 2008 (at Arizona State), November 1, 2008 (at California), September 3, 2009 (at Boise State), September 19, 2009 (vs Utah), January 1, 2010 (Vs Ohio State in the Rose Bowl game), October 30, 2010 (at Southern California), and November 13, 2010 (at California). A couple of people have reported detecting no trace of the "flames" during the 2008 Purdue game, while another reported that they may have been very faintly visible.

*2 Worn during the 2011 BCS championship game vs Auburn at Glendale, AZ. The color of the "O" decal worn during this game was slightly different from that of the one worn vs Portland State earlier during the 2010 season - specifically, it was a greenish-yellow "neon" color, as opposed to the pure yellow of the Portland State game.

*3 Worn vs Wisconsin during the Rose Bowl at Pasadena, CA. The helmet shell was of a "color" which had never been used before on a football helmet, to the best of my knowledge. It was referred to as "black chrome" by the university, but the finish was essentially mirror-like, causing the shell to reflect nearly all of the light striking it. There was also a pattern of even more-reflective "feathers" on the design, and an "O" worn high up on the back of the helmet (not visible from the vantage point used here). I could think of no better way to represent the appearance of the helmet than to manipulate an actual photograph, which I have done in the helmet image above. The bluish colors on the upper half of the helmet are reflections of the sky, the bright white spot is a reflection of the setting sun, and the lower half of the helmet reflects the stadium, the grass, etc. I have employed this same technique for nearly all of the other "chrome" helmets represented at this site for other teams.

*4 This design has two slightly different helmet logos - a "happy duck" on the left side, and an "angry duck" on the right side (as represented below).

*5 This design has two slightly different helmet logos - a "happy duck" on the left side, and an "angry duck" on the right side (as represented below).

*6 Clarification of differences: design 'AT' generally looks "black" but is apparently a dark, low-saturation greenish-gray color with a matte finish; the "wing" or "feathers" are a glossy very dark greenish-black color. 'AW' is a glossy or shiny black helmet with "wings" or "feathers" having a woven textile pattern in what appears to be black and dark gray colors; 'BD' is a black or nearly black helmet with a matte finish and with glossy "wing" decals having a different texture from that of 'AW'. Below are photographs of these two designs to better illustrate the differences.

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PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

? - 1961;
1967 (first eight games?) 		1967 (last 3 games?);
1968 - 1974;
miscellaneous games 2017 -		 1962 - 1966;
1975 - 1986
*see note 1 below
November 24, 2012 1987 -
*see note 2 below

*1 Uniform numbers were worn on Penn State's helmets during the following games in recent years: September 30, 2017 (vs Indiana), October 5, 2019 (vs Purdue), November 21, 2020 (vs Iowa), October 23, 2021 (vs Illinois), and October 20, 2022 (vs Minnesota).

*2 During the 2012 home game vs Wisconsin the numerals "42" were worn on the left side of each Penn State helmet in honor of injured team member Michael Mauti (42 was Mauti's uniform numeral).

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PURDUE UNIVERSITY

1962 - c.1968;
September 2, 2006		 1969 1970
1971 - 1979? 1980 1981 - 1983
1984 - 1987 1989 - 1990 1988; 1991 - 1995
1996 January 1, 2001;
October 16, 2010		 1997 - 2010
'B' 'C'
November 9, 2013 November 2, 2013;
2014 -		 2014
'D' 'E' 'F'
2014 - 2015 2014 2015
'G' 'H' 'I'
2015 2017 2017 -
'J' 'A' 'K'
2017; 2020 - 2011 - 2016 2017
'L' 'M' 'N'
2017 - 2018 - 2019 -
*see note 1 below
'O' 'P' 'Q'
2019 - 2021 - 2021 -
'R' 'S' 'T'
2022 - 2022 - 2022 -
*see note 2 below
'U' 'V'
2023 - 2024 -

During recent years Purdue has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

Purdue used black helmets during the very early 1960s; these featured a single light-colored stripe and players' numerals of some light color (I have only black-and-white photographs of these, so I do not know what colors were used; presumably either white, gold, or yellow).

*1 The 'flag' logo on this design is present on its left side only; on the right side is the same 'P' logo worn on both sides of design 'L'.

*2 Uniform numbers are worn on the left side only of this design; a logo is worn on the right side (as depicted below).

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RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

? - 1961? 1962? - 1965 1966
1967 - 1968 1969 1970
1971 1972 1973
1974 1975 - 1978 1978 - 1980?
1979 (some games) 1981 - 1984 1985 - 1986
1987 - 1995 1996 1997 - 2000
'B' 'C' 'D'
October 8, 2011;
October 29, 2011 		October 21, 2011 November 12, 2011
'A' 'F' 'G'
2001 - 2011; 2015 - 2012 - 2015 2012 - 2014
'H' 'I' 'J'
2012 - 2015 September 8, 2012 November 10, 2012
'K' 'L' 'M'
September 7, 2013 2013 - 2015 November 2, 2013
'N' 'O' 'E'
November 16, 2013 2014 - 2015 2016 -
'P' 'Q' 'R'
2016 - 2017 2018 - 2019 -
'S' 'T'
2020 - 2021 -
*see note 1 below

During recent years Rutgers has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

A couple of people sent me the picture below, a cropped version of a larger image which was apparently published on the Twitter account of Rutgers football, purportedly showing the 1967 helmet design for this team...

...while the 1967-1968 Rutgers helmet design did indeed have a logo depicting a knight-like figure riding a horse, the cartoonish logo on the above image does not appear to be a close match to the one actually worn on the helmet as seen in the best available photograph I have received (see below).

I think the actual 1967-68 Rutgers helmet logo is very similar to one shown below used in the past (though never on football helmets, to the best of my knowledge) by Holy Cross. I would obviously appreciate any clearer photographs of the 1967 Rutgers design. Since photographs from this era are scarce, it is also possible that more than one logo was used.

*1 The number "37" is worn on each helmet in memory of 37 Rutgers alumni who perished as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The names of several of these victims were also worn on each helmet (the small horizontal black lines; the text is not legible at this size). The '37' is worn on the left side only; an "R" logo is present on the right side, along with additional names (as depicted below).

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UCLA University of California at Los Angeles

1969 1960 - 1968; 1970 - 1972;
November 7, 2009		 1973 - 1995
*see note 1 below
2000 - 2003 November 26, 2011 November 3, 2012;
November 24, 2012
November 15, 2013;
December 31, 2013		 November 1, 2014 1996 - 1999; 2004 - 2016
October 22, 2015 November 7, 2015 November 14, 2015
November 12, 2016 September 30, 2017 2017 - 2018
2019 -

USC University of Southern California

January 1, 1963 1969 ? - 1968;
1970 - 1971
*see note 1 below *see note 2 below
1992 1988 - 1991;
1993 - 2000		 1972 - 1987;
2001 -

USC has one of the smallest sets of historical helmet designs among American college teams, with apparently only three helmet logos having ever been used.

*1 Uniform numbers were worn on USC's helmets during at least the January 1, 1963 Rose Bowl game against Wisconsin; the numbers were apparently not worn during any earlier game in the 1962 season.

*2 USC apparently used the college football centennial "100" logo on the left side only of each helmet; the right side was "blank".

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UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

1960 - 1971 (regular design);
September 29, 2007		 1972 - 1974 (regular)
c.1962 - 1971 (award)		 1969
*see note 1 below *see note 1 below
1975 - 1989 1995 1996 - 1998
'B' 'C' 'D'
2011; 2013 2011 - 2013 2012
'E' 'F' 'G'
2013 - 2015; 2017 2013 2014 - 2015
'H' 'I' 'J'
2014 - 2015 2014 - 2015 2016
'K' 'L' 'M'
2017 - 2018 2020 2021
'N' 'A'
2023 - 1990 - 1994; 1999 -

During recent years Washington has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

During the 1969 season, Washington used a version of the college football centennial "100" decal which many teams used that year; Washington's version appears to have included a yellow football-shape with a white outline, and with numerals of some dark color outlined in white. Based on color photographs of other teams' versions of these decals, I think it is not necessarily safe to assume that Washington's version featured purple numerals, and that blue or black were perhaps just as likely.

*1 According to information I have received from visitors to this web site, Washington's usual helmet shell color was gold from at least 1960 through 1971, and purple from 1972 through 1974. However, during both of these periods, certain players were "awarded" with alternate helmet designs for good performances. At least as early as 1962 and up through 1971, some players were awarded with plain purple helmets. A visitor to this website reported that, in 1970 and 1971, the purple helmets were awarded only to "defensive players that gave 110% effort at all times", and that the number of players awarded with such helmets was twelve in 1970 and eleven in 1971. The criteria by which these helmets were awarded prior to 1970 is unknown to me at present.

With the change from gold helmets to purple ones at some point in 1972 (whether at the beginning of the season or some time later remains unknown), a change in the "award helmet" scheme was also made. Players were now awarded with a gold "W", similar in shape to that which appeared regularly on Washington's helmets beginning in 1975. Fifteen players were given the gold "W" in 1972 (four on the offensive team, eleven on defense). In 1973, only three players (all defensive) were awarded with the gold "W"; these players were also allowed to wear two gold stripes on their helmets. The "award helmet" program may have been discontinued in 1974.

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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

1957 - 1966;
September 3, 2005		 1967 - 1969 1970 - 1971
*see note 1 below *see note 2 below
1972 - 1974 1975 - 1977 1988 - 1989
1978 - 1987; 1990 January 2, 2012 September 29, 2012
'B' 'C' 'D'
2013 2013 - 2014 2014; 2016 -
'E' 'F' 'A'
2019 - 2021 - 1991 -

During recent years Wisconsin has used the following sequences of helmet designs:

A visitor to this web site reported locating photographs from all but two of Wisconsin's football games during the period 1956 through 1970, allowing the dates of use for the various helmet designs to be clarified - I have updated the dates listed here to reflect this new information.

*1 That is a "W" at the front of the helmet; a similar red "W" was present at the back of this helmet design. This design was resurrected for used during Wisconsin's first game of the 2005 season, a home game against Bowling Green.

*2 Photographs from all but two of Wisconsin's games during the three seasons 1967, 1968, and 1969 show the team using red helmets with the white "Bucky Badger" logo (with a few players wearing black helmets with the same logo - these were performance awards). The two games from which no photographs were located were September 21, 1968 (at Arizona State) and October 26, 1968 (vs. Northwestern). In all likelihood, the team used red helmets during both of these games.

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