Skip to content
 

Leo’s World 50th Edition — Headgear Part 2

Posted in:

Good morning Uni Watchers, and a Happy Humpday to all.

Some quick housekeeping: We have two new Ticker Assistants who will be joining Jamie, and their names may be familiar to you as they are both long-time readers and contributors. Please welcome aboard Mike Engle and Susan Freeman. For this week (and possibly next), Mike will be doing today’s Ticker, and Susan will be taking over Friday’s Ticker. I’m still working on adding additional TA’s so we will have a new Ticker every weekday.

Today’s Ticker is now live.

Now then.

Leo Strawn, Jr. returns this morning for the final part of his 50th edition celebration. Last week, we celebrated the 50th Edition of Leo’s World. (ICYMI: Here’s Part 1 and here’s Part 2)

Those two posts dealt with Leo’s favorite uniforms, and yesterday he returned with the first part of his look at his favorite headgear. Today are his top 25 faves.

There’s a lot to get to, so I’m just going to turn it over to Leo right now as he brings you…

• • • • •

Leo’s World 50th Edition — Headgear Part 2
by Leo Strawn, Jr.

I’m Leo…welcome to my world!

Welcome back to a look at my 50 favorite pieces of sports headwear!

__________

25: I’ve liked these Texans helmets from day one. Nice logo, nice positioning on the sides. Clean, bold and balanced from every angle it’s viewed at.

__________

24: WFL San Antonio Wings had a design utilizing much of the helmet and featuring an abstract “W” in the front.

__________

23When considering what helmets are among my favorites, it doesn’t hurt that the first season Cincy wore these, they made their first Super Bowl appearance. I know these aren’t popular among everyone, but to me, it’s the perfect visual interpretation of the Bengals for a helmet and I loved the use of the entire helmet shell from day one.

__________

22: Instant classic, here. As I said about the Green Riders, in my opinion, the only flaw is that gap on the back.

__________

21: The Seattle Pilots had a very innovative baseball cap during their only season of existence. The scrambled eggs on the bill were a stroke of genius during an era in MLB when cap designers were becoming more creative. I think it looked great on the batting helmets, too. (Personal history note: I had that Boy’s Life issue featuring Mike Hegan and the Pilots when I was a kid.)

__________

20You could have probably guessed Oregon would make the list at some point. I generally like this design, though there are some variations that haven’t been my cup of tea. This one is my favorite.

__________

19: I have always cheered Army on when they play Navy, but I didn’t mind watching the Midshipmen make it 11 straight against the Black Knights in these beauties.

__________

18: My second favorite flaming helmet comes from Birmingham. To me, it looks good no matter the angle.

__________

17: I wish this league had been successful. I really liked some of the uniforms and helmets. Orlando’s helmets became an instant favorite of mine. Not often is a design essentially hidden on a frontal view and I like the graphic representation of Apollo and the number on the sides/back.

__________

16: Making full use of the helmet like Maryland could be a train wreck if not done right and I’m sure a lot of people think the Terps helmet is just that. Those same people might think similarly of the San Diego State helmets, but not me. Both are bold concepts, but I think the Aztecs pulled it off much better. The simpler color palette and the stripe dividing the two, full-graphic sides, necessary to create the circles for the calendar stone, I think make this look much, much cleaner. By default, it’s hard to see the details from a distance, though.

__________

15: No matter whether their home was Boston, New Orleans or Portland, the Breakers wore a helmet that has always been a favorite of mine and…the design connected in the back.

__________

14: Back to the diamond. I have always loved the letter “C” on this mid-70s Tribe cap.

__________

13: My favorite flaming helmet comes from Chicago. I loved that the fire sort of encircled the ear hole so the design could be represented much larger than it could have been otherwise and I think that the flame from the top and back of the helmet looked great, as well.

__________

12: The 1953 North Carolina Tarheels version that I included last week was obviously a copy of the Los Angeles Rams 1949 helmet. I like the Tarheels uniforms better, but I have to include the Rams helmet among my faves for the notched horns and the not-a-color-combo-we-associate-with-the-Rams palette.

__________

11: The one that started it all. I would love to make a mini-helmet version of this leather beauty. Even if I couldn’t get gloss paint to adhere, flat paint would and it could be a matte toy that someone might actually like.

__________

10: I think this is the perfect visual interpretation on a cap or helmet for a club known as the Angels. I’ve always loved the halo on the caps and I was stunned when I realized the batting helmets were painted so that the halo would reflect light.

__________

9: Jacksonville, like the Breakers, knew how to do it. Make the design connect in back, seam or no seam. Plus, the inclusion of the lettering around the back is a very nice touch and I love the color scheme.

__________

8: I’ve mentioned these before, but I haven’t mentioned that the original mission bell caps were a bit different. I know everyone’s probably familiar with the odd extra flair around the sides of the 1972 Padres caps. That flair was the first attempt to represent a bell, when viewed from the front. Another genius design that became one of my favorites from the first time I saw it.

__________

7: Iowa Barnstormers. Not only because of what I feel is a great design and color scheme, but this helmet is also high up on my favorites list because every time I see it, I can’t help but think of one of my favorite books, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach.

__________

6: The Larks again! No doubt inspired by the Eagles, I love the equally clean and bold look but I like the rounded shape and color of the Montreal wings better. Of the two versions of this, I like the second where the red goes all the way to the bottom of the front a bit more. Both are gorgeous to me, though. Side note: I have a rare OPI gumball helmet version of this.

__________

5: My jaw dropped when I first saw the Michigan Panthers wearing these. A design that runs off of the bottom of the helmet? Fantastic color scheme, too.

__________

4: In my humble opinion, the Pats should bring back the tricorn hat design. In 1960, Boston used it with and without numbers under the logo. They were only worn without numbers during preseason and this version is my favorite of the two. Much, much cleaner look with just the tricorn, I think. I also appreciated that early Patriots (1960-preseason 1964) helmets had simple red/white/red striping that mimicked stripes on the flag.

__________

3: Washington had another of those designs that’s not clearly visible from the front, but has a definite impact from any other angle. I was too young to recall seeing this when they were wearing it, but this has been a favorite of mine from the first time I saw a photo of it.

__________

2: These are my top two, more for personal rather than aesthetic reasons, though I do think both are beautiful designs. I detailed my grandpa’s gift of this cap to me when I was a wee lad in an earlier Leo’s World. The Reds weren’t wearing a red cap with a wishbone C at the time the Indians started wearing this design. It wasn’t long until Cleveland, Cincy and the Columbus Jets of the International League were all wearing wishbone Cs simultaneously, but this will always be my favorite of those, thanks to my grandpa.

__________

1: THE helmet is, like the helmet of the rivals from up north, iconic, love it or hate it. But I have a bit of personal history with THIS particular helmet, the very one pictured in these photographs. When I was in grade school, Rex Kern and the Super Sophomores from #1 OSU beat O.J. and the #2 ranked Trojans in the Rose Bowl to cap off the National Championship. Kern and I share the same hometown and Rex’s mom worked at the school I attended, taking lunch money from the students after we went through the lunch line. When we got back to school after Christmas break in 1969, there it was, sitting by the register, proudly displayed by his mother: The helmet Rex is pictured wearing below and that I had seen him wear on TV. That was quite a thrill for a kid from an Ohio-centric sport-loving family whose age could still be written with a single digit! It will forever be one of my favorite sports-related memories…and my favorite helmet.

* * *

I hope readers enjoyed these “my favorites” editions and got to know me better through this look at my favorite uniforms from last week and headwear from this week and the stories behind some of the choices!

I stated last week that I may put the honorable mentions together for a future Leo’s World, but I think I’ll skip that. 100 uniforms/caps/helmets was enough and I wouldn’t want to risk hurting any feelings by not including their personal favorite in my top 140. Another 40 wouldn’t help anyone to know me any better if these 100 didn’t, so…

Coming up, I’ll hit the stage, then the ice.

Until then…

Cheers!

• • • • •

Thanks, Leo! While I definitely don’t agree with you on as many helmets/caps as I did in your uniforms category, you nailed a good number here! Some of these are definitely hidden gems, and I’m sure there are at least some of our readers who may be seeing several of these for the first time. Looking forward to what you have in store next!

Readers? What say you?

 

 
  
 

Uniform and Logo Concepts and Tweaks

Time for more Uni Tweaks from the UW readership.

I hope you guys like this feature and will want to continue to submit your concepts and tweaks to me. If you do, Shoot me an E-mail (Phil (dot) Hecken (at) gmail (dot) com).

• • • • •
Today’s concepts come from Dan Rerko.

Good afternoon,

It’s my first time reaching out in quite a while, but I have found myself so completely underwhelmed by the Utah hockey situation. I’ve been wracking my brain to try and think of something that wouldn’t be blocked by a trademark like Yeti or is so eminently boring like Outlaws. I think I’ve come up with a viable name, but I am limited by my non-existent graphic design skills, so please bear with me.

The Utah Archers

To do the “storytelling,” when I think of Utah, I think of Mormons (weird for hockey), snow/skiing (what the team seems to be focused on), and Arches National Park.

The beautiful colors, gravity-defying rock formations, and landscape that is not replicated anywhere else but Utah.

Utah also embraces the culture of the Ute tribe, especially seen in University of Utah. A cursory Google search reveals that archery was a key to the way of life for the Utes. While Native American imagery is in no way integral to the design, it enhances the local connection.

I will be the first to say that I am not a graphic designer. I do not have the skill to put together a full complement of logos that this design requires. With that said, I’ve put together a couple of primary logo concepts around this identity.

First concept: Current color scheme

Second concept: More “arches” color scheme

I pulled the colors from this image:

Thanks for your time. I’ve had this idea rolling around in my head since the team relocated, and I think it is a concept that has some legs. With some clean-ups and a few secondary logos (I have ideas but not the talent), this could be a unique look for the NHL’s newest team.

Thanks,

Dan

• • • • •

OK readers (and concepters). If you have some tweaks or concepts, shoot ’em my way with a brief description of your creation and I’ll run ’em here.

 

 

Guess the Game from the Scoreboard

Guess The Game…

…From The Scoreboard

Today’s scoreboard comes from Tom Washington.

The premise of the game (GTGFTS) is simple: I’ll post a scoreboard and you guys simply identify the game depicted. In the past, I don’t know if I’ve ever completely stumped you (some are easier than others).

Here’s the Scoreboard. In the comments below, try to identify the game (date and location, as well as final score). If anything noteworthy occurred during the game, please add that in (and if you were AT the game, well bonus points for you!):

Please continue sending these in! You’re welcome to send me any scoreboard photos (with answers please), and I’ll keep running them.

 

 

Guess the Game from the Uniform


Based on the suggestion of long-time reader/contributor Jimmy Corcoran, we’ve introduced a new “game” on Uni Watch, which is similar to the popular “Guess the Game from the Scoreboard” (GTGFTS), only this one asked readers to identify the game based on the uniforms worn by teams.

Like GTGFTS, readers will be asked to guess the date, location and final score of the game from the clues provided in the photo. Sometimes the game should be somewhat easy to ascertain, while in other instances, it might be quite difficult. There will usually be a visual clue (something odd or unique to one or both of the uniforms) that will make a positive identification of one and only one game possible. Other times, there may be something significant about the game in question, like the last time a particular uniform was ever worn (one of Jimmy’s original suggestions). It’s up to YOU to figure out the game and date.

Today’s GTGFTU comes from Mets 69 Nice!.

Good luck and please post your guess/answer in the comments below.

 

 

And finally...

…that’s going to do it for the early lede. As always, big THANKS to Mr. Strawn for another really fun Leo’s World.

Please be sure to check out the Ticker debut of Mike Engle later this morning. I think you’ll find he’ll be doing an outstanding job as one of our new Ticker Assistants! Aside from the Ticker, I’ll have at least three more articles today, so be sure to check back often!

Everyone have a good Wednesday and I’ll catch you right back here tomorrow.

Till then …

Peace,

PH

Comments (43)

    GTGFTS (and also a quasi-GTGFTU)
    Week 1 of 2007 season
    Adrian Peterson rushes for 15 yards on the play
    Two plays later, AP catches a short pass and runs 60 yards to put the game effectively out of reach.
    Vikings win going away 24-3

    I never made the connection between the Padres caps and bells! Mind blown! Thank you, Leo!

    Good stuff, as always.

    Me neither! Just a master stroke of design, sad I never noticed it earlier.

    I like those Archers logo. I like it a lot better than Yeti as a nickname.

    Oops, just re-read this. I meant to say “starting in the late 1960s”…those SD caps are from the 1970s.

    Love the list!
    Leo, any idea why OSU wore yellow numbers on the back of their helmets in ’69?

    Good question. That was the 1968 season, so it was the first year wearing gray helmet shells again after wearing red for the previous two. But I have no idea why they went with yellow numbers on back.

    GTGFTU – Mets beat Miami 4-0 on August 17, 2024. Luis Severino throws a complete game shut out.

    That Navy helmet is just spectacular, and should be their full time look.
    Barnstormers helmet is also great, surprised you didn’t give Kurt Warner a shoutout. Those helmets take me back to the mid 90s glory days of the arena league when it was newish, unique, and something fun to watch.
    That SDSU helmet is certainly a cool and unique design, but I would say their “AZTECS” helmet that also features the spear in place of the center stripe is masterful design itself.

    I always loved the Breakers’ lids. I don’t like the “new” version near as well.

    The unforms and helmets of the original USFL were really nice for the most part. For helmets, I also liked the Washington Federals and agree the Michigan Panthers helmets were mind blowing, both with the color combo and design. I also really like the Oakland Invaders helmet.

    thank you for explaining the bell on the padres hat, had no idea. side comment, concerning the halo hat, when I was a kid I loved the movie the sandlot and thought the movie is so aesthetically appeasing. my favorite character was bertram grover weeks, especially how his narrated future at the end wasn’t as cookie cutter as the rest. I loved that the movie had him wearing a hat of, at the time, the new expansion team. And just like the character evolves, the franchise evolves from la to ca.

    A great movie…for me probably one of my top ten favorite sports movies. Definitely worth your time.

    If you’ve ever heard anyone say “You’re killing me, Smalls”, that’s a quote from this movie.

    I think the Texans helmet should have the logo on the right side have the “large” side of the bull (with the star) in navy, and the logo on the left side have the “large” side of the bull in red. As if the right side of the bull is navy and the left side of the bull is red, and as we are looking head-on, we can see that difference. I don’t think I am explaining that clearly, but I think it would be a cool touch. It may not be allowed by the NFL since it would technically be two different logos on the helmet.

    I understand what you’re saying but it’s technically not two different logos. The Ravens have the same issue. On the right side of the Baltimore helmet the B is swept towards the back. On the left side the B is swept forward. It’s always irked me and looks ridiculous.

    Right side: link

    Left side: link

    great idea for a list. curious as to why there were no hockey goalie masks on it. maybe you’re just not a fan? cheers.

    My focus was on team headwear so it never even crossed my mind, tbh.

    I don’t watch much hockey these days aside from an occasional Blue Jackets game, so I wouldn’t even have a clue what anyone wears. The only hockey mask that I can even think of was Gerry Cheevers of the Bruins. I was a big Boston fan when I was a kid and it was Orr, Esposito and crew.

    link

    Like I told d., above, my focus was on team headwear so players wearing individual caps never even crossed my mind. I didn’t even know that was a thing in soccer, never heard of it before. I don’t think I’ve watched any soccer aside from World Cup since NASL and MISL days. I don’t even watch the Crew.

    Cheers!

    Haha my comment was made mostly in jest, but on second thought I wouldn’t have been surprised at all to see something similar on these lists as I feel like it would fit in with your tastes.

    While I normally don’t like anything reflective on a sports uniform, I make an exception for that Navy helmet.

    Other than the Outlaws and Gunslingers, I think every USFL helmet would be near the top of my list. Your three choices were my favorites as well.

    And I love both Fire helmets. Been a while since I brought this up, so I’ll share again… until I found out the Fire played in Chicago, I thought they were a New York team. The flame looked like a fancy “NY” to me.

    Thanks for another great list!

    Sorry Jimmer, but I gotta show some love to the Outlaws’ helmet. True, it lacks much color, but the vaguely cross-shaped desperado was menacing and creatively anti-Cowboy. I also appreciate the effort of using mirrored decals so the knot was always facing rear.

    I always loved that “Caveman” C. I wish the Guards would bring it back in some fashion.

    I have three “caveman” C caps. Unfortunately they all have the New Era makers mark on them. But I love the caps because 1) that’s what the Indiana wore the year I was born and 2) it’s a rare occasion that someone sees it and recognizes it (I live out of state these days).

    Sweating the details of the Padres’ and Pilots’ hats made me create new terminology to describe cap design.
    What appears on the front of the cap (say, the interlocking NY) is what I think of as the “hard” logo; details like the Angels’ halo or the curvy bell outlines of San Diego are “soft” trademarks. I wish more teams would include soft artwork on their caps, like red designs on the sides of a red hat to create a design in relief.

    Great work on the list, Leo!
    Fyi, I have the complete set of 1966-67 OPI CFL gumball helmets. BC’s lion’s paw helmet is one of my favourites. They changed it to the profile of the growling lion with the letters BC extending out of it in 1967. Also in 1967, Calgary changed from simply having the player number on their helmet to the horse that they still wear today. My collection includes both versions of each.

    Nice! Good to hear from another collector!

    I had opportunity over the years to collect all the CFL helmets online, one or a few at a time mostly, but all I really wanted from north of the border was that Als OPI.

    Cheers!

    There already IS a ream by the name of Utah Archers: the Premier Lacrosse League team based in Salt Lake City.

    I can’t imagine looking at the actual Rex Kern helmet with my own two eyes. What an experience! I’m an Ohio native, an Ohio State alum and a complete homer. I would freak for that opportunity.

    What are your feelings on the 1967 helmets? There are no major Buckeye memories associated with them but aesthetically I’ve always loved the look of those scarlet helmets with that unique stripe pattern.

    I told my dad about it that night and he even left work on lunch break the next day to come to West school to see it.

    1967 is another one of those “I don’t really remember those when they were wearing these” helmets, so maybe that gave me a fresh perspective when I finally did see pics of them as an adult. I do like them. Weird seeing them in anything but gray helmets, though.

    Cheers!

    I’ve always loved the Buckeyes unis, save for that helmet. I absolutely hate merit decals on a helmet. It takes away from the team sport aesthetic. Then again, OSU having the buckeye decals is sort of the helmet design in and of itself. I guess they would look odd sans decals.

    Pretty sure he was one of the first to use them. Not sure how many teams were doing that when Woody first did in 1967 on the red helmets. I don’t even remember those as a kid, the 1968 team was the first Buckeye team I have any memory of and Rex was a big reason why. I can’t imagine them wearing THE helmet plain on both sides for a whole season. Seems weird and somehow sacrilegious.

    Cheers!

    I always thought 1967 was the first year for the Buckeyes, but according to this ESPN piece (not by Paul) from 2008, they were first put on the helmets in 1968

    link

    Leo, you made my day with the Seattle Pilots caps! That was the first *real* fitted cap I bought – wool, made by Roman Pro – at a collectibles shop on the suburban Kansas side of KC. I was 15 and had a paper route, and I hadn’t spent much the night before at the Royals’ game (saw Cal Ripken Jr. very early in his streak). My mom about stroked, “$16.99 for a hat?” but my dad really liked its scrambled eggs bill, just said, “Your money.” Unfortunately, my head grew an eighth size a few years later, so I clipped the back, but later in life some moths/millers or possibly mice got a hold of it. That shop had the halo Angels cap as well.

    That’s cool! Such a rare cap, being only used for one year, I’m surprised anyone could even buy one in the early 80s.

    I remember the Pilots pretty well, probably thanks to the Boys’ Life issue that featured them, and I was disappointed when I found out the next year they were playing in Milwaukee.

    Cheers!

    Oh sorry, Leo! I didn’t realize there was a Part 2 coming when I commented on Part 1. EVERY one of these mentioned today is GREAT.

Comments are closed.