JayMac Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I have been on many sites where there are timelines of NFL helmets throughout the history of the league. I am curious...is there a certain year in the 70's where every team changed from the throwback one bar to the more modern face mask look? Or did each team change in different years in that decade? I know players like kickers and punters were still wearing the single bar well into the 90's and 00's because they were grandfathered. For most players, it was definitely the 70's. Anyone have any knowledge about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infrared41 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 If memory serves, the changeover didn't happen all at once. I seem to recall some teams going to more "modern" facemasks sooner than others. Again, if memory serves, the Chiefs seemed to be one of the early leaders in "cage" masks, etc. But that's just how I remember it. It was a very long time ago. There may have been an actual rule change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ageseeasy Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Spam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Spam... Actually, felony. On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said: She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bouj Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Awesome, let's commit massive federal and international fraud! <-- sarcasm for the authorities.Back to the facemasks, it seems like there were some teams that didn't get dragged into the cage style masks until the late 70's. It must have been team-by-team. It would be a good research project. Go Astros!Go Texans!Go Rockets!Go Javelinas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in KY Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I'm assuming you mean game-use helmets, not drawings/logos/stylesheet artwork/etc.Check out http://www.helmethut.com - they are real authorities on this.At any rate you will see the original "cow-catcher" style cage masks made by Schutt date back to the late 50s - as players were looking for more protection than the one-bar and two-bar plastic masks (primarily made by Riddell, but other companies had variations). Here's one from the late 50s - yes, that is a "natural" brown rubber coating:By the early 1960s that same style was still around but now covered in gray vinyl - I remember seeing photos of Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston of the Packers wearing ones like this(but will the full-length center bar) this in the early 1960s; Joe Namath wore one exactly like this for the last few years of career (including his last season with the Rams):It was really in the early 60s when you started to see the majority of linemen and linebackers wearing the cages; by the middle 1960s the cow-catchers were replaced by a more "modern" style as the 60s wore on - here is an OPO cage for backs/receivers (left photo) and a full cage (right photo):In the 1960s and 70s there were the Dunguard masks - these were cast aluminum and also vinyl coated - Dunguards were eventually banned because they screwed directly to the helmet at the top so they didn't flex and caused some neck injuries:By the end of the 1960s you were starting to more and more quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, and defensive backs wearing at least the OPO-style metal masks. The plastic masks were outlawed for most positions except kickers by the very early 1980s but players who began their careers in the 60s and 70s could retain their plastic masks for several seasons. Eventually they even made the position players change to metal masks - I recall seeing Steve Largent get blasted in the mid-80s, shattering his blue-painted Riddell 2-bar mask. After that, it was only kickers and punters until fairly recently. I'm not sure if they have been outlawed or if those old masks will really only fit on a Riddell VSR-4 shell or a Schutt Air Advantage shell - obviously they can't be attached to a Revolution, Revo Speed, Schutt Ion or DNA. I'm not sure if they would fit correctly on a Schutt Air XP shell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 The last of the single bars that I can recall was Sean Landeta. This pic is from 2001, but he wore it in 2002 and also in his brief comeback with the Eagles in 2005. Not sure if he was the last, but he's the last I noticed. "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy! Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Former Arizona Cardinals punter Scott Player wore the single bar until a few years ago ('08 I believe). "I secretly hope people like that hydroplane into a wall." - Dennis "Big Sexy" Ittner POTD - 7/3/14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Kane Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Teddy Ginn wore a Duper esque mask up until recently...not sure if he's still allowed to wear this, I'd assume yes.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Former Arizona Cardinals punter Scott Player wore the single bar until a few years ago ('08 I believe). My god Hogan got small once the roids wore off. "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtrich11 Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Former Arizona Cardinals punter Scott Player wore the single bar until a few years ago ('08 I believe). IIRC, his mask was loose and he would wiggle it into place, usually down by his chin like this. I just wanna know how this was legal. He was a kicker, but it's still dangerous. cafepress.com/artbyrichards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyopokes2 Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Former Arizona Cardinals punter Scott Player wore the single bar until a few years ago ('08 I believe). Scott PlayerIIRC, his mask was loose and he would wiggle it into place, usually down by his chin like this. I just wanna know how this was legal. He was a kicker, but it's still dangerous.Still rocking it even in the UFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sport Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Check out this pictureWith the facemask, the long sleeves, the baggier pants, he looks like he's 40 years late. Also, it bugged me when Gary Anderson kicked for the Titans and he used a gray "facemask" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Former Arizona Cardinals punter Scott Player wore the single bar until a few years ago ('08 I believe). No chinstrap either. That dude was hardcore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Former Arizona Cardinals punter Scott Player wore the single bar until a few years ago ('08 I believe). No chinstrap either. That dude was hardcore! I despise that ridiculous "chin mask" look. It's surprising he never got a forearm in the face on a kickoff.About the chinstrap, that pic must be before the rule that requires all players to have their chinstraps fastened before a play starts. Jim O'Brien would have rated a penalty on his SB V game-winner under today's rules (look closely and you can see it hanging unsnapped). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Pro players decided on what facemask they would wear and often took the helmet with them when they were traded to another team where it was re-painted.The single bar mask began to do a fast fade in the pros by late 1960s. In college football, you rarely saw single bar masks by the mid-1960s. One notable exception was Terry McMillan who played QB for Missouri and wore a single bar "horseshoe" mask from 1967-69, very unusual for the period.Players became attached to the styles they wore in high school and college, where the choice of mask was often made by equipment man. After it was introduced in 1958, the standard two-bar took over for the single bar, except for kickers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmening Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Pro players decided on what facemask they would wear and often took the helmet with them when they were traded to another team where it was re-painted.The single bar mask began to do a fast fade in the pros by late 1960s. In college football, you rarely saw single bar masks by the mid-1960s. One notable exception was Terry McMillan who played QB for Missouri and wore a single bar "horseshoe" mask from 1967-69, very unusual for the period.Players became attached to the styles they wore in high school and college, where the choice of mask was often made by equipment man. After it was introduced in 1958, the standard two-bar took over for the single bar, except for kickers.and Joe Theismann. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Former Arizona Cardinals punter Scott Player wore the single bar until a few years ago ('08 I believe). No chinstrap either. That dude was hardcore! I despise that ridiculous "chin mask" look. It's surprising he never got a forearm in the face on a kickoff.About the chinstrap, that pic must be before the rule that requires all players to have their chinstraps fastened before a play starts. Jim O'Brien would have rated a penalty on his SB V game-winner under today's rules (look closely and you can see it hanging unsnapped).Actually, Scott Player had his facemask screws pretty loose, so after he kicked the ball he would pull the facemask up. My fantasy teams: West Coast Cardinals (WRU), Glasgow Claymores (RLI) (Champions 2012) and Pemberton Foresters (VBL) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nash61 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 http://www.pigskinbuzz.com/the-five-weirdest-helmets-ever-worn-in-the-nfl-1547This is an awesome article about strange facemasks. Forget single-bar, how 'bout Harry Swayne? On September 20, 2012 at 0:50 AM, 'CS85 said: It's like watching the hellish undead creakily shuffling their way out of the flames of a liposuction clinic dumpster fire. On February 19, 2012 at 9:30 AM, 'pianoknight said: Story B: Red Wings go undefeated and score 100 goals in every game. They also beat a team comprised of Godzilla, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, 2 Power Rangers and Betty White. Oh, and they played in the middle of Iraq on a military base. In the sand. With no ice. Santa gave them special sand-skates that allowed them to play in shorts and t-shirts in 115 degree weather. Jesus, Zeus and Buddha watched from the sidelines and ate cotton candy. POTD 5/24/12, POTD 2/26/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 http://www.pigskinbuzz.com/the-five-weirdest-helmets-ever-worn-in-the-nfl-1547This is an awesome article about strange facemasks. Forget single-bar, how 'bout Harry Swayne?Holy cow, that guy has inprisoned his head! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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