Gold Returns To The Notre Dame Football Helmets

[Larkspur]

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Gold Returns To The Notre Dame Football Helmets

Hard work by the football equipment staff and its vendors delivers a fantastic new helmet for the Irish.

Not only will the University of Notre Dame football team take the field "Under the Lights" on Saturday night against Southern Cal, the Irish will be "Under the Gold" as well. New gold helmets that is, courtesy of Hydro Graphics Inc.

Here are answers for two big questions that Notre Dame football fans might have about the change:

Will the helmets still be painted by the student managers each week?

After exhausting many options, the football equipment staff was forced to decide between continuing the tradition of painting helmets and having a subpar helmet or altering the painting process to get a superior helmet. The football staff, along with Notre Dame Athletics Director Jack Swarbrick and head coach Brian Kelly, felt it was more important to get the color correct.

The student managers will still be involved with the maintenance of the helmet each game week, including inspection, removal of scuff marks and cleaning. The new paint process is so detailed it is unable to be duplicated by Notre Dame, so it is impossible to be applied each week.

Are there still gold flakes from the University of Notre Dame Administration Building (i.e. the Golden Dome) in the paint for the helmets?

The tradition of having 23.9 karat gold in the helmet continues. Actual gold flakes, collected when the Golden Dome was regilded, are still included in the painting process by Hydro Graphics Inc.

The end result is a gold helmet that is closer to the color of the Golden Dome than helmets Notre Dame has worn previously - and provides that color on a consistent basis from week to week and year to year.


SNIP

Cool!!
Here's the Irish Connection (ICON) video about this story and you can see the new helmet compared to the one they recently used.

Go Irish! Beat Trojans!

--Larkspur, ND class '83

[joeybee12]

1. This is the most important post in the Sports Forum EVER!

:toast:

[Larkspur]

4. It's all part of the ND-USC rivalry atmosphere

:applause:
We need a simile holding a brat in one hand and a mug of beer in the other for football fans.

ND use to come out with the Green jerseys or rumors of it prior to this big game. Now, its the replica of the Golden Dome on the football helmet.

It will be interesting to see if any damage to the new look & color happens during contact in the game and how it weathers over time.

[trumad]

7. Almost as important as a pussy cat.

[Kingofalldems]

2. America's Team! Yeah!

Knute, Ara, Joe et al would be proud.

[El Supremo]

3. Touchdown!

I still think the helmet needs a halo.

[Larkspur]

5. When the lights hit the new helmet the halo is seen by the opposing team

I wonder if Lou Holtz will be talking about the helmets this Saturday?

[madinmaryland]

6. I think the Amish are not interested in Gold.

:shrug:

[KamaAina]

8. Wouldn't iron pyrites be more appropriate?

a/k/a "fool's gold"? :P