Jacie
1/13/2011, 05:29 PM
. . . what are those things on their helmets (presumably, you will be watching tOSU or one of the other schools that give out helmet stickers), you can turn to her (or keep your eyes glued to the screen, I don't care) and tell her.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ycn-7551744
How college football players get stickers on their helmets
How College Football Players Get Stickers on Their Helmets
The practice of placing stickers on the helmets of college football players has been around for a while, and is primarily used as a method to showcase the best and brightest kids on each team. Not every school uses this method, and each school determines for themselves how they will give out the stickers. Think of it almost like how high school letters are given out to athletes, but in college, certain players can get so many stickers that their helmets end up filling up quite quickly.
The History of Stickers on College Football Helmets
The Buckeye Leaf is something that Ohio State started to reward good plays made by their football players. The more leafs that appear on a player's helmet, the better that player has been doing during his time at the University. It was a simple way for players to be recognized and at the same time make the fans aware of which players were contributing the most to the team. This is one of the schools were the practice of placing stickers on helmets is credited to have begun.
Under coach Woody Hayes, Ohio State began placing stickers on his players' helmets with the idea allegedly coming from trainer Ernie Biggs. They started doing this back in 1968, but it was recently pointed out by ESPN's Game Day crew that Miami University in Ohio was actually doing it three years before that. Jim Young was an assistant coach there and had served as a WWII fighter pilot. During the war, the pilots would place stickers on their planes to denote kills or successful missions, and thus was born the idea in college football.
All of the schools also have their own unique sticker, consisting of the leaf at OSU, an axe blade at Stanford, and what used to be a yellow football in Michigan. The sticker design is almost as unique as the practice itself.
Use of Helmet Stickers in College Football
There used to be far more universities that practiced placing stickers on helmets than there are today, and some schools have lost the traditions that go along with it. The Michigan Wolverines used to do it, as did Mississippi State, Missouri, Arizona, and Utah just to name a few. For one reason or another they stopped the practice, but there are still a few schools dedicated to the tradition that keep it going. The most notable of those schools are Ohio State, Stanford, Florida State, Michigan State, and Arkansas.
Florida State is the most interesting of the group, because while they get stickers for making good plays, they can also have their stickers taken away. In Georgia, the school gives out their stickers for both academic and athletic achievements, giving their players multiple ways of earning them. The schools that keep up with the tradition of the stickers are paying homage to both the current players and past programs at the same time, and it is always a fun sight for fans to see some of the sheer numbers of stickers that players can acquire.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ycn-7551744
How college football players get stickers on their helmets
How College Football Players Get Stickers on Their Helmets
The practice of placing stickers on the helmets of college football players has been around for a while, and is primarily used as a method to showcase the best and brightest kids on each team. Not every school uses this method, and each school determines for themselves how they will give out the stickers. Think of it almost like how high school letters are given out to athletes, but in college, certain players can get so many stickers that their helmets end up filling up quite quickly.
The History of Stickers on College Football Helmets
The Buckeye Leaf is something that Ohio State started to reward good plays made by their football players. The more leafs that appear on a player's helmet, the better that player has been doing during his time at the University. It was a simple way for players to be recognized and at the same time make the fans aware of which players were contributing the most to the team. This is one of the schools were the practice of placing stickers on helmets is credited to have begun.
Under coach Woody Hayes, Ohio State began placing stickers on his players' helmets with the idea allegedly coming from trainer Ernie Biggs. They started doing this back in 1968, but it was recently pointed out by ESPN's Game Day crew that Miami University in Ohio was actually doing it three years before that. Jim Young was an assistant coach there and had served as a WWII fighter pilot. During the war, the pilots would place stickers on their planes to denote kills or successful missions, and thus was born the idea in college football.
All of the schools also have their own unique sticker, consisting of the leaf at OSU, an axe blade at Stanford, and what used to be a yellow football in Michigan. The sticker design is almost as unique as the practice itself.
Use of Helmet Stickers in College Football
There used to be far more universities that practiced placing stickers on helmets than there are today, and some schools have lost the traditions that go along with it. The Michigan Wolverines used to do it, as did Mississippi State, Missouri, Arizona, and Utah just to name a few. For one reason or another they stopped the practice, but there are still a few schools dedicated to the tradition that keep it going. The most notable of those schools are Ohio State, Stanford, Florida State, Michigan State, and Arkansas.
Florida State is the most interesting of the group, because while they get stickers for making good plays, they can also have their stickers taken away. In Georgia, the school gives out their stickers for both academic and athletic achievements, giving their players multiple ways of earning them. The schools that keep up with the tradition of the stickers are paying homage to both the current players and past programs at the same time, and it is always a fun sight for fans to see some of the sheer numbers of stickers that players can acquire.