A Visual History of the Ole Miss Football Helmet

If you’re a football fan of any sort, you’re well aware of the transformations a college uniform goes through over the years. An extra stripe here, a swoosh there, color change this, different hue that.

Of the uniform, helmet alterations always intrigue me most, as their design, color, and logo seem to define each university.

Now, I’m biased in thinking Ole Miss has the best college uniform, yes. But our uniforms – most specifically, our helmet, has changed many times over the years. So many times, I wasn’t quite sure of every iteration it’d been through over the years. So I decided to task myself with a project. Dig around and attempt to uncover each football helmet design we’ve used over the years. Find them, and share them here on the site.

And, so, that’s what we did.

And so, like the old saying goes, “you don’t quite know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been”, let’s take a quick peek at each helmet.

1949-1954

The royal/powder blue, the red stripe. Classic Ole Miss. And a classic helmet.

No facemask though, and no logo icon.. a bit bare in our opinion.

 

 

1955-1957

The facemask appears, and as small as the addition is, it begins to complete the helmet’s identity.

 

 

 

1958-1968

1958 introduces number insignias on each helmet. Facemask remains the same.

Tidbit: this is the helmet used when the Rebels won their 3 National Championships (1959, 1960 and 1962)

 

1969

The 1969 season celebrated the 100 year anniversary of college football. Ole Miss, along with several other Universities like Purdue, Alabama, Nebraska, and UCLA, altered their helmet to celebrate the occasion.

Our thoughts?

It could draw negative remarks cause it makes no mention to Ole Miss or the University, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that it’s a simply great looking helmet.

1970-1974

The introduction of Colonel Reb on the helmet, along with the advancement of the facemask.

Royal/powder blue and red stripe are still around, but not for long..

 

 

1975-1978

Base navy blue color introduced..

Colonel Reb and red stripe remain the same.

 

 

 

1979-1982

Red facemask introduced, unceremoniously.

Considered at large as the least favorite helmet designs we’ve used.

 

 

 

1983-1994

Royal/powder Blue helmet returns (with cheers). Introduction of the ‘Ole Miss’ signature logo along with gray facemask. A great looking helmet in our opinion.

 

1995-Present

Navy blue base color re-introduced, along with matching facemask. Helmet logo remains the same.

 

 

 

 

Summary

So, what’s our favorite? Our current helmet, I have to admit. Although I’d love it even more with a gray facemask. Second would be 1969, and third 83-94.

so..what’s your favorite?

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22 Comments

  1. great piece..

    but you can’t argue, 58-68 is the best..

  2. No, but I will argue the 83 – 94 is the best. [As I am biased because it was the helmet during my freshman year (93)].

  3. I think the second one is classic. the third one is nice, but it looks too much like Alabama. Great Idea! I’d love to have that info framed on my wall.

  4. I grew up with the navy blue with Col. Reb. So I hated when Brewer changed back to Robin’s Egg Blue (that’s the official color name) and the Ole Miss logo. That being said, I now look back wistfully at the lighter blue helmets, particularly how great the look with the navy jerseys (which seems illogical since they do not match). The whole reason we had the Robin’s Egg Blue color in the first place is because Vaught ordered helmets and they got the wrong color blue back, and back then there was no FedEx and they didn’t have time to swap before the season started. So the color stuck.

  5. I love the ’79 – ’82 helmet. I would love to see the Rebels bring these back for a throwback game.

    • a throwback jersey game would be great..

  6. 1983-1994 is by far the best. Of course, I got to Ole Miss in 86 and lingered around until the early 1990′s, so I’m biased a bit.

  7. 75 to 78 NO QUESTION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOTTY TODDY !!

  8. !969 and 1983-1994, take your pick, also like the gray facemask, but would like to see “Ole Miss” on one line instead of two. Look at the 1969 helmet, and put “Ole miss” inside the football shaped design, or without the design, on one line, like it is on the front of the jersey.

  9. 70-82 Take your pick of the 3. I would love for these to be our helmets again!!!! Hotty Toddy!!! Bring back Colonel Reb!!!!!!!!

  10. I dare any of you to find an 83-94 UM powder blue helmet available for sale online. I grew up with that color scheme, so to have it in my collection was a must. So I decided to make it myself. Bought the shell from an old high school helmet in Massachusetts, stole the red stripe and numerals from an extra NY Giants project and got the impossible-to-find-elsewhere cursive Ole Miss decals from Univ. Sporting Goods in Oxford. Check out the link and let me know what you think.

  11. Why is it that there is no 83-94 helmet available? It’s making me nuts. That’s when I fell in love with the Rebs! I want one! Somebody get to making one!!!!

  12. Todd/Ryan

    You can purchase the baby blue helmets and other “throw back” helmets at this website. Very cool

  13. I think it would be nice to have a throwback game and have old jerseys and the 1975-78 helmets.. think they are the best ones along with the 79-82

  14. I like what I see

  15. Comment

  16. Warning–It is signed by t tuberville tho

  17. What about the light bluse helmet with the cloud blowing on it… Didn’t like it at all but it was one of our helmets…

  18. I like the 1983 – 1994 the best. It definetly stood out. It made us different kinda like Boise’s blue grass. It wasn’t the normal. I think right now in 2012 we have the best coach we’ve had in many years and the team even with our current losses has the potential to be champions. I think we need to bring back the different give the a sense of the past but the ambitions of champions. The south has never yet rose again contrary to all the southern tags and tees but it is high time the rebels of Oxford did. Bring back the royal powder blue and let our rebels unleash the bear inside them. We don’t want to recognized as “Teddy Bears”. Let SEC and the rest of the NCAA k ow that when the go up against the Rebel Black Bears that they are going to get bloody and their not going to win. So what do you think is it our time or what. I live in northeast Mississippi and I’ve had to hear all I can stomach about Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide. Their time has passed it’s the time of Hugh Freeze and his illustrious Rebels. Bring back the powder blue and let’s show our opponents a real freeze. Hotty Toddy

  19. 75-78 helmets are the best

  20. the Rebs had that powder blue helmet back in the fifties or sixty too.. .

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