The 2022-23 athletics season is in the books. What better way to kick off the offseason than a look at Troy’s many football helmets.

We did a version of this a few years back, but it only focused on the standard helmets that Troy used, not one-offs and alternates. This time we will definitively rank every helmet that Troy has ever used—back to the earliest evidence of wearing helmets.

It will also take several articles to cover each variation.

Most of this research is my own, but I am indebted to the amazing work Blaise D’Sylva has done tracking each change in helmets for myriad teams over at his website, Helmet History. If you love this series, check out that website.

Without further ado, let’s get started with the ranking with our only Honorable Mention.

Honorable Mention: 2021 Sim Byrd Memorial for T-Day

These helmets were not game worn, but they were used as a tribute during the 2021 T-Day spring game.

They marked the first time Troy wore white facemasks since 1988. This was also the first time Troy ever used mismatched decals (something only used once in the regular season). It was a fitting way to honor Sim Byrd, one of the greatest Trojans ever.

The Ranking

#68-#62 are all going to be lumped together in one large grouping. This is due to the fact that there is nothing inherently identifiable about them, and nearly all teams in this time period wore variations of them.

68. Leatherheads (1936?-1946?)

There’s a lack of early Trojan history and photographs, so we don’t know the exact dates when the Leatherheads were first used or last used. They were definitely retired by 1947, when shell helmets were first used.

67. Plain Silver (1957-59)

66. Silver, but with a Stripe (1960-61)

65. Plain White (1956)

64. Plain White with Stripe (1947-56)

Again, these helmets are all simple, common and unrecognizable. The 1960s at least brought some uniqueness: numbers.

63. Plain White with Numbers (1962-64)

62. White with Numbers and Center Stripe (1965)

61. Cardinal with White Stripe and White Numbers (1966)

Billy Atkins’ first season brought Troy’s first Cardinal helmets, topping this section of classic looks with the most recognizable change. Things only went up from here.

60. Plain Black (Marshall, 2004)

I love what this helmet represents, in the beginning of the TROY era, just one game before the full branding was introduced. It gets such a low ranking solely because it was just a black helmet.

59. Trojan Smoke with modern TROY wordmark and cardinal facemask (BYU 2020)

I was so excited about this one when the preview video came out. The return of TROY on the helmets for the first time since 1982 had me loving this.

However, the cardinal font and the dark lights of BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium made this one a bit of a mess. Only in the right light could you even see Troy’s name, which was not ideal for an ESPN2 game.

#58) White Helmet with Jumbo Power T and Number (App State, 2021)

This one simply didn’t work for me because of the mismatched logos. It’s a pet peeve and pairing it with a jumbo logo only added to the chaos. I wouldn’t mind seeing Trojan equipment bringing back the jumbo logos for both sides or even doing a modern throwback with numbers on both sides like our 1962-65 helmets, but not like this.

57. Cardinal Helmet with Tri-Stripe and Black Hector (1974)

Cardinal helmets with white/black/white stripes are a classic look for Troy. I personally believe it should be our standard for all cardinal helmets.

However, this version of the Hector logo didn’t work. There was a potential for a nice look here, but due to limitations of the time, there wasn’t enough contrast in the logo to make this work.

56. Trojan Smoke with Silver Decals and Facemask (South Alabama, 2021)

The Trojan Smokes were just not the best shell Troy has used. I like this decal and facemask combination, but it worked better in an updated version on the black helmet against WKU in 2022. Gradients in sports uniforms are typically bad and they are even worse on helmets.

55. Blackouts (ULM, 2013)

This one causes a bit of contention here at Trojan Wall, as I dislike this whole uniform, while Thomas likes it. Had Troy not lost to ULM and used this more than once, maybe I would feel differently about it.

For what it was, it only felt like a needless Blackout uniform fitting in with the trend of the late 2000s and early 2010s.

54. Chrome Dome with Black Stripe and Power T (Arkansas State, 2016)

The Chrome Domes were a helmet that definitely grew on me, because I did not like them initially. This one is easily the worst iteration of it for the simple fact that everything gets lost in the lights.

Not that it’s a bad thing, but literally the only detail of the helmet that you can make out is the Power T.

#53) Black Helmet with Cardinal Power T (2015)

I was super stoked by the return of black helmets after a decade. This particular version gets ranked so low, however, just because of the fact that it felt like they didn’t know exactly how to balance the cardinal and white with the black helmet.

It looked like a good first attempt. 2022 has shown us that they can be better.

52. Matte Cardinal Helmet with Silver Stripe and Power T (2015-16)

I have to say that I surprised myself when I ranked this one so low. I love the matte cardinal, but it simply wasn’t as good as the cardinal chrome Troy brought out the next year, especially once equipment added the white/black/white stripe set.

51. White Helmet with Chrome Facemask and Silver Decals (NMSU, 2016)

This was another one that should’ve been better than it was, but the silver decals and facemask blended into the white and it lost its luster.

50. White Helmet with Cardinal Facemask, Stripe, and Decals (2016-18)

This was a great look and I really loved it, but it fell this low due to the better white helmets used more recently.

49. 1984 Fauxback with Wide Silver Stripe and Silver Spartan Helmet (USM, 2022)

This one might be the most controversial choice in this first part. It comes down to one detail that killed this one for me.

When Troy does National Championship throwbacks, they need to have the white/black/white (or white/silver/white) stripes on the top. They were a huge part of the Trojans’ identity for two decades.

48. Trojan Smoke with Silver Facemask and Cardinal-Outlined Power T (Arkansas State, 2020)

Yes, I know that this is the exact same helmet as #57, but the pop of cardinal outlining the Power T changes the whole vibe of this helmet. This was a version of the Trojan Smokes that I could’ve lived with for a little longer.

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That’s it for Part 1. Check back soon for Part 2 and don’t forget to let me know your thoughts on the list here in the comments or on Twitter (@BenOnSports).