1980's Football Helmets.

[sacker12]

Guys,

I'm trying to make a replica of the helmet my school wore in the 1980's when we won National Championships (1984 & 1987). I'm trying to look on eBay for helmets that we used in the 1980's: either a cardinal shell or a helmet that I could get painted cardinal. What are some models by helmet companies that were used back then? From photos I have seen, the team used Bike, Rawlings, and Riddell. But, I would also take a helmet made by Maxpro if the offer comes.

Right now, the models I am looking at on eBay are a Riddell VSR3 and a Maxpro helmet with the impregnated shell and grey padding (I don't know if that was the All-American or not). Thanks.

[aeneas01]

you have lots of helmets to choose from although rawlings was pretty much winding things down by that time. here are a few models you might want to look at - you will probably get the best deal on an af2, bike/ahi or wd1...

rawlings:
aims
rts
hcvp

bike/ahi (air)

riddell
pac3
wd1
af2
m155

[sacker12]

Also, I have this question. Would it be just as good getting a youth helmet that is similar to the adult helmet? For example, if I were to find a PAC-44 youth helmet in a large, would it be just as good as getting a PAC-3 in a large? Mainly, will be they be the same size? Thanks.

[sacker12]

Also, which Riddell had that round donut-shaped pad the top of the head: The AF-2, or the VSR-3?

[aeneas01]

i don't know why you would consider a pac44 if your goal is to replicate your high school helmet - pac44 helmets were youth lids intended for jv use and below. but if the championship team you have in mind was a jv team, then a pac44 would be fine. vsr3 and af2 helmets both have "donut" crown pads. fwiw a gladiator would be a nice one as well...

[sacker12]

I'm trying to replicate a helmet wore by my school when they won NAIA National Championships in 1984 & 1987. I'd be willing to settle for a youth helmet as long as it is the same size as an adult helmet since it is kind of scarce to find a good quality adult shell (thanks mostly to the scourge in the 1980's of unsafe helmets, as well as most reject shells being destroyed).

I'm trying to find a good quality shell to use to get repainted professionally if I can't find one that is the same color we wore. We wore molded cardinal helmets in the 1980's. The main place that I have been looking is eBay.

[John in KY]

i don't know why you would consider a pac44 if your goal is to replicate your high school helmet - pac44 helmets were youth lids intended for jv use and below. but if the championship team you have in mind was a jv team, then a pac44 would be fine. vsr3 and af2 helmets both have "donut" crown pads. fwiw a gladiator would be a nice one as well...

Wouldn't an M-155 also have the donut crown pad? Maybe they used both the donut and the solid round pad like the HA-9/Microfit but I could have sworn I've seen photos of M-155s with the donut pad.

[sacker12]

Actually, I do have another question. What Maxpro helmets were used in the 1980's? I see these Maxpro 2001 Model helmets, but are those from the 1980's? For what I've read, there was a brief time in the late 1980's-early 1990's when Riddell owned Maxpro (or at least the naming rights) and made helmet that were basically a Riddell shell with different padding in it. Thanks.

[sacker12]

Thanks to some more research online, I have narrowed down the prospective helmet styles to these:

Rawlings AIMS
Bike/AHI Air
Riddell WD-1 or AF-2

The years that I am concentrating on are 1984-1987.

[sacker12]

I just bought an unused white Riddell WD-1 and a grey OPO Red Dot mask from Dan Dunn today. It should arrive sometime next week. I was able to get both (with shipping) for $75. I thought it was a pretty reasonable deal considering what I was getting.

I was debating whether or not to buy that helmet or bid on a shop-worn cardinal Schutt Pro Air II on eBay, and then try to find the guts and bumpers for an old Bike helmet. But, I figured that 1) such parts may be hard to find and 2) the only to find these parts is to buy a used helmet, and those things may either be expensive or have parts that are so worn down that they are not worth using.

Plus, the center stripes I have for the helmet are individually cut, so I preferred to put them on a Riddell helmet rather than the Schutt.