Colonel_Reb
Hall of Famer
I am starting this thread for purely selfish reasons. Many of you know I am an equipment junkie, and I wanted to have this thread as a centralized ranting place when it comes to my strange interest. Feel free to add anything about any team here, or ask any questions. I can't promise an answer, but at least we can get more people looking into things.
As far as equipment goes, there are big things happening in college football these days. Instead of everyone wearing cookie cutter facemasks, I like to think that there are still some individualists out there who break the mold. Well, in recent weeks, I have found what I believe to be 3 of those guys. One I posted on last week. Ohio State WR Ted Ginn Jr., who wears a kickers facemask, most assuredly for better vision. Here is the pic for those who didn't see it.
Second up is a guy I have been wondering about for some time now, but have no difinitive proof to support my theory. It appears as though Pittsburgh QB Tyler Palko has been wearing a 2 point chinstrap this year, or at least a 4 point strap with the snaps lined up on it. I tried to figure it out during the West Virginia game, but couldn't for sure. I did see a couple of unpostable pics of him with what appeared to be a 2 point strap. Anyway, if someone has a pic of him from this year with a clearly visible 2 point chinstrap, I'd love to see it.
Last, but certainly not least we have Louisiana Tech QB Zac Champion, who does, without a doubt, wear a 2 point chinstrap. I saw it last night during the Fresno State game, they even zoomed in on him at the end of the game. I did notice it wasn't a factory piece, but a low-mount 4 point piece with the back attachments cut off each side. If anyone has a pic of Zac, please post it as well. I could only find non-postable pics of him.
I am almost certain that a Houston punter about 2-3 years ago wore a 2 point chinstrap. I saw it during a game one night, but never found any picture of it, and I don't remember his name either.
You may wonder why all this chinstrap talk is a big deal to me. Well, I'll tell you. Its because, in order to prevent helmets from flying off and more injuries, the NCAA required the use of 4 point chin straps beginning with the 1976 season. As far as I know, that hasn't changed. If it has, that would be a big deal to me, but since I don't have a copy of the monstrous rulebook, I don't know for sure. What amazes me even more though, is that if the rules have not been changed, and 2 pointers are still illegal, why are the refs letting players wear them? I can tell you that depending on the case, an old suspension helmet (the typestill fairly commonin 1976) might or might not stay on better than a new padded helmet (dominant fromaround 1980 on). If they are thinking that the new helmets stay on better, which I am not yet willing to accept, then maybe that is a reason they are letting them slide. I can also say that a 2 point strap is much more comfortable than a 4 pointer, if your helmet fits right. Often, there is little pressure on your chin when you have a correctly fitted helmet. Either way, it is an interesting phenomena, especially when considering the no-tolerance for rule breaking policy of the modern NCAA.
Have any of you noticed things such as this, or any other players wearing "non-standard" equipment? Edited by: Colonel_Reb
As far as equipment goes, there are big things happening in college football these days. Instead of everyone wearing cookie cutter facemasks, I like to think that there are still some individualists out there who break the mold. Well, in recent weeks, I have found what I believe to be 3 of those guys. One I posted on last week. Ohio State WR Ted Ginn Jr., who wears a kickers facemask, most assuredly for better vision. Here is the pic for those who didn't see it.
Second up is a guy I have been wondering about for some time now, but have no difinitive proof to support my theory. It appears as though Pittsburgh QB Tyler Palko has been wearing a 2 point chinstrap this year, or at least a 4 point strap with the snaps lined up on it. I tried to figure it out during the West Virginia game, but couldn't for sure. I did see a couple of unpostable pics of him with what appeared to be a 2 point strap. Anyway, if someone has a pic of him from this year with a clearly visible 2 point chinstrap, I'd love to see it.
Last, but certainly not least we have Louisiana Tech QB Zac Champion, who does, without a doubt, wear a 2 point chinstrap. I saw it last night during the Fresno State game, they even zoomed in on him at the end of the game. I did notice it wasn't a factory piece, but a low-mount 4 point piece with the back attachments cut off each side. If anyone has a pic of Zac, please post it as well. I could only find non-postable pics of him.
I am almost certain that a Houston punter about 2-3 years ago wore a 2 point chinstrap. I saw it during a game one night, but never found any picture of it, and I don't remember his name either.
You may wonder why all this chinstrap talk is a big deal to me. Well, I'll tell you. Its because, in order to prevent helmets from flying off and more injuries, the NCAA required the use of 4 point chin straps beginning with the 1976 season. As far as I know, that hasn't changed. If it has, that would be a big deal to me, but since I don't have a copy of the monstrous rulebook, I don't know for sure. What amazes me even more though, is that if the rules have not been changed, and 2 pointers are still illegal, why are the refs letting players wear them? I can tell you that depending on the case, an old suspension helmet (the typestill fairly commonin 1976) might or might not stay on better than a new padded helmet (dominant fromaround 1980 on). If they are thinking that the new helmets stay on better, which I am not yet willing to accept, then maybe that is a reason they are letting them slide. I can also say that a 2 point strap is much more comfortable than a 4 pointer, if your helmet fits right. Often, there is little pressure on your chin when you have a correctly fitted helmet. Either way, it is an interesting phenomena, especially when considering the no-tolerance for rule breaking policy of the modern NCAA.
Have any of you noticed things such as this, or any other players wearing "non-standard" equipment? Edited by: Colonel_Reb