It’s almost football season and one thing I love is watching youth and college football. Kids out there giving it their all on the gridiron playing a game of football. Football builds character more than any other sport in my opinion.
I played college baseball. I coach my kids in baseball, basketball, and football. Hands down out of these major sports, football has helped build my kid’s character more than any other.
When you are watching youth football or even college football, you may notice some helmets have stickers put on them.
Have you ever wondered “What are the stickers on the football helmets for?
Well in this article we will answer what the stickers on the football helmets represent, and dig into some of the youth and college football’s history and traditions.
The stickers on the football helmet represent a good play a player or team of players did on the football field. A player can earn one of these stickers, and wear them as a badge of honor during the games.
Stickers are collected and tallied as the season progresses, and it might be easy to find the best players on the field, based on how many stickers they have on their football helmets.
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Who was the first team to use stickers on their helmets?
The first team to reward its players with stickers was Rutgers in 1961. A lot of people think it was Ohio State since they are the most notable team that uses stickers. But really Ohio State didn’t start using stickers on their helmets until 7 years later in 1968.
The tradition started when the defensive coach Dewey King rewarded his players with stickers for interceptions. Other teams caught on and started to use the method as a reward for players who had great plays on the field.
The stickers for Rutgers that year were very hard to earn as they were only given if you got an interception on defense. However, they did become very popular with the fan base. Every time a Rutger got an interception the crowd would begin yelling “give him a star.”
Popularity obviously won the heart of coaches around the league and other teams started using stickers for their team helmets too!
What can you do to earn a sticker on the football field?
Coaches can pick and choose how they hand out stickers. It can be used as intimidation letting other teams know how good certain players are. Here is a list of reasons a coach may use to reward his player with a sticker.
–Offensive stickers
-Scoring a touchdown
(For this one, I would reward the whole offense, not just the player. Letting the team know we earn —–touchdowns together, not just 1 player.)
-A big block
-No offsides penalties
-Defensive stickers
-Causing a fumble
-Picking up a fumble
–Intercepting a pass
-A big tackle
-A defensive sack
-Special team stickers
-Kick-off or punt return
-Blocked punt
-Blocked field goal
-Big tackle
-Big block
-Team stickers
-Team win
-Team goal accomplished
-Team yards, Touchdowns, team defensive stats
-No penalties
-Team goal accomplished
-Hustle being noticed
There are so many ways you can support and credit your team with stickers on the football helmet. Just remember to have fun with it and hand out stickers generously. It’s always fun to have kids with a helmet full of stickers after an amazing season.
The only drawback of putting stickers on football helmets is having to be the one to remove them all after the season!
Where can I buy decal stickers to put on my team’s helmets?
There are plenty of places you can go to buy stickers to put on your team’s helmets. I’d recommend these options.
These are super durable and will last the season. You can make sure to get your team colors, but make sure to get a color that is a good contrast to your helmets. You don’t want to buy blue stickers for a blue helmet.
You want these stickers to pop. I’d recommend getting a light bright color for a dark-colored helmet, and a darker color sticker for a light-colored helmet.
Remember, to get plenty to last the season. Once you hand stickers to coaches, they will want to reward the players as they should!
The more stickers you can put on these kids’ helmets the better. But you also need to weigh that with giving them away too easily and losing their meaning.
How many college teams use stickers on their helmets?
There are currently 22 different division 1 teams that use football stickers. However, there are countless other division 2 and youth teams that use this method.
If you are coaching a team, I highly recommend using these stickers to decorate the helmets of your players.
Not only does this motivate your players, but it is used to recognize their hard work and can be a great team builder.
At this point, there are no NFL teams that use stickers to put on their player’s helmets. I guess the money is enough motivation.
When did teams start putting logos on their helmets?
The Rams were the first NFL team who put a logo on their helmets. They painted the legendary ram horns on their leather helmets way back in 1948.
Fred Gehrke was a running back on the team and was also an art major in college. He painted the ram horn on his helmet and got the owner to approve the logo to put on the rest of the team.
There were some college teams that did paint an emblem on their helmets back in the 20s, but it’s hard to tell who started it.
Summary
These football stickers mean more to players than just a high five or a gold star. They are almost a right of passage. Players work hard to get their helmets glorified with these stickers.
They know that each helmet sticker represents something and they wear them proud. I have seen it first hand with the teams I coach. Kids know how many stickers they earned the week of the game and are asking about it first thing during our very next practice. Football can be a very difficult game, and these stickers are worn loud and proud.
Football is a hard game to play. You have to be tough, and endure a lot to get through practices and games. Using stickers can help show your appreciation to your players for all the hard work they put in day in and day out.
Stickers are motivation, but more than that, they are a way to bring a team together. An outward expression of all the hard work, and success these kids have on game day.
Until next time
Coach Scott