Back in 1929, John Tate Riddell started his company
armed with a vision of providing better sporting equipment to athletes.
And such idea has proven to be very beneficial, not only for J.T.
Riddell but for the players as well, for from this concept of his came
forth the country's foremost manufacturer of football headgear.
Removable
cleat--- the history of Riddell football helmets all began with a
removable cleat. Said design was prepared by Riddell back when he was
still the Athletic Director and at the same time head of the football
coaching staff for a certain high school located in Evanston, Illinois.
The year was 1922 when head coach saw the need for developing the
current leather-fitted footwear for his team. With the arrival of the
rainy season, such condition dictates the necessity of changing cleats
and installing a longer mud cleat to adapt with said variable. This
process is time consuming, not to mention that the cobbler in-charged
of doing such task was also hired by a university ergo not being able
to finish all footgear by game time. The invention of removable cleats
was openly welcomed and such flamed a string of innovations that led to
the groundwork for the history of Riddell football helmets.
Ten
years after the formation of the company, Riddell pioneered the fist
plastic suspension headgear. This breakthrough caught the attention of
the government for it will certainly be to the advantage of the brave
men in WW II. This is one of the finest points in the history of
Riddell football helmets.
With protection as the main goal, it is
hard to believe that helmets, rather than pads, were the last to be
accepted in pro football. The former is not even mandatory in
football---that is until 1939 when NFL ordered that players wear such
protective headgear. Before the dawn of plastic helmets, there was
leather. The players may be protected against concussions but not the
heat---air can barely circulate inside.
Evolution is inevitable;
same applies in the history of Riddell football helmets. RT-2 was the
first helmet engineered by the company and sold to the public. Said
helmet model was manufactured in 1946, a year after J.T. Riddell's
death. RT-2 was a three-pieced shell using Tenite II with cotton web
suspension for the head and neck. Said suspension presents a pocket of
air in between the head and the shell of the helmet. Though Riddell
wasn't able to actually see the evolution and expansion of his company,
he'll always live in every noggin he has protected, whether it's
attached to an amateur or professional football player.
Following
RT-2 was RK-4. The latter resembles the shape of RT-2, though it's
shell material differs. RK-4 was manufactured utilizing a chemical
called Acrilonitrile Butadiene Styrene concocted by US Rubber. The
cotton webbing that was present in the RT-2 was substituted by a combo
of cotton and nylon. Both models showcased the 3-loop and 6-point
regular suspension.
The history of Riddell football helmets
includes the models TK-5 and PAC-44. The two shared the same shell
composition as that of the RK-4. The difference rests on the interior
cushion. TK-5 was originally cushioned with cotton. However, it was
altered to that of the interior of RK-4, which was made of cotton and
nylon. As for the PAC-44, same was tagged and aimed for the youth. It
featured an interior air cushion crafted out of vinyl.
From these
forerunners, the company has progressed along with the game. With its
'firsts' like the web suspension, air cushion interior and
self-contained inflation head gear to name a few, it's really hard to
picture the sports equipment scene without Riddell.
This is the
history of Riddell football helmets...so far. With ingenious minds
continuously formulating new ideas, it is easy to say that another
touchdown is within reach.
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