I found this on Ebay. It is a program from 1985. Can anyone explain the different color helments (why)? Also, I did not think it was called Cyclone Stadium and Jack Trice field back then.
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- Thread starter redrocker
- Start date
This was one of those "brilliant" ideas from our football past. As keep said, one player (or more, not 100% certain) for each game got a different color helment based on the previous week's game and/or practice - for good play and hard work, etc.
Gave the defense a great chance to key on our better players.
Gave the defense a great chance to key on our better players.
Was that from the previous week, or did they have a bunch of helments on the side line for switching out:wink:
In case anyone's interested, I also ruled it un'intelligent.' Why put a giant bullseye on your best player's head?
To be somewhat fair, it wasn't always our best player. Just someone that worked the hardest in the previous game and/or that week's practice.
From what I understand.
From what I understand.
Why oh why couldn't we have just done helmet stickers? Less hassle, less "bullseye," more motivation to actually do something.
Are not having different color helmets opening your team up to a racial/prejudicial lawsuits at some point? For instance, the Hawk qb might wear a pink helmet and he might be sued by a another Hawk lineman who wanted to wear a pink hlelmet instead of say old grunge brown. It could get nasty in practice.
Pulled this from an article, I found describing Criners reason.
"In the 1960s, when the Washington Huskies wore plain gold helmets, players who graded out to some absurdly high level on defense would be awarded a purple helmet for the next game. So you'd have most of the team wearing gold, but one or two guys a game on defense would be outfitted in purple."
• That innovation later spread to Iowa State, as Chris Andringa explains: "In the mid-1980s, ISU head coach Jim Criner instituted an 'award helmet,' instead of merit decals. ISU's helmet at the time was a yellow shell with a red stripe and logo; the award helmet was a red shell with yellow stripe and logo. In a 1983 newspaper article, Criner said, 'By providing a different-colored helmet, you won't see running backs and wide receivers with 10,000 decals on their helmets and some ol' offensive and defensive linemen, who do the majority of the work, with nothing on their helmets.' According to the 1985 ISU football media guide, 'Yes, using two different-colored helmets is legal. The players simply are required to wear matching jerseys.' Of course, this made scouting easy for the opponent -- just find the guys in red helmets and key on them."
"In the 1960s, when the Washington Huskies wore plain gold helmets, players who graded out to some absurdly high level on defense would be awarded a purple helmet for the next game. So you'd have most of the team wearing gold, but one or two guys a game on defense would be outfitted in purple."
• That innovation later spread to Iowa State, as Chris Andringa explains: "In the mid-1980s, ISU head coach Jim Criner instituted an 'award helmet,' instead of merit decals. ISU's helmet at the time was a yellow shell with a red stripe and logo; the award helmet was a red shell with yellow stripe and logo. In a 1983 newspaper article, Criner said, 'By providing a different-colored helmet, you won't see running backs and wide receivers with 10,000 decals on their helmets and some ol' offensive and defensive linemen, who do the majority of the work, with nothing on their helmets.' According to the 1985 ISU football media guide, 'Yes, using two different-colored helmets is legal. The players simply are required to wear matching jerseys.' Of course, this made scouting easy for the opponent -- just find the guys in red helmets and key on them."
The yellow helmet was to signify to the defense the only player who was any good on the team. Just made it easier for them to keep track of that one guy.
redrocker, if you are looking for a program from that era, I will give you one. About the helmets, it wasn't week to week, I think once you had the red helmet you kept it the rest of the year. I have tons of slides from those days so I will try to scan some and get them posted, but I think there were multiple guys having the red helmets at the same time. Steve, isn't that the way you remember it?? Also, like you, I heard the players didn't like it.
I found this on Ebay. It is a program from 1985. Can anyone explain the different color helments (why)? Also, I did not think it was called Cyclone Stadium and Jack Trice field back then.
Criner should have given the red helmets to the bad players to really foul up the opposition.
I think I have to stand up for Criner a little bit because I always hear him getting trashed. He won a national championship at Boise State before we hired him. At that time of course they were 1-AA. He has had success in Europe and he also coached at Sacramento in whatever league it was they played in.
I was at the press conference where he was introduced. It was in a smallish room and there were probably 100 people there. This was to replace Duncan who people always claimed was way too predictable on offense. The first question from the media was "what type of offense will you run?" and Criner replied "unpredictable" and the room erupted with applause.
He also said that day, and it was the first time I had ever heard it, that "offense wins games and defense wins championships". I doubt he was the first to say it but it was the first time I had heard that. I've only heard it a billion times since then.
for freaks sake, no wonder this program has had logo and color identity issues even up until the changes made for next year! ISU couldn't even have a team with all having the same colored helmets. Does the NBA still have players in the All-Star game wear jerseys of their respective teams during the game?
