Notre Dame to wear leatherhead-type helmets vs. Navy
Nov 14, 2017, 3:04 PM | Updated: 3:24 pm
Notre Dame’s look on Saturday might bring some added luck to its football team as Navy comes to take on the Irish this weekend.
First batch is here #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/K9MxTZYPsr
— Ryan Grooms (@NDFBEquipment) November 14, 2017
The school announced it will pay homage to its highly-acclaimed coach, Knute Rockne, who led his team to three national championships and five undefeated seasons in the 1920s and 1930s.
Rockne led the team in an era where players wore leather helmets without a face guard. On Saturday, players will wear special Heritage uniforms that feature gold helmets.
The helmets resemble the “leatherhead” look of the time with a special pattern and a stitched look. The school partnered with Under Armour, who helped with the design.
On Tuesday, the Notre Dame Equipment official Twitter account tweeted out a photo of the helmets – without facemasks.
“I think it is a unique opportunity with this uniform to celebrate the past while creating the future,” Under Armour Design Director Nick Billiris said in August, according to IrishIllustrated.com. “That’s why we incorporated some of these elements that harken back to the 1920s and 1930s when Knute Rockne was there, but we did it with cutting-edge fabrics and technology.
“The whole idea is that this uniform is a time capsule of Notre Dame football from when Rockne first grew the football program into the national power it has become today.”