The Enduring Legacy: A History of the University of Michigan Football Helmet
The University of Michigan's football helmet is more than just protective headgear; it's an iconic symbol deeply intertwined with the university's rich athletic tradition. Its distinctive winged design, instantly recognizable in the world of college sports, tells a story of innovation, adaptation, and enduring legacy.
The Genesis of the Winged Helmet: Fritz Crisler's Vision
The story of the winged helmet begins with Herbert O. "Fritz" Crisler. While Michigan is most often associated with the design, its origins trace back to Crisler's tenure as head coach at Princeton University in 1935. Faced with a sea of plain, monochromatic helmets that made it difficult for quarterbacks to spot receivers downfield, Crisler sought a solution. He conceived the idea of a unique helmet design that would enhance visibility and give his team a competitive edge.
Crisler ordered stock helmets bearing leather wings from the Spalding catalog and had the leather panels painted in contrasting orange and black colors. The design was intended to represent a fighting tiger with its ears glared back and three symbolic orange-stripes running sleekly from front to back and matches the traditional tiger striping on the jersey. This innovative design made its debut in 1935. According to Princeton.edu:"Princeton's orange and black "Tiger Helmet" is a distinctive piece of the University's sports tradition.
While Princeton Football was the first to adopt Crisler’s vision, they weren’t the first to use a winged helmet. Other schools, including Indiana and even Ohio State, had worn similar styles as early as the 1930’s.
From Princeton to Michigan: A Design Travels West
In 1938, Crisler took over as head football coach and athletic director at the University of Michigan. He brought his signature helmet design with him, adapting it to the Wolverines' maize and blue colors. At the time, Michigan's football team wore a plain black helmet. Crisler's vision was to paint the helmet in the school’s colors of maize and blue, transforming a simple helmet into a lasting icon. Crisler once recalled his rationale for the design: "Michigan had a plain black helmet and we wanted to dress it up a little. We added some color and used the same basic helmet I had designed at Princeton."
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The distinctive helmet would also have practical advantages on the field. Crisler figured the helmet would help his halfbacks find receivers downfield. "There was a tendency to use different colored helmets just for receivers in those days, but I always thought that would be as helpful for the defense as for the offense," Crisler recalled. The winged helmet made its debut in the Wolverines' 1938 season opener against Michigan State, a game that marked a turning point in the program's history.
Evolution and Adaptation: Changes Through the Years
Over the years, the Michigan football helmet has undergone subtle but significant changes. The number disappeared from the back of the helmet in 1975 and the center stripe was extended to the base of the helmet. The shape of the wings has been smoothed out a bit, and the stripes now extend all the way to the base of the helmet. Player numbers were added to the side of the helmet during the years 1959-1968. While early designs incorporated panels of leather (sometimes manufactured using strips of contrasting color), advances in design and engineering led to the use of high-tech, molded plastic, greatly increasing the protective capabilities of the modern helmet. Despite these changes, Michigan has preserved the core design Crisler imported from Princeton.
Beyond Michigan: The Winged Helmet's Influence
The winged helmet's influence extends beyond the University of Michigan. When David M. Nelson, a former player for Crisler at Michigan, became the head coach of the University of Delaware's football team in 1951, he introduced a blue and gold winged helmet for the Blue Hens, which they continue to use to this day. Several high school teams across the country have also adopted the design.
The Uniform Through the Years
Ron Kramer modeled a mid-1950s uniform on Ferry Field. Dennis Fitzgerald, halfback on the 1959 and 1960 teams (and an All-American wrestler), was the last player to wear a leather helmet. 1968 was the last year numbers appeared on the side of the helmets and in that year only a block M was added to the sleeve of home game jerseys. When Bo Schembechler arrived in 1969 a few minor changes were made to the uniform. White pants were introduced for road games in 1974 and continued through 1975, after which yellow pants became the standard for both home and away games.
Stickers
According to author John Kryk, when Bo introduced his gold footballs it was suggested that they were a mere imitation of Ohio State's buckeye stickers, Bo insistently denied he was simply copying Woody Hayes, because, in Bo's words, "Woody got the idea from me." Kryk traces Bo's use of stickers back to his third year as head coach at Miami of Ohio in 1965.
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