Leatherheads, what exactly is a Leatherhead?

Is it a movie starring George Clooney? Well yes, that is a definition. The leather heads I’m talking about are actual players who wore the helmets we now refer to as ‘leather heads’. We can well thank the very popular movie for coining the phrase ‘leather heads’ as I could not find historical references to the general public referring to early soccer players as ‘leather heads’. However, there are indications that the helmets themselves were called leather heads.

Leatherheads-The Early Years

The first leather football helmet was worn in an 1893 Army and Navy game. An Annapolis shoemaker developed it for Admiral Joseph Mason Reeves, who had been told by a Navy doctor that he would risk death. going crazy or paralyzed if he received another blow to the head during a game. The later helmets improved the design with padding, ear muffs and, finally, face shields.

Padded but without helmets

Players often devised their own method of padding the body and rough pads were used for the shoulders and hips during the early years of football, especially in the early 1900s. Helmets were a rarity for gamers and often some players wore them while others did not. In the 1920s, leather helmets became more accepted, but they were not yet mandatory.

Logo

The earliest helmets had no identifying marks at all. As with all games, fierce competition and team pride caused some colleges and high schools to paint their helmets by hand. Over time, certain colors or team mascots were painted to easily distinguish the players on the team. Imagine being a quarterback trying to find the receiver on the field with no identification markings on the receiver! Imagine it’s a mud game! How difficult that must have been, especially if the receiver was well covered! Today’s players can thank the Rams for starting to paint team logos on helmets. In 1948, the Rams’ horns were painted on team helmets and soon after all football helmets had a team logo or colors.

True Grit

While we can’t imagine playing a soccer game without protective gear, the era of ‘leather heads’ shows the true value of those early players. They were beaten week after week and often went to their regular jobs during the week. His great determination and love for the game has given us the football we know today and luckily our players are much more protected.

Leather helmets today

If you can find a leather helmet from that golden age, you’ll be in luck! Finding one that doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg would be an even greater achievement. Finding images of ‘leather heads’ can also be difficult. International sports artist Andy Goralski has just completed an artwork titled “From Leather to Legendary” that portrays the Acme Packers team in the infamous leather helmets. To the rear is the legendary Lambeau Field in Green Bay showing its newly renovated look. This artwork is available in fine art prints and also available on canvas. For more information and to see this legendary work of sports art complete with a team of “leather heads” visit coleengoralski.com

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