If you’ve ever watched a Delaware Blue Hens football game and thought, “Wait, are they wearing Michigan’s helmets?” you’re not crazy. The helmets are nearly identical, with a yellow winged design on a blue background. The iconic winged helmet is one of the most recognizable in all of college football, and while it’s synonymous with the Wolverines, its history is much more complex.
Michigan did have the winged helmet first, but the reason Delaware’s looks so similar is because a former Michigan player and coach, David M. Nelson, brought the design to Delaware. But, winged helmets existed long before that. Here’s the full history:
The Origin of the Winged Helmet
The winged helmet design wasn’t an original Michigan creation. Its story begins with legendary coach Herbert O. “Fritz” Crisler. While coaching at Princeton, Crisler first introduced a version of the winged helmet in 1935. His motivation was a tactical one: he believed the contrasting colors and design would make his players more visible on the field, helping his quarterbacks spot receivers downfield.
While Princeton Football was the first to adopt Crisler’s vision, they weren’t the first to use a winged helmet. Other schools, including Indiana and yes, even Ohio State, had worn similar styles as early as the 1930’s. The winged look was a popular one from the Spalding sporting goods company and the winged design was one of the stock options from their catalogs.
Michigan’s Iconic Look
Crisler brought his signature design to Michigan when he took over as head coach in 1938. The Wolverines had previously worn a plain black helmet. Crisler’s innovation was to paint the helmet in the school’s colors of maize and blue, transforming a simple helmet into a lasting icon. The helmet debuted on October 1, 1938, in a 14-0 win over Michigan State and has been a staple of the program ever since.
Delaware’s Winged Tradition
So where does Delaware fit in? The Blue Hens adopted their winged helmet in 1951, more than a decade after Michigan. The design came to Delaware via the aforementioned head coach David M. Nelson. Nelson was a former player for Crisler at Michigan and brought the design with him. Much like Michigan, Delaware’s version has become a beloved symbol of their program, a tradition carried on to this day.
The Key Differences
While the two helmets share the same basic design, there are some notable differences beyond the obvious color scheme (maize and blue for Michigan vs. blue and gold for Delaware). The shape of the wings on the Michigan helmet have changed subtly over the years, with the current design being a bit smoother than the original. While the core design is the same, each team’s unique history and colors give the winged helmet its own identity. So, it’s not quite that Delaware is just copying Michigan, though history shows they were certainly inspired.
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