The History Of Michigan’s Iconic Football Helmet

The Michigan football program has always been all business, no games. It's the reason it doesn't have a lovable mascot prowling the sideline during games in the fall —  It would be foolish and unrepresentative of the program's character. But Wolverines football does have one piece of iconic flare to it: the winged helmet.

Helmets weren't officially required in college football until 1939, but many players began wearing them throughout the 1920s and into the 30s. The helmets were simple. They were made of leather, thus donning the washed-brown color of the material. Sometimes, these helmets had black accents on the top as well. The helmets were more akin to a hat than a modern-day helmet and offered little in the way of protection, but it was better than no helmet at all. Michigan legends like Bennie Oosterbaan wore these in their time with Michigan.

The winged helmet that was introduced in 1938 bears a striking resemblance to the ones of today. Through all the technical advancements and stylistic changes that nearly a century has brought upon football, Michigan has stayed faithful to its design. The block of maize with pointed edges converges to a point on the sides, as stripes emerge vertically, stretching from the front to the back of the helmet.

The design of the helmet is ultimately credited to Fritz Crisler in 1938. Crisler was the football coach and athletic director at the time, as well as becoming the eventual namesake for the Michigan basketball arena. He brought the idea of the design with him from Princeton, where he had previously coached, and decided to spice up the Wolverines' plain, black helmets. It was also used to test a popular working theory that having brighter helmets would help the quarterback identify the receivers better.

Originally, the wing was supposed to provide extra support and padding to the helmet. But while the technology outpaced the need for the "wing" on the front, the Wolverines didn't abandon what had already become an iconic part of their brand. They instead opted to continue painting the design on the helmet.

Among the first to wear the iconic helmet was Tom Harmon, Michigan's first Heisman Trophy winner. He was a freshman when the helmets debuted in 1938 and won the award in 1940. 

While the design as a whole hasn't changed since 1938, there have been plenty of small tweaks over the years, some sticking for many seasons, others fleeting.

In the late 50s into the mid-60s, players wore their numbers on their helmets. Eventually, this practice faded, but was notably revived for a game against Notre Dame in 2011 (pictured above).

Some coaches added small helmet stickers as well, signifying rewards within the program. Whether for an outstanding practice or a good deed, the stickers were a form of motivation. Bo Schembechler was the first to use this tactic in the 70s. Jim Harbaugh also used helmet stickers when he came back to coach in 2015.

There have been many other small tweaks through the decades. Whether it was changing the wing size or length or the number of stripes, the helmet never stayed exactly the same for long. But the look stays — it has to. The winged helmet has become synonymous with Michigan football, and the perseverance of the design through time is the perfect representation of the never-wavering image the program wants to project.