Old-fashioned "leatherhead" football helmets from the early 1900s are often as effective as – and sometimes better than – modern football helmets at protecting against injuries during routine ...

As the forces of impacts increased, players began arming themselves. The 1890's saw the invention of the nose mask (1891), sew-on leather pads (mid-1890's), and the football helmet (1895).

At the same time, it’s worth noting that the vintage helmets tested were each about 80 years old, so their age might have meant weaker leather fibers than if pristine leatherheads had been tested.

Friday, Nov. 4, 2011, Cleveland: Old-fashioned "leatherhead" football helmets from the early 1900s are often as effective as – and sometimes better than – modern football helmets at protecting ...

According to the team, the throwback helmets were hand-painted to "match the look of the Red Grange era leather helmets," in a tribute to legendary Illinois player Harold Grange.

Researchers have compared the relative safety afforded by two 1930-vintage leather football helmets and 10 modern football helmets during impacts to players' heads. These researchers found that ...

MORE: Study Ranks 10 Football Helmets for Concussion Safety. This data was input into a software program that estimates risk of brain contusions, acute subdural hematoma (bleeding on the surface ...

Vintage leather football helmets often as protective as modern helmets in common, game-like hits. ScienceDaily . Retrieved June 2, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2011 / 11 ...