Winged football helmet

A miniature replica of the Michigan Wolverines football helmet

The winged football helmet is a helmet bearing a distinctive two-toned painted design that typically has sharp outward curves over the forehead forming a wing. It is worn by many high school and college American football teams, most popularly by the University of Michigan Wolverines.

History

A full-size replica of the 1933 Michigan State gold and black winged helmet

Famed football coach Herbert "Fritz" Crisler is credited with first painting the winged helmet in school colors. In 1935, while head coach at Princeton University, Crisler ordered stock helmets bearing leather wings out of the Spalding catalog, believing the design to have practical advantages on the field.^[1] In 1938, Crisler became head football coach and athletic director at the University of Michigan, where he added maize and blue coloring to the stock design. These helmets made their debut at the Wolverines' 1938 season opener against Michigan State and have been worn ever since. It has become an icon of Michigan's football program, which held it exclusively for more than seventy years.^[1]

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."^[2] There was one other consideration. Crisler thought this unique helmet could be helpful to his passers as they tried to spot their 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," said Crisler.^[2]

While the Wolverines have traditionally and historically held a claim to the winged helmet as their own, several other organizations have employed similar or identical designs. Michigan State began wearing a variation of the winged helmet before 1938, predating the Wolverines and continuing until 1948.^[1] Princeton abandoned the design after Crisler left in 1938, but in 1998, resurrected the winged design (in orange and black) for the Princeton Tigers.^[3] The University of Delaware's football team, an FCS program has been using the winged helmet design continuously since 1951.^[4] Several high school teams across the country have also adopted the design.

In 1996, the Connecticut Coyotes of the Arena Football League wore very unusual red, white, and blue winged helmets,^[5] making them perhaps the only tricolor winged helmet design in the history of American football.

There is also evidence that several early National Football League teams wore the winged helmet. The New York Giants wore an early version of the winged helmet in 1930-1931.^[6]^[7] The Chicago Bears used the winged helmet in 1931 and 1932.^[8]^[9] The Frankford Yellow Jackets wore the winged helmet in 1931 before the franchise folded due to the Great Depression.^[10] The Yellow Jackets successors, the Philadelphia Eagles, used the Yellow Jackets old uniforms (including the winged helmets) for their first two seasons in the NFL, and would later use replicas as a throwback uniform during the 2007 season.^[11]^[12] The short-lived Cincinnati Reds also used a winged helmet in 1933.^[13] The Pittsburgh Pirates (now the Pittsburgh Steelers) wore the winged helmet in 1935 and 1936.^[14]^[15] Finally, the Giants would wear the winged helmet again from 1937 to 1947, making them the last NFL team to wear the winged helmet on a regular basis as well as the last NFL team to wear them in any occasion until the Eagles wore the Yellow Jackets throwbacks in 2007.^[16]^[17]

Colleges currently and recently using the winged football helmet

Kevin Grady of Michigan in the winged helmet

Division I FBS

University of Michigan (maize and blue)

Division I FCS

Saint Peter's College, New Jersey (blue and white), before it dropped its football program in 2007 (the college subsequently changed its name to Saint Peter's University in 2012)
Princeton University (orange and black) ^[18]
University of Delaware (royal blue and gold) ^[19]

Division II

Southwest Baptist University (purple and white), prior to a uniform change in 2008^[20]

Division III

Blackburn College (Red and Black) in 1999^[21]
Grove City College ^[22]
Gustavus Adolphus College ^[23]
Middlebury College ^[24]
Nichols College (White and Green) prior to a change in 2011

Junior colleges

Alfred State College (through 2009 season) ^[25]
Hutchinson Community College Worn through 2006 season, White as base color, Black as color of wing
San Bernardino Valley College ^[26]

References

External links

Michigan's Winged Helmet -- Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football

Venues	Frazer Field (1913–1940) Wilmington Park (1940–1952) Delaware Stadium (1952–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Battle of the Blue (Villanova) James Madison Route 1 Rivalry (Delaware State) West Chester William & Mary

Culture & lore	YoUDee "The Delaware Fight Song" University of Delaware Marching Band Winged football helmet

People	Head coaches NFL draftees

Seasons	1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Michigan State Spartans football

Venues	Spartan Stadium (1923–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Indiana (Old Brass Spittoon) Michigan (Paul Bunyan Trophy) Notre Dame (Megaphone Trophy) Penn State (Land Grant Trophy)

Culture & lore	Sparty "Victory for MSU" Marching band Zeke the Wonder Dog Winged football helmet 1966 "Game of the Century" Clockgate 2006 Northwestern game

People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees

Seasons	1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Michigan Wolverines football

Venues	Washtenaw County Fairgrounds (1883–1892) Regents Field (1893–1905) Ferry Field (1906–1926) Michigan Stadium (1927–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Chicago (defunct) Michigan State (Paul Bunyan Trophy) Minnesota (Little Brown Jug) Notre Dame Ohio State (The Ten Year War) Illinois

Culture & lore	Early years Yost era Kipke years Crisler years Oosterbaan years Elliott years Short punt The Ten Year War 1922 Vanderbilt game 24–12 The Vote for the Rose Bowl Miracle at Michigan 2006 "Game of the Century" 2007 Appalachian State game Biff "The Victors" Marching band Michigan IMG Sports Network

People	Head coaches Trainers Players All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Princeton Tigers football

Venues	University Field (1876–1913) Palmer Stadium (1914–96) Princeton University Stadium (1997–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Legacy Bowl Brown Harvard Penn Yale

Culture & lore	First American football game (painting) 1922 Chicago game The Tiger "Princeton Cannon Song" Winged football helmet

People	Head coaches NFL draftees

Seasons	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Gridiron football concepts

Codes

Levels of play

Field

Lines	Goal line Line of scrimmage Out of bounds Sidelines Hash marks

Zones	End zone Red zone Neutral zone Field goal range Flat Passing pocket

Equipment

Helmet	History Winged Eyeshield Revolution

Positions

Offense	Backfield: Quarterback Dual-threat triple-threat Game manager System Running backs Halfback Fullback H-back Slotback Receivers Eligible Wide receiver Tight end End Linemen Center Guard Tackle

Defense	Linemen Defensive tackle Defensive end Linebacker Defensive back Cornerback Safety Nickelback Dimeback Halfback

Special teams	Placekicker Punter Kickoff specialist Long snapper Holder Return specialist Gunner Jammer Upback

Other	History Utility player Skill position Platoon system

Maneuvers

Offense	Snap Hand-off Blocking Spiral Routes Pump fake Juke Lateral Stiff arm Scramble Shift Motion Zone blocking

Defense	Tackle Stunt Shooting the gap Double coverage

Play types

Offense

Rush	Keeper Bootleg Sneak Dive Counter Counter trey Off-tackle End run Option Power Sweep Trap Veer Zone run

Pass	Incomplete Checkdown Screen Drop-back Hail Mary Alley Oop

Defense

Special teams

Other

Scoring

Statistics

Practice

Celebrations

Officiating

Miscellaneous

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