1920's-1946

The first helmets worn were the same as everyone else wore, leather.

1947-1948

The first non-leather helmets were a basic plain white shell.

1949-1954

A single red stripe was added to the white shell.

1955

A red shell helmet was worn for the first time with a single white stripe.

1956-1959

The white shell returned featuring two black stripes and a gray facemask.

1960-1964

This was the first Big Red helmet to feature a logo. It had a profile of Man O' War on each side, a single red stripe, and a gray mask.

1965-1966

As Big Red entered the All American Conference the shell was switched again to red. On each side was a white oval with a black "S", and a single white stripe. These helmets were the first to have award decals as stars were given and placed on the front and back.

1967

The white shell was brought back for one year and had a white oval with a black "S" and one red stripe. These helmets also had the star award stickers, and also had red lighting bolts placed above the "S" for big games.

1968-1972

For the remainder of Coach Abe Bryan's tenure the red helmet with the white oval and black "S"remained. It still had the single white stripe and star award stickers.

1973-1974

Coach Gardner introduced these helmets during his reign. The helmets had a white shell, an oval logo with the cartoon Man O' War inside, and three stripes...two red and one black down the middle.

1975

Coach Bill Bohren was hired in 1975 and brought back the red helmets and logo of Coach Bryan. The difference was that the stripes were two white and one black.

1976

A new "S" logo was introduced by Coach Bohren. It was placed on a red shell with a white facemask.

1977

This was the first black helmet in Big Red history. It featured the elongated "S" with a red stripe surrounded by two white stripes and a white mask.

1978

Big Red returned to the red shell and elongated "S" for one final season. This year the "S" was only placed on the left side. A white facemask was retained.

1979-1982

This helmet featured a clear shell that fit over the red helmet and protected the decals. The logo was a round circle with a red "S" and a full body shot of Man O' War rearing on his hind legs. It was capped off with two white stripes, one black stripe, and a white facemask. The award stickers were white circles with black Man O' War head logos.

1983

Coach Reno Saccoccia's first helmet was a solid red helmet with a white facemask...aka the "fireball". These helmets were adorned with white round award stickers with a black Man O' War head logo.

1984-1998

The block "S" made its debut during the 84 season. It was placed on a red helmet with a white facemask. On the back were 4 inch numerals of the player's number and white "zero" award stickers.

1999

This black helmet was worn in celebration of 100 official years of Big Red Football. The logo on the side was a fat block "S", trimmed in red, with "Big Red 100" through it. The award decals were white circles with skull and crossbones inside.

2000-2003

The block "S" on the red shell returned, but the red paint had flakes in it. It retained the white facemask, and the award stickers were white circles with black skull and crossbones.

2004-2010

The revolution helmet made it's debut and kept the block white "S" and the white mask. The award stickers are white circles with black skull and crossbones.

 

2011

Former Coach Abe Bryan passed away on February 3rd, 2011, and will be remembered with decals bearing his name for the entire 2011 season. Coach Bryan compiled a 59-30-1 record against brutal competition. He also spearheaded the expansion of Harding Stadium, Big Red's All American Conference membership, was President of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association, spearheaded the development of the OHSAA playoff system, and was inducted into the Ohio High School Coaches Hall Of Fame.