Bobby Layne Game-Worn Detroit Lions Helmet
This representation is a game-used Bobby Layne Detroit Lions helmet from the Lions’ 1953 NFL Championship season. While the helmet itself has a generic early ‘50’s look inner shell markings pinpoint the year to 1953, a season in which the Lions won their second consecutive NFL Championship. The helmet shell is an early 1950’s Riddell suspension. It is the RT model which utilized tenite clear plastic with a unique painting process. The helmet was painted gold from the inside. Atop the gold interior painting is a battle ship grey color which visibly covers the entire inside of the shell. The remaining characteristics and features of the helmet shell all point to the early 1950’s.
• The leather covered outer shell below the ear holes, along with the bolted inner jaw pads, identify the helmet to the early 1950’s.
• The 32 air holes atop the crown identify it likewise to this period.
• The size identification on the exterior leather which covers the jaw line are jermain to this era.
• The light colored leather donut in the shell’s interior crown with the triplicate perforations is also an early ‘50’s feature.
• The shell has extra leather covered interior side padding, perhaps in anticipation of extra protection based on Layne’s penchant for defying and challenging defenders more than twice his size. The above collectively identify the helmet as Riddell’s top of the line, early 1950’s model. What then further identifies it with the Lions’ legendary Bobby Layne? First and foremost, the fact that the helmet is an early 1950’s Detroit Lions helmet needs edification and confirmation. The Lions’ team colors were perennially Columbia blue and silver and remains so to this day. Primarily during the early 1950’s, and sporadically through the rest of the decade, they switched to gold helmets. During 1952 and 1953, the team kept the silver center stripe for all of its Riddell helmets while the leather Mac Gregor helmets worn by some interior lineman were solid gold. By 1954, the majority of the Riddell made plastic helmets were gold in their entirety; the center stripe having been painted over and/or newer model helmets were exterior painted in solid gold. The silver center stripe is critical to this analysis. It stands to reason that the RT model helmet, which was painted from the inside, might lend itself to the color combination. The shell’s interior was painted gold but the raised outer center ridge had to be painted from the outside after the fact. The gold was a break from tradition; the silver held a link to the franchise’s formidable past, thus the combination. It should also be noted that during the 1953 season, the Lions wore the gold helmet with a silver center stripe during 12 out of 13 regular season games, including the NFL Championship game. On Saturday night, October 3rd, during a 27-17 victory against the Colts in Baltimore, they wore solid royal blue helmets. The entire 1953 season of Lions game highlights were reviewed, and the gold helmet/silver center stripe styling is apparent throughout, save for the Colts’ night game. Another issue, which needs edification, is the “amateurish” greenish sploches which adorn the helmet’s upper/upper middle shell. One might think that a professional football helmet would never have such discoloration. While that assumption is probably correct even for the 1950’s, there is a plausible explanation. The gold paint used during this period was not pure; it was a blend of yellow, golds and copper. The copper pigments had a tendency to degrade and turn green. A picture of an early 1950’s Lions helmet was used on the 4-color cover of Myron Cope’s book, “The Game That Was.” It too, depicts the same greenish discoloration. Fortunately, there exists an exact mate to this helmet from another Lions superstar legend, Doak Walker. The Pro Football Hall of Fame has Walker’s complete uniform from 1953 - jersey, pants, shoes and helmet. The helmet shows identical greenish degradation to the shell. The numeral identifiers are critical to identifying the helmet to Layne. The numeral’s 1 inch size with edging are actually decaled numerals used by NFL teams such as the Lions, the Eagles and the Steelers during various seasons in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. The numerals were a Riddell, factory offered accessory package and appeared in the 1950’s Riddell catalogs. Certain teams chose to use them, others did not.. The numerals show excessive wear (even more so than those on the Walker), but have never been removed or altered. Layne, being the sole wearer of #22 on the Lions’ roster during the early, mid and into the late ‘50’s, was by definition, the only user of this helmet.. There are additional features and additional support evidence worth noting:
1. The upper interior crown portion of the helmet sports a stamped designator – K2. This stands for November of 1952, signifying that the shell was ready to be shipped to the Lions at that point in time for the ’53 season.
2. A photo depicting a victorious, smiling Layne with Coach Buddy Parker, Doak Walker and receiver Jim Doran in the Lions’ locker room after the 1953 Championship win over the Rams. Doran is holding his headgear which clearly shows a silver center stripe on a gold helmet, leather lower jaw coverings with an imprinted size and the identically styled numerals, “8 3”, which are on this Bobby Layne representation and on the pictured Doak Walker helmet from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
3. This helmet is identical in size to the Bobby Layne Steelers helmet which resides in the Hall of Fame.
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