Category Archives: Cool Helmets

October 22, 2020 · 5:10 pm

TWENTY COOLEST FOOTBALL HELMETS FROM DEFUNCT COLLEGE PROGRAMS

dog-in-football-uniformWith so many divisions of college football not playing any games this fall, Balladeer’s Blog’s readers have been asking for at least SOME kind of additional pigskin content. In that spirit here’s a look at some of the coolest football helmets from now-defunct college programs.

Enjoy this latest Top 20 List For 2020:

Canisius golden griffinsCANISIUS COLLEGE GOLDEN GRIFFINS

Division: NCAA Div 1

Dropped Football: 2002

Comment: “Oh, those Golden Griffins/ Oh, those Golden Griffins” … Remember the Golden Grahams commercial? Oh, forget it.

Cal State northridge matadorsCAL STATE-NORTHRIDGE MATADORS

Division: NCAA Div 1

Dropped Football: 2001

Comment: The name Matadors is cool if you remind yourself that no bulls were killed during any of this team’s football games.

evansville purple acesUNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES

Division: NCAA Div 1

Dropped Football: 1997

Comment: Purple helmets never fail to catch the eye and there’s a certain Riverboat Gambler feel to the name Purple Aces. Continue reading →

22 Comments

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July 14, 2020 · 10:00 am

MORE COOL BUT NEGLECTED FOOTBALL HELMETS

Balladeer’s Blog’s readers can’t get enough of these blog posts about cool football helmets, so, since I aim to please here is another one.

Abraham Lincoln RailsplittersABRAHAM LINCOLN

Team Name: RAILSPLITTERS

Comment: How can you NOT love this name for the football teams of any educational institute at any level? The Railsplitters is great. The Emancipators would be great, too!

Roman Catholic CahillitesROMAN CATHOLIC

Team Name: CAHILLITES

Comment: Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog know I’m a soft touch when it comes to incredibly cool helmet logos, especially when they’re combined with butt-kickingly unique team names. 

Benjamin Franklin ElectronsBENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Team Name: ELECTRONS

Comment: Electrons is a clever choice for a team named after good old Dr Franklin. Other possibilities might be the Stoves, the Kitefliers, the Lightning Bolts, or maybe the Cougars given his fondness for older wo- … naaah. Continue reading →

26 Comments

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March 29, 2020 · 11:11 pm

TWENTY MORE COOL FOOTBALL HELMETS

With too many sporting events getting canceled these days here’s a new Top Twenty List for 2020 here at Balladeer’s Blog. This one examines some neglected football helmets. 

EASTWOOD TROOPERS el-paso-eastwood-troopersComment: Why aren’t there more teams called Troopers?

WEATHERFORD KANGAROOSweatherford-kangaroos

Comment: Awesome name and awesome lids.

LEWISVILLE FARMERSlewisville-farmersComment: There’s something about the stark simplicity of these helmets paired up with the unique name the Farmers.

EISENHOWER EAGLESeisenhower-eaglesComment: Yes, that’s Eisenhower as in General and President Dwight Eisenhower aka “Ike.” Continue reading →

14 Comments

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July 18, 2019 · 7:23 pm

COOLEST CANADIAN COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAMS

College football season is just over a month away in the divisions covered here at Balladeer’s Blog. To whet our appetites here’s a look at The Coolest Canadian College Football Teams.

Montreal CarabinsMONTREAL CARABINS

Location: Montreal, QC

Comment: My Canadian readers tell me Carabins are a military unit which wields Carbines, making this name virtually unique. 

Ottawa Gee Gees GOODOTTAWA GEE GEES

Location: Ottawa, ON

Comment: GG originally stood for “Garnet & Grey” so it was combined with Gee Gee, slang for a racehorse, hence the horse on the helmet.

Acadia AxemenACADIA AXEMEN

Location: Wolfville, NS

Comment: The name Axemen still sounds cool, despite its use in the title of a few reality shows in recent years. Continue reading →

16 Comments

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January 1, 2019 · 4:20 pm

NINETEEN MORE COOL FOOTBALL HELMETS

HAPPY NEW YEAR! This day is all about football so Balladeer’s Blog welcomes 2019 with a look at 19 more cool football helmets. 

Bishop Guilfoyle MaraudersBISHOP GUILFOYLE MARAUDERS

Comment from Balladeer: Having a depiction of a sword-wielding Scotsman on your helmet is no guarantee of victory. But it sure doesn’t hurt.

I can’t tell if that’s supposed to be a Claymore.   

Central Cambria Red DevilsCENTRAL CAMBRIA RED DEVILS

Comment from Balladeer: Now that is some excellent artwork for this helmet logo.

And how can you not love that whole “What’re YOU lookin’ at?” expression on the Red Devil’s face? 

Lebanon CedarsLEBANON CEDARS

Comment from Balladeer: Not only is the name Cedars fairly unique among sports teams but the tie-in with the notorious Cedars of Lebanon makes this lid irresistible.

Terrific in all kinds of ways.   Continue reading →

14 Comments

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August 28, 2018 · 9:11 pm

ELEVEN MORE COOL FOOTBALL HELMETS

North East Grape PickersNORTH EAST GRAPEPICKERS

Comment: The stylish look of the N and the E sold me on these helmets immediately.

The unique team name “The Grapepickers” turned things up to eleven in terms of the coolness factor, making them a cinch for this list.

Northampton Konkrete KidsNORTHAMPTON KONKRETE KIDS

Comment: The Kids are far more than just “alright.”

And the spelling “Konkrete” to go with the “Kids” only adds to the already considerable charm of this entire setup. Ya gotta love the Konkrete Kids!

Danville IronmenDANVILLE IRONMEN

Comment: Instead of Boyz II Men we’ve just gone from (Konkrete) Kids II (Iron)men.

I know, that’s a pretty lame segue-way into what may be the coolest helmets on this latest examination of them.  Continue reading →

8 Comments

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February 4, 2018 · 11:54 pm

EIGHT MORE COOL FOOTBALL HELMETS FROM NEGLECTED TEAMS

punxsutawney chucksPUNXSATAWNEY CHUCKS

Comment: With Groundhog Day just a few days back this is a very appropriate team to start out with!

The Punxsatawney Chucks (short for Woodchucks) not only have appealing helmets but they deserve the world’s thanks for not taking the easy way out and calling themselves the Punxsatawney Phils.

Holy Cross CrusadersHOLY CROSS CRUSADERS

Comment: It’s no secret that “Crusaders” is one of the coolest names for sports teams.

And if your institution is called Holy Cross then why not go with the stark simplicity of these lids? I really like the white on green color scheme of these helmets, too. Gold on green would be the only thing better.

conestoga valley buckskinsCONESTOGA VALLEY BUCKSKINS

Comment: Okay, so we were all hoping for a Conestoga Wagon to be on the helmets of this team, but still …

The more I looked at these helmets the more they grew on me. What finally pushed me off the fence was the infinitely cool team name Buckskins.  Continue reading →

6 Comments

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January 28, 2018 · 11:44 pm

ELEVEN MORE COOL FOOTBALL HELMETS FROM NEGLECTED TEAMS

North East Grape PickersNORTH EAST GRAPEPICKERS

Comment: The stylish look of the N and the E sold me on these helmets immediately.

The unique team name “The Grapepickers” turned things up to eleven in terms of the coolness factor, making them a cinch for this list.

Northampton Konkrete KidsNORTHAMPTON KONKRETE KIDS

Comment: The Kids are far more than just “alright.”

And the spelling “Konkrete” to go with the “Kids” only adds to the already considerable charm of this entire setup. Ya gotta love the Konkrete Kids!

Danville IronmenDANVILLE IRONMEN

Comment: Instead of Boyz II Men we’ve just gone from (Konkrete) Kids II (Iron)men.

I know, that’s a pretty lame segue-way into what may be the coolest helmets on this latest examination of them.  Continue reading →

15 Comments

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January 7, 2018 · 4:54 pm

TWELVE MORE COOL HELMETS FROM NEGLECTED FOOTBALL TEAMS

Balladeer’s Blog’s readers just love these! Here are some more before pro football season is over.

Downington Wests WhippetsDOWNINGTON WEST WHIPPETS

Comments: WHIPPET! Whippet GOOD! Long-time readers of Balladeer’s Blog will surely remember George the Whippet and his owners in the U.K.

Whippets are terrific dogs and more teams should be named after them.  

Bangor SlatersBANGOR SLATERS

Comment: I’m assuming the rivals of the Slaters are the Zachs. (rimshot)

So their helmets may not have any cool logo or design on them but c’mon, some helmets are so cool that just their stark simplicity and kickass shell color makes them iconic.  Continue reading →

24 Comments

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January 3, 2018 · 10:23 pm

MORE COOL FOOTBALL HELMETS

Balladeer’s Blog’s readers wanted more cool football helmets so here we go:  

Ridgway Elkers

RIDGWAY ELKERS

Comment: There is just something majestic about Elks. There is also something majestic about these helmets.

 

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Jenkintown DrakesJENKINTOWN DRAKES

Comment: A drake is a male duck, of course. And the one on this helmet looks infinitely cooler than the infamous Howard the Duck.

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Conrad Weiser ScoutsCONRAD WEISER SCOUTS

Comment: I find the shade of gray for the shell and the shade of blue for the lettering to be a perfect match on these lids for the Scouts.

. Continue reading →

10 Comments

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