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Indiana Wesleyan Football Kick-off

August 8, 2018 By Jeff Zogg

A field. A pile of dirt.

Eighteen months ago, Indiana Wesleyan University birthed a football program. As Linebackers’ Coach CJ Nightingale walked across what would be midfield he saw only a pile of dirt in a field, but he knew what could be. He and others could see it.

“In the Winter of 2016 this was all just a pile of dirt. All we could do was recruit towards a vision. Our program at that point started with describing our culture. All our focus was on three things—the spiritual, the academic, and the athletic—in that order.”

The culture, the vision for the culture, was unseen, but very real.

“We recruited guys that wanted that, who could identify with that, and then we started building.”

Home Opener

When the Wildcats open their season at home against the Taylor Trojans on the first of September, not only will the season be new, but the program will be new and the jerseys and helmets and the very turf they play on will be new. Everything about Indiana Wesleyan football is new.

As CJ showed Helmet Tracker around the new football facility at the south end zone of Wildcat Stadium, his coaching peers were busy unpacking cardboard boxes of gear. With enthusiasm. Everywhere you go, every person you meet associated with Indiana Wesleyan football seems to have been issued vast amounts of abundant enthusiasm.

“A lot of the gear we ordered was received before the building was built,” said Defensive Line Coach Josh Aldrin. “It was all spread out throughout buildings on campus and as this got finished, we started bringing things in.”

They also brought in 53 players last year—football players committed to IWU without any competition the first year, without a schedule, without much of what they had in high school. Not at that time. But now, now they have everything—everything except college football experience.

“Last year, our first year, was most interesting,” CJ said. “We had a fall with no football games. Saturdays is what these guys want to get to—it’s what they are here for. So we had scrimmages, we had practices, and we lifted.”

Motivational Weight Room

Head Coach Jordan Langs designed the weight room, if that’s what you call the area where the strength and conditioning equipment resides now. The area is a sunken section of a larger lobby to the football facility. It’s more like the Motivational Center. With every lift, every squat, every curl, the players gaze out to the field and see what they are working toward. Floor to ceiling windows separate the weight room from an end zone.

Forty-five more players joined the vanguard a few weeks ago.

“The school started football,” CJ tells us, “because they saw a void in young men.”

That was eight years ago! Eight. The freshmen coming on campus and donning the uniform this fall were fourth-graders.

“We are so very thankful for the great support from our AD and the athletic department, and from the university administration, and the whole community,” he said. “We are going to be the hardest, fastest, most physical team we can be. Naturally, we want to win.”

Indiana Wesleyan Head Coach

Indiana Wesleyan Football Head Coach Jordan Langs — IWU Head Coach Jordan Langs

Jordan Langs knows some things and doesn’t know some things.

He knows football. He knows success on the gridiron. Jordan served as defensive coordinator for the Wheaton Thunder from 2014 through 2016. The team went 33-4 and won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin twice.

He doesn’t know what is like to be a Head Coach during a game. He doesn’t know what it is like to lead a brand new football team onto a brand new field.

“We are still, in a way, in the honeymoon phase,” he told us. “We are turning the corner, though. We are on the backstretch and breaking for the starting line. I am, we are, antsy to get going.”

He admits to few nerves, focusing on the excitement of finally playing football and the passion he and his coaches have to create a culture that forms men of character and substance.

“Our expectation is to constantly live inside our best. We want to be at our best and even though we understand the limitations of having two classes of recruits we are going to gear up and give our absolute best. If we do that, that’s good, whether we win or lose. If we do that, I will sleep like a baby September 1.”

Now, of course Jordan knows the scoreboard will serve as some sort of gradebook for him and the program.

“We are excited about the talent we have. We will be competitive.”

Winning at Life

Competitiveness doesn’t always translate to winning, though he admits to a certain expectation victories, too. What he has worked to establish, with himself, his coaches, players, and supporters, are long-term goals.

“We understand that if we approach it a certain way, we will get the results we need,” he said. “Success this year is to have the culture we want to create to really set in. Success is that if at Thanksgiving the foundation for IWU football has been set with the right people, the right recruiting, and the right players, we will win some football games.

“In the future, then, there should be no ceiling for us,” he said, pausing and seeming to weigh in the brief silence whether he should say what he wants to say next. He decides and with energy moves forward. “We should be fighting to be the best team in the country as the years go on. Very few can say they want to be national champs and have what they need to accomplish that.

“We can.”

Coach Pedigree and Preparation

Coach Kevin Langs (Battle Creek Enquirer)

Just a few months ago, Jordan’s father, Kevin Langs, was inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He led the Climax-Scotts High School Panthers to the playoffs all but three times in the past 19 years, with 12 conference championships, and a State Championship in 2004. His record is 172-48.

“What has prepared me the most,” says Jordan Langs as he eyes his first football game as a Head Coach, “by far it is my father. He prepared me. I had mentors at Wheaton who also prepared me. And the Lord has wired me to learn from people’s experiences and use the knowledge that is around me.”

C.L.I.M.B.

Jordan excelled as a Defensive Coordinator at Wheaton, but he realized quickly that preparing the team to defend the end zone wasn’t at the top of his career desires.

“I’m not a core Xs and Os guy. That doesn't wake me up. I wake up because I want to be a culture guy, a vision guy. That is what gets me up in the morning—the opportunity to create and instill culture, intentionally.”

He focuses and wants everyone in the program to focus on the acronym CLIMB: Consistently Living Inside My Best.

“This means to do what you say you will do and have an unwavering love for others.” This is a way of living for everyone associated with IWU football.

Not Alone

There are seven new college football teams who take the field for the first time this year.

One of them, the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils, appears on the Wildcat’s schedule twice this year. Both teams will compete in the NAIA Mid-States Football Association in 2019. The Trinity Trojans won the MSFA Conference Championship in Helmet Bowl I last year, edging out the Taylor Trojans by just one point. Will the Wildcats or the Blue Devils compete there, or on the field, or both?

The other new teams are:

Allen University— Columbia, South Carolina, NAIA, Independent.
Alvernia University — Reading, Pennsylvania, Division III, Middle Atlantic Conference.
Keiser University — West Palm Beach, Florida, NAIA, Mid-South Conference.
Ottawa University-Arizona— Surprise, Arizona., NAIA, Sooner Athletic Conference.
University of New England — Biddeford, Maine, Division III, Commonwealth Coast Conference.

Designed Helmets, Uniforms

When Jordan arrived on campus, his inner gear nerd emerged.

Indiana Wesleyan Football's Coach CJ Nightingale — IWU Wildcat Coach CJ Nightingale

“It was cool. They gave me a budget and I went to get what I needed. I designed the weight room, the helmets, the uniform. I loved every minute of it!”

The Indiana Wesleyan branding, Jordan said, is important. “At one point all we had to sell was how cool our stuff was! Now we are starting to be known for our gear. We recruit with it and we are excited to bring the rest of the program up to speed.”

Indeed. Just a couple more weeks and the Wildcats will put down their first W—whether that be in their program opener, or down the schedule a week or two. This is one, soon mark of success. But for Jordan Langs and his coaching cohorts, another mark of success will be in the years and decades to come when the football players they prepare for life create positive influence in whatever they decide to do off the gridiron.

Meet Helmet Tracker Intern, Student Manager, Carter Rands

August 1, 2018 By Jeff Zogg

Most every student manager we’ve run into in equipment rooms, who we've heard about or interviewed, has a story that follows one of a few routes.

They were looking for a job to make some extra money in college and heard about the equipment room.
Or, they were assigned the equipment room by a work study program and found out they liked it.
Or, they wanted to find a way to get close to the players, the coaches, and the program.

Carter Rands is not like most every student equipment manager.

Kansas State Wildcats

Carter begins his second year in the K-State Equipment Room. Today, like yesterday, the Equipment Managers inventory the cool stuff—the new hats, the new T-shirts, the new shorts—everything needed for the athletes and coaches for training camp. And more.

“We went over the entire 16-day training camp schedule yesterday,” Carter told us. “There will be some pretty long days!”

The Wildcats begin Friday. “The trainers and us are the first ones in.” In Manhattan, there are two full time Equipment Managers, a Graduate Assistant, and eight student managers on staff for training camp. “We gotta get the gear ready. There is a lot of gear to be issued and a lot of equipment to repair,” Carter said.

Early Decision

Carter didn’t happen into the K-State equipment room. He wasn’t assigned there. He doesn’t seek to rub elbows with the stars (though he does admit to being a bit star struck in the San Francisco 49ers Equipment Room this summer. More on that later).

Carter decided as a freshman in high school he wanted a career in an equipment room. Yup. A. Freshman. In. High. School.

“My 8^th grade year I suffered an injury and doctors said I shouldn’t play football anymore. I went to the Head Coach my freshmen year and he offered me a job as a student manager.

“That first week I completely fell in love with it. I decided right then I wanted this to be my career.”

Carter served the Maroons as an equipment manager all four of his years at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines.

Kansas State Fit

When he began making a decision about where to go to college, he primarily based his choice on the equipment room atmosphere and welcome.

“I looked at D1 schools like Iowa State and K-State and others. When I talked with Al (Al Cerbe, Equipment Manager) at K-State and found him super friendly and very outgoing. He offered me a shot at a spot in the equipment room and I chose K-State.”

Yes, Carter contacted Equipment Managers at the colleges he was interested in attending as part of his college choice decision making process. Ever hear of that? Us neither.

“Carter is a young man with a great passion for this profession and is seeking out the opportunities to be better which is the K-State way!” Al told us. “It is always a blessing to have a young man that is willing to do anything for your program and enjoys being there.”

Carter loves working for Al.

“K-State is a big school, and has a very good football program. I love the whole mantra of family here. It’s working out great and I love it here,” he said.

Done to a T

Now he enters his second season with the Wildcats—a season where things are coming a bit more comfortably for him.

“Last year I was extremely nervous. I felt there were a lot of expectations from fellow managers. I felt like if I took a lot of time on something it would slow things down. Everything here is done to a T. You follow a schedule and you have to be exact.”

“It was a shock to me.”

“Now, I am a lot more comfortable with the environment and the schedule. Everything is a lot easier to me,” Carter said. “I am more familiar with the way we run the program.”

Still, there are things to learn. Always things to learn.

“Sure, there are a little bit of nerves still. I’ve been out for the summer and there is a new coach in my position. Eric Hickson, he was a running back here in the 90s and came from the Akron Zips where he coached.”

Hickson was the all-time leading rusher when he completed his Wildcat career with 2,537 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Al told us that Carter, too, has the opportunity to reach his goals.

“Once Carter has a little more experience and brings a balance to all that is going to school and being a student manager than I truly believe the sky is the limit for him,” he said.

Helmet Tracker Intern

When Al Cerbe announced to his staff the opportunity to join Helmet Tracker for the summer, Carter jumped at the chance. Carter worked alongside Helmet Tracker to implement NFL teams with the Helmet Tracker system.

This meant tagging helmets and shoulder pads with RFID technology and inputting the initial information into the inventory and management system.

Though the internship was unpaid, Carter saw the benefits.

“I got to travel all over the country—gaining knowledge about how NFL equipment teams work and gathering tips and advice about the equipment and how to care for it,” Carter told us.

Green Bay Packers

Carter worked with the Vikings, 49ers, Raiders, Broncos, Browns, Patriots, Colts, and Bengals. He ended his internship with Helmet Tracker co-Founder Rich Hardt in Green Bay.

“What a great way to end a summer internship by spending a few days with the Packers’ equipment team,” Rich said. “I don't think Carter will ever forget laughing (almost crying) at one of Equipment Manager Red Batty’s stories during one of those infamous ‘Safety’ breaks.”

Carter Rands student manager, k-state equipment room — Carter Rands

Equipment Managers were helpful and most were friendly and welcoming. Carter said he received offers from two for internships and from one to help out on the sidelines during a game. Most of the time it was heads-down work—going from helmet to helmet, shoulder pad to shoulder pad, tagging and inputting. Working fast, there wasn’t time or freedom to wander around and be an inside fan.

But at one point, for Carter, the fan came out.

“I remember at the 49ers, I got star-stuck. We were there right in the middle of their OTA and Jimmy Garoppolo and Richard Sherman were there. I got to meet with those guys and talk with them—it was a cool experience.”

Other times, Helmet Tracker was installed in a back room, no windows, no locker room, no interaction. Sometimes, a gaggle of team interns would assist, sometimes Helmet Tracker was on its own. Either way, the work got done.

“This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Carter said. “I want to be a manager in the NFL and it was an incredible opportunity to visit those places and be introduced to the Equipment Mangers there.

“Helmet Tracker is helping me pave my way to my dream.”

Southern Miss Asst. Equipment Manager wins Scholarship

July 25, 2018 By Jeff Zogg

Harley Warren, Assistant Athletic Equipment Manager for the Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi, earned and won Helmet Tracker’s 2018 AEMA Certification Exam Scholarship.

“That is fantastic!” said Harley when we called to tell him. “I paid for it myself and I was so stressed about it. Thank you.”

Harley and every Helmet Tracker Scholarship candidate this year passed the Athletic Equipment Manager’s Association Certification Exam. 100 percent! We extend our congratulations.

Certified EQMs Matter

“The importance of safety in sports is in the forefront right now. Everyone wants to provide the safest environment possible,” Sam Trusner, AEMA Office Manager told us recently. “The AEAM Certified Equipment Managers are the ones who know the equipment. They know how to fit the new, technologically advanced helmets, and have the knowledge needed.”

Sam said more and more colleges and universities are requiring their Equipment Managers to be certified, or earn certification within a year of hiring.

“Certification tells you this person can be an Equipment Manager at any level and they know what they are doing. Certification with the AEMA is not sport-specific, but covers every sport.”

Sam tells us that 82 of the 95 men and women who took the exam at the Phoenix convention last month passed.

“Being certified puts you into a network of the most knowledgeable people in the sports equipment and maintenance industry,” he said.

Equipment Managers – Noticed by everyone, seen by few

Here at Helmet Tracker we find ways to connect with and support Equipment Managers. Our products make the work of an Equipment Manager easier, more efficient, and better organized. Our AEMA Certification Exam Scholarship repays one Equipment Manager the cost of taking the exam and the cost of the manual. Candidates must submit a short recommendation letter, photo, and be interviewed by Helmet Tracker. Then, they must pass the test. After that, it's a random draw. Sam pulled Harley's name out of a Chicago Bears helmet late last week.

“I was very relieved that I found out I passed the test,” Harley told us earlier this week. “It took a lot longer to hear about the results than I thought it would and I was starting to worry that I failed it.”

“It feels good now and no one can really question me about what I know—this proves that I know what I am doing.”

What Harley is doing this week is unpacking hundreds of boxes from Adidas. He assists Patrick Stewart, Assistant Athletic Director for Equipment Operations, with football, and works directly with all soccer, track, and tennis teams.

He tells us that once the Golden Eagles figure out their QB for the season, they will contend. “We are young and we are fast!”

More here

Read about Harley’s support of Helmet Bowl here.

Read our story about Harley’s AEMA Scholarship candidacy below.

You can already apply for the Helmet Tracker 2019 AEMA Certification Exam Scholarship here if you plan to take the exam between now and July 2019. The AEMA 2019 Convention is in Indianapolis June 2-9.

Meet Helmet Tracker Equipment Manager Scholarship Candidate Harley Warren

April 7, 2018 By Jeff Zogg (Edit)

Harley Warren’s card says he is the Assistant Athletic Equipment Manager at Southern Mississippi, but he serves as a Golden Eagles ambassador wherever he goes.

Helmet Bowl I

Harley sent Helmet Tracker an updated Golden Eagle helmet design at least a half dozen times during the 2017 inaugural Helmet Bowl I season. He led the team and others to vote Southern Mississippi to an early lead in the Conference USA championship.

“This is the perfect year for us. It is the first year in six years we’ve changed our helmets a bunch. The fans love seeing the different looks, and we get the votes!” he told us in November.

The Golden Eagles were poised to make a deep run in the National Championship bracket and didn’t disappoint. They demolished the Southern Connecticut Owls in the first round, then handily dismissed the Southeastern Savage Storm. For the South Region championship, they faced a Kennesaw State Owl helmet that suddenly had a powerful following and lost just two steps away from the championship. Harley says that won’t happen again.

“I loved the National Championship bracket,” he said. “We’ll be even more active for the next one!”

Equipment Manager – Dream Job

Harley long admits his admiration for the Golden Eagles program and calls working there his dream job. His first job, being a teacher, wasn’t suited for him and he quickly altered his route and found success.

He got his start in the equipment room when a coach discovered a young desire in Harley and his twin brother Michael to walk the sidelines, call the plays. He suggested the duo start in the equipment room.

They both enrolled at Mississippi Gulf Coach Community College and began learning the ropes of the Equipment Manager. Michael now teaches in a nearby middle school and coaches football, soccer, and track.

Harley, meanwhile, transferred to Southern Miss and began to build his career.

“My Dad was always a football fan, and we grew up going to Southern Miss games all the time. He was a big Brett Farve fan.”

He worked as a student equipment manager and earned a degree in sports coaching/education with a history minor. “It didn’t take me long to figure out I didn’t want to teach.”

After an internship with the New Orleans Voodoo in the Arena League, then with the NFL Saints, he was offered a graduate assistant spot at Southern Miss and took it.

“Then I got hired full time. I was finally getting paid!” Harley said. “I like all of the behind the scene stuff – getting everything ready, working with uniform designs – I like all that.”

New “Hobby”

A little less than a year ago, Harley and his wife welcomed their first child into the family, a daughter.

“I suppose that’s my hobby now—being at home, being a dad.”

When not at home, he enjoys being in the equipment room and serving as an Equipment Manager. Someday, he says, he may end up in coaching, but even if that happens, working in the equipment room gives him special insight and knowledge.

“Even in high school, the coaches need to be knowledgeable about this stuff, and my work here would allow me to bring something else to the table other guys may not.”

Equipment Manager Certification

Harley knows that the Athletic Equipment Management Association certification is important for his career and plans to take the exam in June at the AEMA Convention in Phoenix, Arizona.

He has the support of his family—both at home and at work.

“Harley has worked for us as a student starting in 2011 and progressed through a GA and now the Assistant, he has always demonstrated a love for equipment managing,” writes Patrick Stewart, the Golden Eagles’ Assistant Athletic Director of Equipment Operations. “He has good relations with coaches, and staff and completes his projects in a timely manner.”

Stewart is in his 24^th year at Southern Mississippi.

“I feel like Harley will be a good candidate to continue in this position for a very long time with his even temper and laid back way of everyday life.”

AEMA Scholarship

Harley now joins the candidates for Helmet Tracker’s AEMA Scholarship. The scholarship reimburses the winning candidate the exam and exam book fee.

Many colleges and universities require AEMA certification for Equipment Managers, others prefer it. Some foot the bill for the exam, and others leave that to the individual.

Last year, Michael Dryer at the University of Nevada won the scholarship. However, Damien Garnett, Assistant Athletic Director of Equipment at Nevada, asked Helmet Tracker to pass it on as the Wolfpack had paid for Michael’s exam. We did, and Eddie Hardin, now the Assistant to the Director of Equipment Operations at Tennessee State University, received the reimbursement.

“I am grateful,” Eddie told us at the time. “It means a lot going from an intern to my first real job—having bills to pay!”

Harley will take the exam at the Athletic Equipment Managers Association convention in Phoenix.

MOAM Returns from Africa

July 18, 2018 By Jeff Zogg

Here's the numbers for this summer's Managers On A Mission trips to Africa:

5 – How many consecutive years MOAM has served orphanages in Africa

3- How many weeks MOAM and their selected Student Equipment Managers serve at orphanages in Africa

5 – How many countries MOAM serves during their mission to Africa

25 – How many Equipment Managers are selected to serve at orphanages

1 – How many Molly Hart's partcipated.

We introduced you to Molly a month ago as she prepared for the trip. She's back now, sounding a bit tired, but excited about the experience.

“The kids were easily the highlight of the trip – the biggest highlight of my trip,” Molly said. “They were so sweet and loving and happy all the time. They were so happy all the time. When we first drove in they were waving at us and smiling at us and were so excited to have us there with them. For them, it was their summer break for three weeks.

“It was so sad to say good bye to them last week.”

Serving Orphans

Molly, an Equipment Manager for Notre Dame Football, served at a Rafiki Foundation orphanage in Ghana. The Rafiki Foundation runs orphanages in several African nations. The MOAM teams serve to give full-time missionaries a three-week break every summer, and to teach the kids there about soccer, basketball, volleyball, and other sports. By mixing in devotions and times of teaching from the Bible, the faith of the kids, and the MOAM team members, is strengthened.

“What we really saw this year, was spiritual growth among students we sent,” said MOAM founder Drew Boe. “Tt was really cool seeing that. A lot of these individuals seemed pretty good with their faith. Then they stepped into a third world country and lead devotions and lead a group of teenagers through study of scripture. We heard from them how much they were challenged in doing that and we saw confidence grow. It was really cool see individuals be challenged to step out of their comfort zone – physically, emotionally, and most significantly – spiritually. It was really cool to see.”

Molly, who hails from Michigan, told Helmet Tracker the trip gave her perspective and courage.

“This trip taught me how to be more open about my faith. These kids wanted to know everything and anything. They showed me how to be open with my life and open with my faith,” she said. “It showed me that I don’t have to do something spectacular like solve cancer to have a huge impact with my life. I have to be there and show love to someone. To be available.”

Drew knows these trips can shape a student manager's outlook and strengthen their faith. That's what happened to him. His trip years ago to Rwanda transformed Drew and began what became MOAM.

“God put it on my heart to combine the sports industry with what He was doing at these orphanages,” he recalled.

Small Things with Great Love

Molly will remember the conversations she had with Azuma most of all.

“There were a number of kids I grew close to. One was Azuma. She was 11 and she – I miss her so much already – she was kind of, in the beginning, very quiet. There were some outspoken kids who were ready to drag you out to talk all the time. But getting to know Azuma, she would ask me about my family, tell me what she wanted to do when she was older, everything. We talked a lot about how I came to be a Christian and I told her about my journey. So we talked – she asked all the big questions – it was nice to hear. When we left, she wrote me one of the sweetest notes.”

The experience also helped Molly decided on her future.

“It helped me decide to stay in sports. This is not something I want to take out of my plans. I don't know specifically, but I do know I want to be able to do something like this trip again. I want to be able to, not necessarily go to this Rafiki village in Ghana, but something similar. This trip has helped me to grow in so many ways – in ways that I haven’t fully realized yet.”

Molly said a quote her Dad often references, sometimes attributed to Mother Teresa, became more real for her this summer: “We cannot do great things, but we can only do small things with great love.”

Read about Molly's pre-trip here.

Encouragement and Follow-up and Commitment

Drew said many of the mission trip student managers have said the trip offered them a significant experience.

“We saw the way God's Word really helped individuals grow in areas. Many recognized their faith was important and significant in their lives, but never committed the time to develop or rely upon their faith as they were forced to do during this trip,” he said. “Now is the real rubber meets the road time as far as being back. The reality of being back is very challenging. It can be real easy to become defeated. We've all had this sort of mountaintop experience, but those we work with have not. One student manager went back to practice Monday and no one asked him about this three week trip.

“It's easy to have a mountaintop experience while over there and surrounded by the kids and close group of friends in Christ. There, time is scheduled for spending time in the Bible, and now you are back and school will start up soon and practices are in motion and all these things are screaming at you that they are more important.”

Drew said this return to normalcy, but now with this experience and more of a commitment to God, can be difficult but MOAM prepares for it.

“For us, this is a real fun, challenging time to encourage and spur these men and women on in their faith,” he said. “We try to focus everyone on what God is doing within them, what He taught them, and where He located each of them where they are to do specific things. Those who go have the opportunity in the sports industry, a platform, and we can encourage them when they may not see the opportunities for ministry where they are right away.”

Read more about the trips at MOAM's Blog page: http://www.managersonamission.org/news–blog

Facebook – @MngrsOnAMission

Twitter – @MngrsOnAMission

Instagram – @managers_on_a_mission

Learn more about Managers on a Mission here: http://www.managersonamission.org/

Helmet Tracker is a proud supporter of Managers on a Mission.

Implementing the Colts’ football helmets and shoulder pads – a photo essay

July 11, 2018 By Jeff Zogg

This week, Helmet Tracker implemented the Indianapolis Colts' football helmets and shoulder pads at their training facility near Eagle Creek Park. Though the facility is undergoing construction, the process was much the same as when we implement other teams. We thought it may be interesting to our customers, partners, followers, and others to pull back the curtian and show what we do.

When a visitor arrives at the Colts' training facility, a security guard ensures you are an invited guest. You are checked in, you sign in, and you receive a guest badge identifying who you are and who you are there to see. Assistant Equipment Manager Mike “Smack” Mays, in his 29th season with the Colts (he started as a ball boy!) showed us around. Most areas we worked in were slated for demo. Helmets and shoulder pads usually reside on shelves and specialized racks. Because of the construction, active use helmets and pads were stored in each player's blue equipment duffle.

Helmet Tracker set up in a converted room, which served as the special teams meeting room in season's past, Now, dozens of boxes, storing socks, shorts, extra jerseys, T-shirts, and other assorted team apparel, kept us company.

Football Helmets and Shoulder Pads

To start, we'd retrieve the helmet from the duffle bag, sometimes amist socks, braces, notes, several pair of cleats, other equipment, personal items, and assorted apparel. We'd then afix a Helmet Tracker RFID tag under the padding inside the helmet (1, 2, 3). We record in the system who is assigned the helmet, the helmet manufacturer, model, first season year, and what parts are attached to the helmet (4) [size, chin strap, and facemask] (5).

The information abouit the helmet is entered into the Colts' custom Helmet Tracker pages. Here, co-founder Rick Perkins works with Helmet Tracker intern Carter Rand. Carter is a student Equipment Manager at Kansas State.

Once the information about the player's helmet is entered, we turn our attention to the shoulder pads. We apply an RFID tag, scan it, and note the manufacturer, first season, model, and what extra pads are used under the top of the shoulder pads. The shoulder pads and football helmet used by the player is associated with the player.

We always train Equipment Managers to use the custom Helmet Tracker inventory management system so equipment can be added, updated, or removed. Here, Colts' Assistant Equipment Manager Mike Mays learns from Helmet Tracker co-founder Rick Perkins and intern Carter Rand.

We thank Assistant Equipment Manager Mike Mays and the Indianapolis Colts for their trust in Helmet Tracker and great hospitality! Contragulations on 35 years in Indianapolis!