college football helmetsThere’s no doubt that today’s college football helmets make a statement on the field; if you’re an avid collector of sports memorabilia, you know there are quite a few of them that you’re going to want in your collection. Of course, it will be some time before we know if any of these new, multi-colored, chrome-plated, 21st-century designer helmets are going to be considered classics, so why not stick with the following iconic and instantly-recognizable college football helmets to expand your collection:

1 - Notre Dame: The Gold Helmet

The Fighting Irish gold helmet is arguably the most iconic football helmet in college football history. Whether plain or adorned with a shamrock, a fighting leprechaun or the school’s initials, the eye-catching gold of the Notre Dame helmets always seemed to shine brighter on game day than any others. Part of the reason for that was the inclusion of actual 23.9 karat gold in the helmet’s paint.

2 - Penn State: The White Helmet

Since 1890, dark blue and white have been the official colors of the Nittany Lions. For much of the life of the school’s football program, the helmets have been white with a blue center stripe and nothing else, although there have been times when players’ numbers have appeared on the helmets.

3 - Michigan: The Winged Helmet

The wings on the Michigan Wolverine’s maize and blue helmet have been unchanged since 1938 when Coach Fritz Crisler decided to add a little style and color to his team’s uniform. He also thought the helmet design would make it easier for his quarterbacks to spot receivers downfield.

4 - Alabama: The Crimson Helmet

The Crimson Tide’s helmet has changed from white to crimson and back to white again, but the white helmet was retired for good in 1985. Since then, the crimson helmet with white numbers on the sides has remained relatively unchanged.

5 - USC: The Trojan Helmet

Though the Trojans’ first hard shell helmets, worn in 1950, were cardinal, they didn’t yet carry the gold Trojan warrior head decal. The Trojan decal was added by Coach John McKay in 1972 and has remained on the helmets ever since.

6 - Texas: The Longhorn Helmet

It’s hard to imagine the Longhorns helmets without the longhorn decal, but up until the 1960s, Texas football players wore helmets that were plain white, burnt orange or white with a burnt orange stripe. Coach Darrell Royal introduced the Longhorn decal in 1963, and the rest is history.

7 - Ohio State: The Buckeye Helmet

The Buckeyes’ gray helmet with a scarlet stripe has been in continuous use at Ohio State since the 1960s, but what makes their helmets different is the buckeye stickers on each side. The stickers were conceived by trainer Ernie Biggs in 1968 and were awarded to individual players for on-the-field achievements.

8 - Pittsburgh: The Pitt Helmet

The Panthers’ helmets were emblazoned with “Pitt” in script on both sides from 1973 to 1997. After that, a panther decal replaced the script. Recently the school decided to return to the “Pitt” script in dark blue on gold helmets.

Get Your Favorite College Football Helmets at Old Ghost Collectibles

If you love collecting college football helmets, visit Old Ghost Collectibles or give us a call at (972) 375-2592 to get help finding iconic helmets to complete your collection.