Classic uniforms are classics for a reason. The Yankees. The Canadiens. The Packers. The Celtics. Other than a few minor tweaks here and there, those uniforms have been virtually untouched for years. And part of what makes them so iconic is that they link the generations. Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James didn't just play for the same team. They all wore the same uniform. Ted Williams and David Ortiz played for the Red Sox 70 years apart, but they might as well have been teammates. The uniform hasn't changed.
There are plenty of iconic looks in college football, too. For all those wacky combinations Oregon comes up with and the alternate uniforms that different teams wear on seemingly a weekly basis, giving them God knows how many different helmets over the course of the season, there are still some things that are sacred. Schools might experiment with third (or fourth) jerseys or try other various different uniform elements, but they don't touch the helmet. It's the thing that links the generations.
So, in honor of college football's 150th anniversary, (and inspired by a post I saw on ESPN.com today,) I'm going to do something I don't frequently do. I'm dedicating an entire post to college football (which only seems appropriate with the conference championship games coming up this weekend). Here's my top 10 of the iconic college football helmets. The ones you immediately know as soon as you see them.
10. (tie) Nebraska: Yes, I'm cheating and have two No. 10s. That's because I couldn't decide between Nebraska and the next school you'll see. Nebraska's helmets are one of those iconic ones I was talking about. Nice and simple. A red N on a white helmet with a red stripe down the middle. Nothing crazy. And it works. Even after they changed conferences, the helmets stayed the same.
10. (tie) Miami: I almost docked Miami and booted them from the top 10 because of the crazy font on the numbers and because they can't decide between a green and an orange jersey (orange, always orange). But I just couldn't do it. It's "The U." And Vinny Testaverde, Michael Irvin, Ray Lewis and all the others wore that U on their helmets. (And, since the helmet is the main criterion here, the Hurricanes and Huskers tie.)
9. Florida State: It might not be PC, but that spear and feather is exactly what I mean by iconic. You know immediately that you're looking at Florida State's helmet. And they put those little tomahawk stickers on the back, too. They haven't really changed the other uniform elements, either, other than changing the font and other minor tweaks every once in a while.
8. Texas: Texas, on the other hand, I'm not sure if they've ever changed anything about their football uniforms. Least of all those beautiful helmets. Solid white with the burnt orange longhorn and the giant numbers in back. I think the numbers were above the longhorn at one point, but that was a long time ago. All those great Texas running backs wore essentially the exact same uniform.
7. Ohio State: Is there obnoxious insistence on being called "THE Ohio State University" annoying? Absolutely! But you can't argue that their uniforms are a classic look. I don't think Ohio State has ever bothered with an alternate jersey, either. It's hard to tell because of the 7,000 buckeye stickers every player has, but the helmets are actually plain silver on both sides. Of course, if there was a logo there, they wouldn't have nearly as much room for THE buckeye stickers!
6. Oklahoma: When I was looking for pictures to include, I saw a reverse version of the Oklahoma helmet. I hope they haven't ever actually worn it. Because if they have, I might have to reconsider ranking Oklahoma this high. And their classic helmets are so pretty! They're essentially the same as Alabama's with two important differences: the OU logo and the lack of a stripe. The crimson and white just look so good together that they don't need anything else.
5. Penn State: Remember the uproar when Penn State wanted to add names to the jerseys a few years ago? That's what ranks as a uniform controversy in Happy Valley. (As we know, they're unfortunately not immune to other types of controversy.) Anyway, I'm glad they went back to the no-name look. It has nothing to do with the helmet, but it adds to the simplistic look that works so well.
4. USC: O.J. Simpson, Marcus Allen and Reggie Bush all made the Trojan warrior shine on Saturday afternoons at the LA Coliseum. Sure, you can see the same basic red and gold uniforms at any high school in America. But you add in Southern California sunshine and a historic program and you've got something that becomes iconic. For all of Hollywood's glitz and glamour, USC has shown us that sometimes less is more.
3. Alabama: Bear Bryant's houndstooth fedora is in its own category of classic. And that hat combined with these uniforms helped give the Crimson Tide their iconic look. In the old days, everybody had numbers on the side of the helmet. Now nobody does. Except for Alabama. It's their trademark. And it's become such a part of their identity that you can't picture their helmets without them. It's like trying to picture a logo on the Cleveland Browns' helmets. You can do it, but it seems so wrong.
2. Notre Dame: Numbers 1 and 2 were easy, although the order is up for debate. And you could easily reverse them and get no argument from me. However, Notre Dame doesn't wear the gold helmets exclusively anymore, so they drop to the 2-spot. But, seriously, is there anything more iconic of college football than Notre Dame's solid gold helmet that matches the school's golden dome? I know they don't do it anymore, but the fact that the helmets were all hand-painted the night before the game (and they put actual 24-karat gold in the paint!) so that they would glisten that much more is just another thing that adds to the aura of Notre Dame football.
1. Michigan: They weren't the first to wear the winged helmet (Princeton was). They aren't the only team to wear it, either. But the design will always be associated, first and foremost, with Michigan. The Wolverines have worn them since 1938, and they're arguably the most iconic helmets in college football. In fact, it's Michigan's entire visual identity. They have the same design on their hockey, baseball, softball and lacrosse helmets, too. That's knowing your brand and running with it! Just like that baby blue argyle pattern screams "North Carolina," the maize and blue winged helmet screams "Michigan." And it always will.
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