NFL Replica Helmets Bring the NFL’s History to Life
People often say that everything is bigger in the USA. From SUVs to huge fast food value meals, and from skyscrapers to aircraft carriers, many things are indeed super-sized. This trend probably originates from the enormous size of the United States itself. At roughly 3.7 million square miles, the U.S. is the third largest country in the world, in terms of its geographic size. Russia is the largest nation, with Canada taking the second place prize.
At the same time, technology has caused many products to shrink drastically in size, for convenience. In 1946, Dick Tracy, a comic strip police detective, began using a 2-way wristwatch radio. Fantasy has become reality. Manufactures have since created wristwatches with televisions, cell phones, digital cameras, video games, and calculators. Today, we often have the option to select full-size products, or miniature versions. This is true when collecting replica football helmets.
The rivalry, an admiral, and the helmet
As you might guess, the first football helmets were nothing like the sturdy, slick designs of today’s models. When football helmets were born, form definitely took a backseat to function. Admiral Joseph Mason Reeves wore the first football helmet in the 1893 version of the Army-Navy football classic. In this case, the helmet was literally a matter of life and death, and replicas were not yet available at a sports memorabilia store.
What was Admiral Reeves’ story? Prior to the game, Reeves’ doctor had warned him that he would experience "instant insanity" or death, if another player kicked him one more time in the head. Thus, a shoemaker in Annapolis, Maryland, made the admiral a leather football helmet.
Getting attached to a helmet
Three years later in 1896, George Barclay, halfback for Lafayette College, contributed to the evolution of leather football helmets. Barclay believed that playing without a helmet had resulted in him obtaining "cauliflower ear." That is a condition in which a blow to the ear’s exterior section causes the outer ear to swell up forever. Barclay wrongly believed that cauliflower ear would damage the function of the inner ear.
Nevertheless, Barclay’s new helmet improved the way that the wearer fastened it to his head. A harness producer created three sturdy leather straps that attached the helmet to the player’s head. Thus, people began referring to the early football helmets as "head-harnesses."
A safer helmet
While early football helmets improved the safety of the sport, players gradually started to wear them. Before nfl stores existed, the majority of the football games in the late 1890s to the early 1900s included no helmets at all. Furthermore, when players wore helmets, frequently only half of the players wore them. Then in the 1930s, football officials made wearing helmets mandatory for football athletes.
As time progressed, the safety features of the helmets improved. While manufacturers built helmets using leather (from the 1920s to the 1940s), manufacturers consistently added more padding to the helmets.
A fancier helmet
In addition to the evolution of the football helmets’ structure, their designs developed as well. The first helmets contained drab colors with no designs. However, that gradually changed. In particular, pass receivers would manually paint their helmets, so quarterbacks could spot them easier down the field, to toss forward passes. If the defenders were blanketing the receivers or if the latter had dashed far down the field, then the decorated helmets made the receivers easier targets.
Which professional football team included a design on all of their helmets? In 1948, the Rams (who ere in Los Angeles from 1946-1994) earned that distinction. The Rams’ helmet included the picture of a ram’s horn (technically, the horn of a male Big Horn Sheep). Within a short amount of time, virtually all high school, college, and professional football teams, included mascots or logos on their helmets. In essence, the modern football helmet, such as today’s steelers helmet, had been born.
Today, for those NFL fans who want to celebrate the helmets of this year and yesteryear, they can add NFL replica helmets to their collection of sports memorabilia. Here are some of the options that you have:
Micro Helmet: These helmets are truly amazing. They are only one-third the size of the full-size replica helmets. However, these helmets are still sturdy, detailed, and contain several features of the helmets that the pros wear. Those features include the logo, facemask, and padding on the interior of the helmet.
Mini Helmet: These helmets save you a ton of space, as they are half-scale of the full-size replicas. Amazingly, these replicas include many of the exquisite details that the full-size replicas have, such as the chinstraps, facemasks, and team logos on the side of the helmet.
Personalized Helmet: Do you have a favorite player on your favorite team? These helmets include the team’s logo on one side of the helmet; and the name and jersey number of a prominent player, on the other side of the helmet. These helmets also feature a sturdy construction and superb detail. They are perfect for any nfl collection, such as those including steelers gear.
Throwback Helmet: Take a time warp into the NFL’s past, with these "old-school" helmets. Throwback helmets differ from today’s helmets, in their structure, design, and even their color. For instance, The 1962 Steelers’ helmet was gold (rather than black), contained a black stripe (rather than a gold stripe) down the middle, and included the word "Steel" in the logo (rather than the word "Steelers.") It is not surprising that throwback helmets and jerseys are quite popular with NFL fans. Throwback helmets are available in regulation and mini sizes.
The NFL helmet has evolved throughout the history of the league. While the earliest leather helmets were somewhat makeshift, they launched one of the most vital pieces of equipment in today’s NFL. Within time, the helmets’ form and function developed. Replica helmets chronicle the changes in NFL helmets, throughout the years. Today, you can celebrate the history of NFL helmets, by collecting various replica helmets, such as a chargers helmet.
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