The Helmet Project
Encyclopedia
The Helmet Project is a website which illustrates the evolution of the gridiron football
helmets
since 1960. This year was chosen as a cut-off point as hard-shell helmets had fully replaced obsolete leather headgear by this point, plus there are very few color photographs that illustrate football helmets from before then. Charles Arey of Atlanta, Georgia
designed the site and continues to maintain it.
, and has since expanded to cover the NAIA
, National Football League
and NFL Europe
, Canadian Football League
, Arena Football League and af2
, the United Football League, and Canadian Interuniversity Sport
. Defunct professional football leagues such as the WFL
, USFL
, and XFL
have also been added.
Not included are the women's football
leagues, minor indoor football leagues, semi-pro leagues, or high school football
. Several similar website
s have been created by fans
of THP to cover these leagues:
).
All helmets were drawn from a standard template
, which shows a full facemask style in use since the 1980s. This design has been criticised for not correctly illustrating the style of face guards in use before then. Arey has responded that he is more interested in correctly illustrating the color of the facemask than its shape, which was often seen in several different configurations simultaneously depending on the equipment manufacturer as well as the player's position and personal preference. (Example: Quarterback
Joe Theismann
's use of the single bar facemask throughout his career, even though it was usually worn only by placekicker
s by this point.)
Facemask issues notwithstanding, Arey often requires photographic evidence, or preferably a copy of the actual logo and stripe pattern, before adding a design to the website. Helmets that Arey is unable to illustrate are denoted by a blank helmet with a question mark
or plus sign depending on how much information Arey requires to correctly illustrate it. In many instances, low-resolution scans of pictures illustrating helmet designs that Arey is unable to reproduce are included in a separate section.
Arey's artwork also was used for a special glossy section of the ESPN
College Football Encyclopedia (ISBN 1-4013-3703-1) though the designs were modified to illustrate appropriate face gear for the era. Arey's designs were also used on the front and back cover in unmodified form.
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
helmets
Football helmet
A football helmet is a protective device used primarily in American football and Canadian football. It consists of a hard plastic top with thick padding on the inside, a face mask made of one or more plastic bars, and a chinstrap. Some players add polycarbonate visors to their helmets, which are...
since 1960. This year was chosen as a cut-off point as hard-shell helmets had fully replaced obsolete leather headgear by this point, plus there are very few color photographs that illustrate football helmets from before then. Charles Arey of Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
designed the site and continues to maintain it.
Leagues
THP began in 1999 covering NCAA college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, and has since expanded to cover the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
, National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
, Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, Arena Football League and af2
Af2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
, the United Football League, and Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
. Defunct professional football leagues such as the WFL
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
, USFL
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
, and XFL
XFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
have also been added.
Not included are the women's football
Women's football
Women's football can mean one of the following:* Women's Australian rules football* Women's American football* Women's association football* Women's rugby union* Women's rugby league* Ladies' Gaelic football...
leagues, minor indoor football leagues, semi-pro leagues, or high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
. Several similar website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
s have been created by fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
of THP to cover these leagues:
- The Georgia High School Helmet Project http://www.gahelmetproject.com/.
- Helmets, Helmets, Helmets http://www.misterhabs.com/helmets.htm.
- Hoosier (Indiana) High School Helmet Project http://hickoryhusker.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=938&CID=142015.
- Michigan High School Helmet Project http://www.michiganhelmetproject.org/.
- Pennsylvania High School Helmet Project http://www.pahelmetproject.com.
- Ohio High School Helmet Project http://www.ohiohelmetproject.com/main.htm.
- Tennessee High School Helmet Project http://www.hsfdatabase.com/tnhshelmets.htm.
- Winnipeg High School Football League's Helmet Project http://www.whsfl.ca/.
- California High School Helmet Project http://www.californiahelmetproject.com.
- European leagues .
Illustrations
All helmets are illustrated in 160x106 pixel GIF's. In all instances, the illustrations are in three-quarters profile of the left side of the helmet. This has created problems in instances where a team uses logos on the right side only (i.e. Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
).
All helmets were drawn from a standard template
Template
Template may mean:*a stencil, pattern or overlay used in graphic arts and sewing to replicate letters, shapes or designs...
, which shows a full facemask style in use since the 1980s. This design has been criticised for not correctly illustrating the style of face guards in use before then. Arey has responded that he is more interested in correctly illustrating the color of the facemask than its shape, which was often seen in several different configurations simultaneously depending on the equipment manufacturer as well as the player's position and personal preference. (Example: Quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Joe Theismann
Joe Theismann
Joseph Robert "Joe" Theismann is a former quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League . He achieved his most enduring fame in his 12 seasons playing for the Washington Redskins, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and quarterback of the winning team in Super Bowl XVII...
's use of the single bar facemask throughout his career, even though it was usually worn only by placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
s by this point.)
Facemask issues notwithstanding, Arey often requires photographic evidence, or preferably a copy of the actual logo and stripe pattern, before adding a design to the website. Helmets that Arey is unable to illustrate are denoted by a blank helmet with a question mark
Question mark
The question mark , is a punctuation mark that replaces the full stop at the end of an interrogative sentence in English and many other languages. The question mark is not used for indirect questions...
or plus sign depending on how much information Arey requires to correctly illustrate it. In many instances, low-resolution scans of pictures illustrating helmet designs that Arey is unable to reproduce are included in a separate section.
The Helmet Project in other media
Arey authorizes all non-commercial use of his artwork, as well as their use in college media kits and game programs. As such, Arey's illustrations are widely seen on football related websites and publications. http://www.draftnotebook.com/about_us.htm http://www.sharmafootballrankings.com/ http://catamountsports.cstv.com/genrel/011305aao.html http://www.iaafootball.com/http://www.touchdownclub.org/helmetstoday.htmArey's artwork also was used for a special glossy section of the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
College Football Encyclopedia (ISBN 1-4013-3703-1) though the designs were modified to illustrate appropriate face gear for the era. Arey's designs were also used on the front and back cover in unmodified form.
External links
- The Helmet Project
- Here's using your head - 2001 article about the website from the Spokesman-ReviewSpokesman-ReviewThe Spokesman-Review is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Spokane, Washington, where it is the city's only daily publication. It has the third highest readership among daily newspapers in Washington, with most of its readership base in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.-History:The...
(Spokane, WA)Spokane, WashingtonSpokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...