If you’ve ever watched a football game that wasn’t at the professional level, there’s a good chance you might have seen players with a variety of different stickers or decals on their helmets. While you might have assumed these were just players having fun with their helmet design, the stickers actually mean something related to the game of football.
Keep reading to learn more about those helmet decal awards and why players of all ages receive them.
The Origin of Helmet Awards
Jim Young, a former WWII fighter pilot, came up with the idea of helmet stickers in 1965 when he was the assistant coach at the University of Ohio in Miami. Remembering how he decorated his plane with small stickers after successful missions, he thought the idea might be an ideal way to reward players for excellence on the football field as well.
Since 1965, a variety of other college teams have used helmet awards. They are even common in leagues for children, teens and high school players.
The Meaning of Helmet Awards
Helmet awards can be given to players for a variety of different reasons. In most cases, they are given to players who do something exceptional on the field during a game.
However, some teams give helmet awards for excellent plays in practice or leadership as well. Others actually remove awards for poor performance or things like un-sportsman-like conduct.
Some colleges have even taken to awarding players for community service or off the field excellence in their studies or personal lives.
Helmet award stickers are also referred to as reward decals or pride decals as they represent the college or high school’s players’ excellent performance in the game. Football award decals can be rewarded for individual accomplishment as well as for team accomplishments.
You can get customized football helmet award decals to match the uniformity of your team logo, color, and theme.
Visit Pro-Tuff Decals to learn more about why football players get helmet awards and why it’s such a big part of the game for players at all levels. Pro-Tuff Decals can also help you with everything from helmet decals to jerseys and lounge wear.