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Early 1900's
Old-fashioned "leatherhead" football helmets from the early 1900s are often as effective as and sometimes better than modern football helmets at protecting against injuries during routine. -
1915
Soft leather flat top style - typical of early pro teams - Around 1915 the helmet began to take a modern day shape. Additional interior padding was added, as well as flaps with ear holes for better on-the-field communication. -
1920's
The 1920s marked the first time that helmets were widely used in the sport of football. These helmets were made of leather and had some padding on the inside, but the padding was insufficient and provided little protection. In addition, they lacked face masks. As a result, injuries were very common. Early helmets also absorbed a lot of heat, making them very uncomfortable to wear. -
1930's
Hard Leather Style Helmet - The face mask debuted around the mid-1930s when Vern McMillan, the owner of a sporting goods store in Indiana, crafted a rubber-covered wire mask. -
1940's Hard Leather
first graphics on a helmet - In 1940, John T. Riddell and his son John T. Riddell Jr. (yes, they founded the Riddell company) ushered out the leather era when they began producing plastic helmets. -
1950's
Plastic Helmet - By the 1950s, the introduction of polymers ended the leather helmet era. The last leather helmet manufacturer, MacGregor, ceased production of leather helmets in the mid-1960s -
1960's
Shoulder pads began to be manufactured from plastic materials in the 1960s and 1970s and as was the case in helmets, materials technology continued to mean that less substance could be used for more effective protection. -
1980's
Typically, by the mid-1980s only placekickers and punters in professional football in Canada and the United States wore the one-bar face mask, a notable exception being quarterback Joe Theismann. -
2000's
The NFL required facemasks to be transparent and also banned the use of 1 bar facemasks. -
Present
Today revisions to the design of the football helmet are continuing. Ridell has recently launched the speedflex helmet that is designed to reduce the force of impact.
