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The first primitive football helmet was used in the 1893 Army-Navy by Navy student Joe Reeves, who was told if he was kicked in the head again he may die. He had a helmet made out of leather by a local shoe maker to protect himself.
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Lafayette College player George Barclay designed the helmet harnass, which consisted of 3 leather straps wrapped tightly around the head and was built by a local harness maker.
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The next innovation past the standard harness design added in a cradle similar to what we have in construction helmets today. The cradle was made out of fabric strips and helped lessen the pressure of impact on the head.
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Indiana sporting goods store owner Vern McMillan invented the first facemask for the football helmet. He designed it to protect the plays nose from contact and to spread the force of the contact away from the face.
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The first plastic helmet was invented by John T. Riddell, owner of the Riddell company, and his son John T. Riddell Jr. While it was stronger, lighter and resistant to mold compared to the standard leather helmet, it was also brittle and came apart if it was hit too hard.
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Helmets were first made mandatory in college football in 1939, but the NFL waited until 1943 to follow suit. The last player to play profesional football without a helmet was Dick Plasman, in 1940.
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Fred Gerhke, a player for the St. Louis Rams, was the first player to start to paint a logo on the side of his helmet. A former art studet, Gerhke painted a ram's horn on the side of all of his teammate's helmets.
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John Campbell and George Sarles, two Ohio inventors, were the first to create a radio designed to be put into the football helmet to relay in plays. They brought their idea to Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown, who agreed to implement it into his quarterback's helmet. After 4 games of its extremely effective use, it was outlawed by the NFL. It is now standard equipment in every NFL quarterback's helmet.
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The Riddell sporting goods company made another huge advancement in helmet technology when they decided to put air bladders inside helmets to help cushion impact. The bladders were also convenient for making sure each helmet fit properly.
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1986 was the first time that polycarbonate, the material used currently, was used to make football helmets. Also added in was an incredibly dense amount of foam used to cushion the head. As an example of how tough polycarbonate is, its also used to make car bumpers
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In 2007, sports equipment seller Schutt came out with the ION4D, the most recent and safest helmet on the market. With better padding along the inside of the helmet, as well as its stylish looks, the ION4D is a popular helmet choice among football players.
