Helmet design has always been an interest for me. Actually the Riddell Wildcat Sweatbands show up about 5-6 years earlier than 1973 - they show up on the early Riddell Micro-Fit helmets as an option since the Micro-Fit had an odd-shaped inflated forehead pad/cell. The original Micro-Fits have a design where some cells have foam inside them and can be inflated to customize the fit while other cells are pre-filled with an anti-freeze liquid. I've seen photos from 1969 with players having the sweatband added; by 1972 you'll see several players for both Miami and Washington with them in Super Bowl VII. But it seems like my memory as an 11-year-old was that 1973 was the "tipping point" where it becomes much more common. Riddell introduced a new helmet design called the PAC-3 which had strips of non-inflatable padded cells attached to the helmet - essentially circling the head with 2 more strips at the crown and an additional strip for the lower part of the back; they were not really sold with the rubber snubber, just the Wildcat. They also modified the Micro-Fit so the standard design had the PAC-3 style forehead padding but the rest of it was unchanged from the earlier models. Also I belived 1973 is the first year for the rounded Riddell logo still in use. It seems like Wildcat Sweatband became the "factory standard" and the rubber snubber became the "factory option" on the suspension/partial suspension helmets in 1973 as well; in prior years the snubber was "standard" and the Wildcat was the "option" on them.
Bike was the next manufacturer to use a padded snubber; it was part of their design (done by neurologists at the University of Michigan) when they came out in 1976 or 1977, and Rawlings adds them as well in 1977. By 1978 the two clear-shell manufacturers had been sold and their new owners decided to get in on the action by adding logo decals even though they didn't use the Wildcat-style bumper - Marietta was purchased and renamed MaxPro; they added the decals right in-between the 2 screws for the facemasks (and color-coded them - white with blue letters for the Cowboys, white with green letters for the Eagles, black with white letters for the Steelers, etc.) even though their design had no nose bumper at all. And MacGregor got out of the helmet business; their biggest sales rep - Bill Kelley, who really had the old Southwest and Big 8 conferences covered - purchased the tooling and kept making their helmet. They have the rubber snubber, but Kelley added a "Kelley" decal again positioned in-between the screws for the facemask, but his logos were always white with red lettering.
Riddell phases out the original Wildcat sweatbands for anything but the remaining suspension helmets (not sure when the suspension helmets were offically banned and went out of production) when they re-design their helmets in 1982 - the non-suspension helmets now have a solid foam forehead pad that is made in several sizes to help with the fit of the helmet. The sweatband/bumper now has a pocket for this pad. Riddell will continue to use this forehead pad design on all their various models through their Revolution helmets from the early 2000s.. They don't break from that forehead pad design until the first Speed helmets show up.
Man. You're never too old to learn something new. I had absolutely no idea that that's what nose bumpers were for. I, like the reader, assumed it was a form of shock absorber for the facemask and helmet and never thought twice about it. When you look at the old helmets it's more obvious that it was needed, but having grown up seeing and wearing newer-style helmets and facemasks I guess I just never saw the need to protect the nose in that manner. Fascinating!
The question about the nose bumpers was one I figured I cared little about, but your answer and history of their evolution was fascinating and informative. As always, I appreciate these columns!
The Eagles going blank-bumper results in an almost intentional looking connection between the wing decals. I dig it and really wish there was a way to add that last top white/black outline to marry them up
Great topics. Can't wait to forward your old "pinstripes" article. A classic.
As for the state with the best shape, I've got to go with Tennessee. Never liked Michigan's because the UP was part of Wisconsin's puzzle piece. Lastly: You didn't mention Chef MIMAL. That's got to count for something.
Regarding the dial-up internet sound, the last few seconds remind me of the sound of the ambassador’s phone getting fried as the nukes dropped in the 1964 movie “Fail Safe.” Recently watched that film again and Henry Fonda is so good as the President.
It wasn’t an actual concert, but....Spinal Tap lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel wearing a Sadaharu Oh Tokyo Giants jersey at a concert in Japan at the end of the movie was always a favorite.....
In terms of AI and sports writing, the baseline case is already there in game recaps. The AP is using AI to write about smaller college basketball games, like Stony Brook vs Norfolk St. OOTP, a baseball computer game, has been doing recaps for years, and even adding in fake quotes, which are just as bland as the normal quotes people give. I agree with the need to label it as such, but I think using it in recaps has already pretty well been decided.
Helmet design has always been an interest for me. Actually the Riddell Wildcat Sweatbands show up about 5-6 years earlier than 1973 - they show up on the early Riddell Micro-Fit helmets as an option since the Micro-Fit had an odd-shaped inflated forehead pad/cell. The original Micro-Fits have a design where some cells have foam inside them and can be inflated to customize the fit while other cells are pre-filled with an anti-freeze liquid. I've seen photos from 1969 with players having the sweatband added; by 1972 you'll see several players for both Miami and Washington with them in Super Bowl VII. But it seems like my memory as an 11-year-old was that 1973 was the "tipping point" where it becomes much more common. Riddell introduced a new helmet design called the PAC-3 which had strips of non-inflatable padded cells attached to the helmet - essentially circling the head with 2 more strips at the crown and an additional strip for the lower part of the back; they were not really sold with the rubber snubber, just the Wildcat. They also modified the Micro-Fit so the standard design had the PAC-3 style forehead padding but the rest of it was unchanged from the earlier models. Also I belived 1973 is the first year for the rounded Riddell logo still in use. It seems like Wildcat Sweatband became the "factory standard" and the rubber snubber became the "factory option" on the suspension/partial suspension helmets in 1973 as well; in prior years the snubber was "standard" and the Wildcat was the "option" on them.
Bike was the next manufacturer to use a padded snubber; it was part of their design (done by neurologists at the University of Michigan) when they came out in 1976 or 1977, and Rawlings adds them as well in 1977. By 1978 the two clear-shell manufacturers had been sold and their new owners decided to get in on the action by adding logo decals even though they didn't use the Wildcat-style bumper - Marietta was purchased and renamed MaxPro; they added the decals right in-between the 2 screws for the facemasks (and color-coded them - white with blue letters for the Cowboys, white with green letters for the Eagles, black with white letters for the Steelers, etc.) even though their design had no nose bumper at all. And MacGregor got out of the helmet business; their biggest sales rep - Bill Kelley, who really had the old Southwest and Big 8 conferences covered - purchased the tooling and kept making their helmet. They have the rubber snubber, but Kelley added a "Kelley" decal again positioned in-between the screws for the facemask, but his logos were always white with red lettering.
Riddell phases out the original Wildcat sweatbands for anything but the remaining suspension helmets (not sure when the suspension helmets were offically banned and went out of production) when they re-design their helmets in 1982 - the non-suspension helmets now have a solid foam forehead pad that is made in several sizes to help with the fit of the helmet. The sweatband/bumper now has a pocket for this pad. Riddell will continue to use this forehead pad design on all their various models through their Revolution helmets from the early 2000s.. They don't break from that forehead pad design until the first Speed helmets show up.
Man. You're never too old to learn something new. I had absolutely no idea that that's what nose bumpers were for. I, like the reader, assumed it was a form of shock absorber for the facemask and helmet and never thought twice about it. When you look at the old helmets it's more obvious that it was needed, but having grown up seeing and wearing newer-style helmets and facemasks I guess I just never saw the need to protect the nose in that manner. Fascinating!
The question about the nose bumpers was one I figured I cared little about, but your answer and history of their evolution was fascinating and informative. As always, I appreciate these columns!
The Eagles going blank-bumper results in an almost intentional looking connection between the wing decals. I dig it and really wish there was a way to add that last top white/black outline to marry them up
So many GREAT questions. Gee whiz.
Durene. I can hear Frank Costanza yelling that he wouldn’t be caught dead in Ban-Lon. I’d have liked to hear him say the line using Durene.
Great topics. Can't wait to forward your old "pinstripes" article. A classic.
As for the state with the best shape, I've got to go with Tennessee. Never liked Michigan's because the UP was part of Wisconsin's puzzle piece. Lastly: You didn't mention Chef MIMAL. That's got to count for something.
Regarding the dial-up internet sound, the last few seconds remind me of the sound of the ambassador’s phone getting fried as the nukes dropped in the 1964 movie “Fail Safe.” Recently watched that film again and Henry Fonda is so good as the President.
Skeuomorph… my lord, what an awesome word! Thanks for using it! Also, referring to “a man from Nantucket” made me laugh out loud. Thanks for that!
It wasn’t an actual concert, but....Spinal Tap lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel wearing a Sadaharu Oh Tokyo Giants jersey at a concert in Japan at the end of the movie was always a favorite.....
Man, that RI Fire Fighters shirt is just perfect!
Thanks for sharing the "Little Giants" item. What some people might not know is that the screenwriter, James Ferguson ("Ferg"), was a creative director at an ad agency in Chicago for McDonald's. Ferg's commercial "Perfect Season" (voiceover is Richard Dreyfus) was so popular he turned it into a screenplay, which became "Little Giants." https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=591002772&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS782US782&sxsrf=AM9HkKlh9aUXeGbDRhxYwRK3I9bNI65-vA:1702585637052&q=mcdonald%27s+little+league+football+commercial&tbm=vid&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiLtN_g4Y-DAxWqk4kEHeeTBtMQ0pQJegQICBAB&biw=1600&bih=742&dpr=1.6#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:05b046a3,vid:ouycGt0G52c,st:0
One interesting thing about Elton John: on his last performance at Dodger Stadium (2022), he wore a Dodgers-inspired robe!
In terms of AI and sports writing, the baseline case is already there in game recaps. The AP is using AI to write about smaller college basketball games, like Stony Brook vs Norfolk St. OOTP, a baseball computer game, has been doing recaps for years, and even adding in fake quotes, which are just as bland as the normal quotes people give. I agree with the need to label it as such, but I think using it in recaps has already pretty well been decided.