Big 12 Conference


Northern Division

COLORADO IOWA STATE KANSAS
"Buffaloes" "Cyclones" "Jayhawks"
Boulder, CO Ames, IA Lawrence, KS
KANSAS STATE MISSOURI NEBRASKA
"Wildcats" "Tigers" "Cornhuskers"
Manhattan, KS Columbia, MO Lincoln, NE

Southern Division

BAYLOR OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA STATE
"Bears" "Sooners" "Cowboys"
Waco, TX Norman, OK Stillwater, OK
TEXAS TEXAS A&M TEXAS TECH
"Longhorns" "Aggies" "Red Raiders"
Austin, TX College Station, TX Lubbock, TX

Comments

Baylor and Iowa State were using new helmet designs in 2008 (shown above).

The set of depictions of historical helmets for these teams in in advanced stage of completion, with all known historical helmets (since 1960) now represented for most of the teams - thanks to everyone who has contributed information about these helmets. This is easily the most nearly-complete conference at this web site.


Historical Helmets

BAYLOR

c.early 1960s;
1967 - 1968
c.early 1960s c.early-mid 1960s
*see note 1 below *see note 1 below
1969 - 1971 1972 - 1978 1979 - 1988
*see note 2 below
1989 - 1992 1992 1993 - 1996
*see note 3 below
1997 - 2002 October 23, 2004 2005 - 2007
*see note 4 below *see note 5 below
2003 - 2007 2008 -

Baylor has apparently never used a helmet logo of any sort other than its traditional "BU" in one form or another.

*1 Apparently helmet numerals were used rather inconsistently during the early 1960s, with some players wearing them and others not doing so. The green numerals were used by some players during at least some games in both 1965 and 1966, and white numerals were used for at least part of the 1960 season, and perhaps 1961 also. I would appreciate hearing from anybody who can clarify what scheme was in place with regards to the helmet numerals during these years.

*2 In 1969, a version of the "100" decal recognizing the 100th anniversary of the first college football game was worn at the back of the helmet. Baylor's version featured a dark-colored football shape with the numerals "100" in some light color (I do not have any color photographs of this one, so I don't know what colors were used).

*3 According to the Southwest Conference Helmets web site, the "plain" helmet was used for just the first few games of the 1992 season, after which the logo and stripes of the previous helmet design were restored.

*4 A special helmet design was worn during the 2004 home game against Iowa State to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the "Miracle on the Brazos" (a come-from behind victory by the 1974 Baylor team in a game against Texas).

*5 Green helmets were used for eight games during the 2005 season: September 10 vs Samford, Sept. 17 at Army, October 1 at Texas A&M, Oct. 8 at Iowa State, Oct. 15 vs Nebraska, November 5 vs Texas, Nov. 12 at Missouri, and Nov. 19 vs Oklahoma State. The gold helmets were used during the first game, September 3 at SMU, and the seventh and eighth games, Oct. 22 at Oklahoma, and Oct. 29 vs Texas Tech.

In 2006 and 2007, the green helmets were used during road games, and the gold helmets during home games, with one exception: on November 17, 2007, Baylor used green helmets during the home game against Oklahoma State.


COLORADO

1959 - 1961 1962 1963 - 1965
*see note 1 below
1966 1967 1968
1969 - 1976 1977 - 1978 1979 - 1980
1981 1982 - 1984 September 26, 1998
*see note 2 below
1985 - 2004 2005 -

*1 Helmets with very oddly-shaped "horns" were used during at least the period 1959 through 1961, with there apparently being some variation in the shape of the horns during this period; the helmet image above is intended to be an "average" of the different shapes. A different style of "horns" was used earlier, perhaps during only a single game, the Orange Bowl game vs Clemson in January 1957.

*2 This special helmet design was used for Colorado's homecoming game against Baylor during the 1998 season, in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the team's stadium, Folsom Field. I have been told that Colorado may have used another special "one-game" helmet design at some time in the late 1980s, but I have no specific information.


IOWA STATE

1960 1961 1962 - 1966
1967 1969 - 1970 1968 - 1974
*see note 1 below *see note 2 below
1975 - 1976 1976 - 1978 1979
1980 1981 - 1982 1983 - 1986
*see note 3 below
1986 1987 - 1994 1995 - 2002
September 16, 2007 2003 - 2007 2008 -

Iowa State has already introduced a new helmet design to be used beginning in 2008; you may see photographs of the new helmet at the team's web site.

*1 This design was used only during Iowa State's away games in 1969 and 1970.

*2 This was ISU's full-time helmet design in 1968 and from 1971 through 1974. During 1969 and 1970, it was used for home games only.

*3 During at least 1983 and 1984, and possibly in 1985 and 1986 also, at least some players wore an "inverted" version of this helmet (red shell, yellow logo, one yellow stripe, with red facemask). Most sources indicate that the red helmets were "awarded" to certain players for good performances, and I believe this is probably accurate, though I have not seen many photographs showing both helmet colors in use at the same time (I have seen some). As a helmet design used by less than half of the team, this design does not meet the current criteria for graphic representation at this web site (my concern being that there may be hundreds of such single-player or a few-players designs, particularly from the 1960s).


KANSAS

1960 - 1962 1963 1964
*see note 1 below *see note 2 below
1965 - 1966 1967 - 1969 1970 - 1976
1977 - 1978 1979 - 1982 1983 - 1986
1987 1988 1989
1990 - 1993 1994 - 1996 1997 - 2001
*see note 3 below
2002 - 2004 2005 - 2006 2007 -

Kansas has been one of the more difficult teams to research, because of the large number of helmet variations through the years, and due to the fact that many of these variations have involved relatively minor changes to the color of the helmet shell. I have resorted to classifying all these blue helmets into just a few shades, but please note that there may have been a larger number of actual colors used than are depicted here (or, on the other hand, I may just as well have too many different colors represented here).

*1 White numerals were used at least as early as 1960; the previous helmet design was apparently similar to this one but without the numerals. A red stripe MAY have been used on this design during some of the years when this helmet was in use.

*2 The jayhawk on the 1963 helmet faced towards the left on both sides of the helmet (in other words, the one on the right side of the helmet faced towards the back of the helmet). I believe that with all other incarnations of this logo the jayhawk always faced towards the front of the helmet.

*2 Kansas switched to "metallic" blue paint in 1997; this resulted in the helmets generally appearing to be slightly darker in color than those used earlier during the 1990s.


KANSAS STATE

c.1950s - 1963 1964 - 1965 1966
1967 - 1968 1969 - 1971 1972 - 1973
1974 1975 - 1977 1978
*see note 1 below
1979 - 1981 1982 - 1985 1986 - 1987
1988 1989 -

To the best of my knowledge, these are all of the different helmet designs used by KSU during the period covered by this web site (1960 to present).

*1 The color of the helmet shells used during these years may have been an ordinary silver color, but by at least 1978, KSU had switched to helmets of an unusual light gray color that has apparently rarely been used elsewhere. These helmets were used through the mid 1980s.


MISSOURI

1969 1958? - 1970 1971 - 1977
*see note 1 below
1980 - 1981 1983 - 1984 1990
*see note 2 below
1978 - 1979; 1982;
1985 - 1995
1996 -

In 1969, Missouri used a version of the "100" decal that many teams used that year in recognition of college football's 100th anniversary. Missouri's version featured a dark-colored football shape with a light-colored outline and light-colored numerals. It appears to have been worn only on the left sides of the helmets, with players' numerals worn on the right sides. Below is a photo of the 1969 helmet:

*1 This design has been reported as being used at least as early as 1958. The 1956 helmet was similar, but lacked the numerals.

*2 The decal shown on this helmet was actually worn only on the right sides of the helmets in 1990, with the left side appearing as on the next helmet. This special decal contained text (not legible at this size) reading "*100* YEARS" (along the top of the football-shape) and "UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI" (along the bottom).


NEBRASKA

1957 - 1960 1961 - 1965 1966
*see note 1 below
January 2, 1967 -
1968
1969 1970 - 1981
*see note 2 below *see note 3 below
January 1, 1982 -
*see note 4 below

These seven are believed to be all of the different helmet designs used by Nebraska during the period covered by this site (1960 to present).

*1 This image most closely resembles the helmet design used in 1961. The 1962 - 1965 helmets were similar, but the numerals were worn considerably higher up on the sides of the helmet, perhaps less so in 1965 than in the previous three years.

*2 The "NU" logo was first used during Nebraska's appearance in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama at the end of the 1966 season. for the most part, the "NU" was replaced with just an "N" in 1970, but at least some players on the team were still using the "NU" as late as 1971.

*3 I have received a large, clear photograph confirming the color of the "100" decal on this helmet as being dark blue rather than red or black; the white numerals on the decal were apparently outlined in red.

*4 Nebraska switched to red facemasks for the first time for its appearance in the 1982 Orange Bowl against Clemson.


OKLAHOMA

1962 - 1965 1966 1967 - 1976
August 30, 2003 1977 -
*see note 1 below

Oklahoma switched from white helmets to crimson ones for the 1966 season, which also marked the debut of the traditional interlocking "OU" logo, which was "rounder" in shape for the first season than the "block" version which appeared the following year and has been used ever since. There have been some minor changes to the logo during the intervening years.

A change to the shade of "crimson" used on the helmets was made sometime around 1977, the earlier color having been basically "red", and I believe the facemasks were also changed from gray to white at about the same time. Apparently white facemasks were not added to all helmets at the same time; there may have been some seasons in which both white and gray facemasks were used simultaneously by different players. The helmets have remained essentially unchanged since about 1977, aside from a switch to "metallic" paint for the 2000 season.

*1 Oklahoma used white helmets during their first game of the 2003 season, a home game against North Texas, as part of a plan to wear uniforms "similar to those worn during the Bud Wilkinson era of the 1950's at OU."


OKLAHOMA STATE

? - 1960 1961 - 1966 1967
*see note 1 below
1967 - 1968 1969 - 1972 1973 - 1975
*see note 1 below *see note 2 below
1976 1977 - 1979 1980 - 1983
1993 - 1994 1984 - 1992;
1995 - 2000
2001 -

This is believed to be a complete set for Oklahoma State for the period 1960 to present.

*1 The helmet with the white numerals was used during OSU's first five games in 1967, while the helmet with the cowboy and horse logo was used for the last four games. Unknown to me at the present time is which of these (if either) was used for OSU's sixth game that year, a home match against Missouri. Thanks to Dan C. for this information.

*2 In 1969, a version of the "100" logo was worn on the back of this helmet, down at the bottom.


TEXAS

1957 - 1960 1961 - 1962 1963 - 1966
1969 1967 - 1968;
1970 - 1976
January 1, 1982
*see note 1 below
September 3, 2005 1977 -
*see note 2 below

*1 For its appearance in the 1982 Cotton Bowl game against Alabama, Texas used a special version of the longhorn logo which included between the "horns" the words "COTTON BOWL CLASSIC" and a picture of a cotton boll.

*2 A special helmet design was used in 2005 during the home game against Louisiana-Lafayette.


TEXAS A&M

1959 - 1962 1963 1964
1965 - 1971 1972 - 1977 1978
*see note 1 below
1978 1999 - 2003 1979 - 1998; 2004 -
*see note 1 below

To the best of my knowledge, these are all of the helmet designs used by Texas A&M from 1960 to present.

*1 During the 1978 season, the two maroon stripes were present for all of the team's games except the Texas game and the Hall of Fame Bowl game against Iowa State.


TEXAS TECH

1960 1961 - 1962? 1963? - 1969
1970 - 1973 1974 1975 - 1983
1984 - 1992 1993 - 1999 2000 -

The dates of use for these various Texas Tech helmets were taken primarily from the "Southwest Conference Helmets" web site (see link in the Baylor section above). This is believed to be a complete set for Texas Tech for the period covered by this web site.