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Helmet Bowl II Recap, Part II

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Last week we brought you our recap of the Conference play and Conference Championships of Helmet Bowl II. Today we finish the process with a review of the Helmet Bowl II National Championship.

National Bracket

The story of the National bracket centers on the DIII Dickinson Red Devils. The road the Red Devils took through the National contest was not easy. They struggled against a simply strong helmet entered by the Kentucky Christian Knights, winning by less than a percentage point.

Then, it got tough. Real tough.

The Lafayette Leopards knocked off the defending Helmet Bowl National Champion Gallaudet Bison, then put up thousands of votes and pushed Dickinson to the brink of elimination before a Sunday Surge put the Red Devils into the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane bare-knuckled their way through the contest. As we watched, we prepared to say goodbye as they contested against the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets. The Golden Hurricane rallied and beat the stingers by less than a percentage point; then the Florida A&M Rattlers and beat them by less than 2/10ths of percentage point; and the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm and beat them by less than a half percentage point. It seemed the Golden Hurricane could overcome any contender and find a way to win.

This team, this helmet, was fun to watch every week!

Surprises

Vanderbilt. Stunning. More later.

Yes, DIII Dickinson surprised us. Not by pushing a terrific and attractive helmet deep into the contest (that was no surprise – their helmet caught our eye immediately), but by rolling in the votes to defeat anyone in their path.

The Southeastern Oklahoma Savage Storm seemed to surprise us every week! Each of their contenders brought strong Helmet Bowl winning experience to the contest: The Redlands Bulldogs, Idaho Coyotes, South Dakota Coyotes and the Boise State Broncos all had some level of success in both Helmet Bowl I and/or II (or both!). Each knew how to win. Yet the Savage Storm always seemed to find a way to win. SAL-UTE!

Men football 2018-2019.(Vanderbilt University/Joe Howell)

Back to Vandy. The Commodores have a winning helmet and won the SEC over an outstanding Arkansas entry after beating Old Miss, Georgia, and Kentucky in conference match ups. We thought Vanderbilt would challenge for a National Championship, yet were eliminated in the first round by the University of Texas Permian Basin Falcons – who brought a gorgeous helmet into the contest themselves.

Thank You Voters

We just cannot count high enough! Last year, the first of Helmet Bowl, our goals were eclipsed by the total number of votes by a factor of 20! This year, for Helmet Bowl II, those totals were shattered! Whether you voted once and then forgot about it, or voted weekly to see your team’s helmet advance, or voted daily (or more than once per day – we see you!), thank you for taking the time to vote in Helmet Bowl II.

Voters, you are key. When we sought to create a contest that would identify the best college football helmet in the country, we committed to taking the decision away from some self-styled football pundits or some committee or someone’s focus group. Our decision-makers are you—the football fans! We desired to give the choice to the people—the people who love their team, their school, their players. Thank you for voting!

National Championship

The Dickinson Red Devils jumped out to a lead in the first few hours and when Tulsa made a move mid-week it was just too little, too late. Helmet Bowl I produced an exciting and stunning come-from-behind last-day victory for the Gallaudet Bison, but a repeat show stopper was not to be.

The Golden Hurricane put forth a unique and attractive helmet for Helmet Bowl II. The black shell with the hurricane flags warning of the coming danger was immediately recognizable. Some pointed to the timing of the National Championship (through New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, another week when campuses are vacated and only two football teams are active). While it’s true that EVERY school suffers from the same exodus, we at Helmet Tracker contimplate crowning the Helmet Bowl III National Champion before Christmas 2019.

Surprise

For the second year in a row, a Division III school won the Helmet Bowl National Championship. These smaller schools jump on board with everything they have. Someone said that sometimes the big schools are too busy being big to compete in this kind of a contest, but we suspect that will change very soon. Congratulations to the Bison and the Red Devils—you are National Champions in this contest that includes Every Division, Every Conference, Every Team. Only two can now claim this National Championship.

Thank You Football Program Supporters

Robyn Porter with Bryce Baylor (#22), and her son Jack (#18) at the Dickinson rivalry game, 2018.

True fans find ways to support their football program in myriad ways—from attending games to working concessions to buying the swag to making donations and now to voting in Helmet Bowl. For the Champion Red Devils it was the Parents’ Group, their friends, and co-workers that served as vanguard to victory. Helmet Bowl has grown way beyond the equipment staff and players voting their team to win. While they are the core and are critical to success, it takes the votes of fans to succeed here now. Thank you for supporting your team and voting in Helmet Bowl.

Helmet Bowl III

Planning is underway for Helmet Bowl III – the Greatest College Football Helmet Contest Ever. We start with asking you how to make Helmet Bowl better. Helmet Tracker put together this simple 10-question survey. We say it takes about 4 minutes, but the analytics say the average time those who have already taken the survey spend 2 minutes to complete it. It’s a small amount of time that makes a large impact on how we roll out Helmet Bowl III. Thank you.

Click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/V2J5F6K

Helmet Bowl II Recap, Part I

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We had a blast!

Helmet Bowl II moved quicker and demanded victory every single week! The single-elimination Conference contests lead immediately into the single-elimination National Championship bracket.

Lose just once and go home.

Execute or be executed.

While half the teams ended each round in defeat and elimination, voting for Helmet Bowl II grew throughout the contest and far exceeded the hundreds of thousands of votes cast in Helmet Bowl I. Thank you voters!

We are already working on making Helmet Bowl III the Greatest College Football Helmet Contest Ever. (You can help – here's the link to our survey [open until Jan. 30, 2019]: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/V2J5F6K)

Thank You Equipment Managers

Thank you to the Equipment Managers for making Helmet Bowl known and drumming up support and votes. Without you there’d be no Helmet Bowl. Without you there’d be no helmets to enter our contest. Can you imagine simply taking a white or black helmet out of the box, fitting it, and sending it out onto the field? Ugh. We know the players gotta play, but nothing says they can’t look good doing it!

Conference Play

We changed up the conference play for Helmet Bowl II. In the inaugural Helmet Bowl, we pit every helmet in each conference against each other in a conference free-for-all that awarded points to winners of each of the 10-week contests. The team with the most points after the grueling 2 ½ month contest won the Conference.

When we surveyed voters about Helmet Bowl I, they told us the Conference play should be shorter. We found a way to speed things up – jump in right away with head-to-head single-elimination contests. Win three or four weeks in a row, and win the Conference Championship.

Now we ask again. How can we improve for Helmet Bowl III? Click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/V2J5F6K

Surprises

We’ve said it before, but yes, we were surprised that the Maryland Terrapins did not do better in the Big 10. They fell in the second round to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

We expected Southern Miss to do better, but the Florida International Golden Panthers played switcheroo until they landed on a winning helmet to eliminate the Golden Eagles in the second round of the Conference USA contest.

Defending Helmet Bowl I National Runner-up San Diego State Aztecs dropped out in the second round of the Mountain West at the hands of the Boise State Broncos.

We were surprised to see the Malone Pioneers drop to the Lake Erie Storm – the eventual winner of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Then again, we are unbalanced in our affection for diagonal design on helmets.

We expected the Saint Anselm Hawks to beat LIU Post – Long Island Pioneers in the Northeast 10, then go on to win the Conference. Yet they lost in the second round. The Stonehill Skyhawks won the Conference.

How did the Shippensburg Raiders beat the California U of PA Vulcans in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference? We don’t know, but they did and did big – 76% to 24%.

The Kenyon Lords defeated the Allegheny Gators with a large purple K on a black shell. The Gators had a bright yellow, maybe chrome yellow, A on a white lid and we were surprised by this North Coast Athletic Conference outcome. The Wooster Fighting Scots ended up winning the Conference.

If the Wilmington Fightin’ Quakers could have got out of the first round of the Ohio Athletic Conference, they may have made some noise in this contest due to shear uniqueness. Muskingum Fighting Muskies took care of that.

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripts Stags won the Southern California Intercollegiate in Helmet Bowl I, but couldn’t overcome the Redlands Bulldogs in Helmet Bowl II.

Norte Dame once again fails to show up in the Independent contest, this time falling to the Thomas More Saints. With such an iconic helmet, the Fighting Irish should make a better showing in Helmet Bowl III.

We identified the Eastern Michigan Eagles green helmet with the diamond plated E as a sleeper contender for a deep run in the National Championship, yet they fell in the third round of the Mid-American Conference to the Buffalo Bulls. The Western Michigan Broncos ended up defeating the Bulls for the Conference Championship.

Each week brought great match-ups and some surprises. Who did you think had a lock on a Conference Championship but failed to equal expectations?

Thank You Sports Information Directors

We’ve added to your already full plate during the busy football season. Thank you Sports Information Directors and Communications staff! Getting the word out about your helmet and its place in Helmet Bowl is vital to your success in Helmet Bowl – or not!

When Gallaudet won Helmet Bowl I, all eyes turned to Sam Atkinson, Associate Athletic Director for Communications. When the Dickinson Red Devils started making a play to win Helmet Bowl II, we were immediately directed to Christian Payne, Assistant Athletic Director, Media & Administration.

We know much more happens in the SID and Communications offices than we will ever know. Thank you for including Helmet Bowl in your efforts! We appreciate you.

Conference Championships

The Pitt Panthers won the Atlantic Coast Conference by defeating the North Carolina State Wolfpack by just TWO VOTES.

But that wasn’t the closest Conference Championship. In the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Upper Iowa Peacocks and the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons both road terrific helmets to a TIE. The Dragons won the tiebreaker.

Just a dozen teams repeated as Conference Championships. Well done!

New Jersey Lions – New Jersey Athletic Conference

Gallaudet Bison (DC) – Eastern Collegiate Football Conference

Ottawa Braves (KS) – Kansas Collegiate Athletic

Oregon Ducks (OR) – Pac 12

Idaho State Bengals (OR) – Big Sky

Northwest Missouri Bearcats (MO) – Mid-America Intercollegiate  

College of Idaho Coyotes (ID) – Frontier

Finlandia Lions (MI) – Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Misericordia Cougars (PA) – Middle Atlantic Conference

Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils (MS) –Southwestern Athletic Conference

Kennesaw State Owls (GA) – Big South

Valdosta State Blazers (GA) – Gulf South

Which of you will triple-peat?

Surprises

The Maine Black Bears won the Colonial Athletic Association and tallied WAY more votes than any other Conference Champion. Their great helmet – black shell with white and light blue stripes down the middle and a roaring bear head on the side – would do well in the National Championship – making it to the semi-finals before falling to the eventual champion Dickinson Red Devils.

We also were mildly surprised to see the Kansas State Wildcats fall. Period. No judgement here on the Iowa State Cyclones.

Thank You Coaches and Staff

Xs and Os, field prep, communications gear, staff relations, player care, football strategy, media contact, travel, referees, fans, alumni, administration—the list goes on and on. We know football coaches have to have their hands into everything that matters to them and lots that they are told matter to them! Thank you for including Helmet Bowl in what impacts your locker room.

You have staffs and personal and players and so much more to keep track of and whether you simply said, “Yes” to someone there who wanted to pursue Helmet Bowl success, or took it and ran with it yourself, we thank you!

We know that the development of your players and the score on the scoreboards matter most, so thank you for adding Helmet Bowl to that list of “other stuff.”

Next week: Helmet Bowl II Recap, Part II – We take a look at the National Championship.

Dickinson Red Devils – the Helmet Bowl II National Champions!

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The Dickinson Red Devils launched a campaign to win Helmet Bowl II with a helmet they wear for big rivalry games during the football season.

And they won.

And they won big.

For the second year in a row, Helmet Bowl Championship honors go to a Division III school from the East. Last year, Gallaudet staged a nearly-unbelievable come-from-behind victory to win Helmet Bowl I. This year, Dickinson lead from the start and won every match up with ease, bar one (looking at you Lafayette Leopards!). In the final match up against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, they jumped out to a strong start, then built on it throughout the week to finally win 76% to 24%.

“While you never know until the last vote is counted, from the beginning we knew the Helmet Bowl competition was ours to win,” said Red Devil football Mom and Helmet Bowl cheerleader Robyn Porter. “The football team, Dickinson, and the parent group came together like a well oiled machine and stuck with a winning strategy to be victorious.”

Robyn Porter with Bryce Baylor (#22), and her son Jack (#18) at the Dickinson rivalry game, 2018.

Robyn, whose son Jack plays receiver for the Red Devils, said the National Championship represents a new, victorious future for Dickinson football.

“Winning this Championship goes to show Dickinson’s Red Devil Football team is a force to be reckoned with–both on and off the field. Not only do we have the best looking helmet in the nation, our team has a very bright future.”

Red Devils Defeat Golden Hurricane

“We are very excited for the team and for Dickinson College,” she said.

Tulsa finishes Helmet Bowl II after charging through the American Athletic Conference, then passing by the Mississippi State Delta Devils and the Liberty Flames. Then, the drama: they squeaked by the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets, barely defeated the Florida A&M Rattlers, then found a handful of votes more than the Southeastern Oklahoma Savage Storm. Congratulations to the Golden Hurricanes and its black hurricane flag helmet on a strong runner-up contest!

“First of all we would like to thank Hurricane Nation for all of the votes,” said Tulsa GA Equipment Manager Anthony Fortier.

“Congratulations to Dickinson. Their supporters were out in full force,” he said. Then, a prediction.

“We plan on winning the whole thing next year.”

Dickinson Assistant Athletic Director Christian Payne said he and the football coaches huddled in the early stages of the football season and decided the color-rush helmet with the pitchfork had a chance at making a deep run in Helmet Bowl.

“The Dickinson Pitchfork Color Rush Helmet is a constant reminder for us to always be sharp and amplify a competitive mentality that defines everything we do,” he wrote to us. “Our Helmet Bowl Championship victory reflects the competitive mentality of Dickinson Football and our entire athletic department. Our goal is to win in all we do, and this competition was an incredible avenue for Red Devil Nation to rally together and support our student-athletes.”

Winners Win

It’s simple. When you have a winning program, regardless of the division, or the conference, or the opponent, or the contest, you win.

Still, another DIII school wins the National Championship.

Makes no difference to the Red Devils.

“Being a Division 3 school in this competition doesn't matter,” Payne said. “It's just a number. Dickinson has many generations of dedicated people who love our football program, and support all of our teams. Specifically, our Dickinson Football Parent Club network stepped up and led a charge for us in spreading awareness, by using social media and word-of-mouth marketing to get Dickinson's helmet and competitive message sent across the nation.”

Indeed.

Robyn Porter and company decided early on that Dickinson had a winner and they were going to prove it to the world.

Even non-Red Devils joined the Campaign

“We have been voting every day and getting the players, staff, parents, fans, and others to vote,” Robyn said. “One of the football parents said she had her office voting and I have 23 of my coworkers voting every day.”

The idea of winning a National Championship fits right into the spirit at Dickinson, she said.

“We have a lot of newness at Dickinson – new coach, new parents, and new energy – this brings it all together and solidifies what Dickinson football wants to be in the future,” Robyn said. “I love stuff like this. I’m excited! We won. And I’m excited for next year!

“We will win next year too – I hope.”

Before striking out for a repeat (Helmet Bowl III is several months away), the thanks need to be handed out.

“Congratulations to Coach (Brad) Fordyce, the entire football coaching staff, and all student-athletes on this recognition,” Christian said. “A tremendous thank you goes to all of Red Devil Nation – all of you are a proud part of Dickinson's Helmet Bowl National Championship.”

And, now, from Robyn.

“I am a huge proponent of thanking people and this wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of the team, and the staff, and the parent group – so I will be sending out a message to everyone who has been voting, the parents, their friends, their coworkers and everyone: Thank you!

The team plans to celebrate their success at the football banquet next month.

Red Devils vs Golden Hurricane for the Championship

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And now there are two.

Two teams.

One championship.

Helmet Bowl II began with nearly 800 helmets from every college, every conference, every division. No glib guys in a television studio decided who participated. We put everyone in!

Then, you voted. You voted hundreds of thousands of times. You decided the best helmet in each conference. You decided which helmets deserved to participate in the National Championship bracket of 64.

And now, you and your votes have decided the top two college football helmets and you and your votes over the next few days will determine the Helmet Bowl II National Champion.

Thank you.

Here’s how they each got here.

Dickinson Red Devils

Another DIII school competes for the Championship. Last year Gallaudet University came out of nowhere with a fine helmet to win Helmet Bowl I. This year, Dickinson submitted this stunning and attractive helmet and it caught the attention of helmet afficiandos immediately. But would they gather the votes? No question.

How’d they do it? If they have a secret weapon, it’s Robyn Porter.

“I’m the biggest cheerleader for the team,” she says.

Porter’s son, Jack, a sophomore, plays receiver for the Red Devils. The parent group has been active in supporting the team—making sure the players and coaches are well fed after every game, providing encouragement—you know, the normal sports-parents thing.

Recruiting Tool: Parents

But this is not normal. Not at Dickinson.

Robyn Porter with Bryce Baylor (#22), and her son Jack (#18) at the Dickinson rivalry game, 2018.

“The parents group is one of the things that really drew our attention to Dickinson,” Robyn says. “One of the things we really admired about the football program was the parent involvement – and their dedication and dedication to the football team.”

Parents as a recruiting tool? Yup.

Robyn and others want to add something else to that recruiting toolbox: A National Championship.

“The parent group got behind the voting thing as a way to contribute to the whole program,” Robyn says. “Another Mom posted something on Facebook early in the Conference contests and it caught our attention.

Helmet Bowl Excitment

“Then we did well and continued to do well and it built excitement,” she said. “We don’t do anything half-heartedly.”

Robyn sends emails (which she declined to share with Helmet Tracker “We are uncomfortable sharing the emails.”), posts on Twitter and Facebook, and shoots texts to the football team members’ parents, families, and any fans she can find.

Players, Parents, Alumni

“The players are aware of it, for sure. At first it was, ‘What are you doing, Mom?’ But now they are feeling the energy.”

She shares the vanguard with other football Moms and points out that Dickinson includes Helmet Bowl information in its daily newsletter and on social media.

“Weirdly and wonderfully I’ve found several Dickinson graduates and the alumni are getting into it, too,” Robyn says. “People are really motivated!”

Vote for the Red Devils here: Helmet Bowl II National Championship.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Do not pluralize Hurricane.

We learned that early on. One hurricane can do more than enough damage, we suppose. But will it generate enough energy for Tulsa?

“We are excited,” said Anthony Fortier, with the Tulsa Equipment team.

Anthony was a finalist in Helmet Tracker’s Athletic Equipment Management Association Certification Scholarship program in 2018. You can read his story here.

Championship Talk

We ask him about being in the championship and he sounds like he’s taken that graduate course in talking to the media – you know, the one-game-at-a-time, all-credit-to-those-guys-in-the-other-locker-room, we-just-focus-on-giving-it-our-best stuff.

Equipment Manager Anthony Fortier of Tulsa adjusting a football helmet
Tulsa Graduate Assistant Equipment Manager Anthony Fortier helps a Golden Hurricane player adjust his football helmet.

“We are just happy to be here” he says, then hesitates. “Yes, we want to win.”

When the equipment team plugged into Helmet Bowl a year ago, it was late in the contest and probably too late to make a play at winning, Anthony said. But this year, at the AEMA Convention in Phoenix, the team talked about it and made a decision. A decision that has paid off.

“Let’s do it this year and try to be successful” the team agreed. The Hurricane ran through the conference, then were entered into the National bracket of 64.

Conference Confidence

“The conference tournament gave us a lot of confidence,” Anthony said. “We were a bit unsure at first, then we started winning by such high margins we thought maybe we can win this thing.”

Indeed.

Any secrets to the success? Anthony spreads the honors around.

“Lots of people have helped to promote it—the coaches, the players, and the entire Hurricane Nation!

“To be successful, you’ve got to get people to vote every day. Consistency is the key,” he said.

He and the Equipment team, the football team, and others get the word out daily. The families of the football players, friends, and fans participate.

“People think Tulsa s a small place, but it’s not – there’s over 1 million people in the county.”

That black Tulsa helmet

And, that black helmet with the hurricane warning flags, wow! The Equipment team has been advocating for the helmet to be added to the traditional gold dome with the cursive Tulsa on the side, and its white counterpart, but it took about three years before it was introduced this past season.

“The players love it, they freaked out. It got good fan reaction, too,” Anthony said. “We have to thank Kyle Grooms, Director of Football Operations, all the coaches, and Sam Lazarus, Digital Marketing Director, who took the helmet photo.”

Championship in Sight

So, a few days left. Runner up or Champion?

“It’s all on the line right now. Not only are all the students on vacation, but the athletic department is in and out. We can still text and shoot messages online.”

“A National Championship it will mean a lot for the university, and additionally gives the equipment staff some props. We are getting the word out about Tulsa.

“We’ve got a little left in the tank,” he says. “I think we’ve got a shot at it.”

Vote for the Golden Hurricane here: Helmet Bowl II National Championship.

Red Devil Path

Centennial Conference

Round 1 – Bye

Round 2 – defeated McDaniel Green Terror, 80.1% – 19.9%

Round 3 – defeated Moravian Greyhounds, 66.7% – 33.3%

Conference Championship – defeated Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, 66.6% – 33.3%J

Helmet Bowl II National Championship

Round 1 – defeated Tufts Jumbos, 59.8% – 40.2%

Round 2 – defeated Misericordia Cougars, 64.4% – 35.6%

Round 3 – defeated Kentucky Christian Knights, 50.3% – 49.7%

Round 4 – defeated Lafayette Leopards, 55.9% – 41.1%

Semi-final – defeated the Maine Black Bears, 63.5% – 36.5%

Golden Hurricane Path

American Athletic Conference

Round 1 – defeated East Carolina Pirates, 76.7% – 23.3%

Round 2 – defeated Southern Methodist Mustangs, 72.9% – 27.1%

Round 3 – defeated South Florida Bulls, 75.6% – 24.4%

Conference Championship – Navy Midshipmen, 66.2% – 33.8%

Helmet Bowl II National Championship

Round 1 – defeated Mississippi State Delta Devils, 69% – 31%

Round 2 – defeated Liberty Flames, 60.7% – 39.3%

Round 3 – defeated Howard Payne Yellow Jackets, 50.8% – 49.2%  

Round 4 – defeated Florida A&M Rattlers, 50.2% – 49.8%

Semi-final – defeated the Southeastern Oklahoma Savage Storm 50.2% – 49.8%

Paths to the Helmet Bowl II National Championship

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We started with 800 helmets and now there are 4.

Each of the four Helmet Bowl II National Championship semi-finalists enter their chance at a Championship match undefeated.

Each won their conference championship, then qualified for the National Championship bracket by being one of the top 64 vote-getters in the contest.

Here is the path each team took to make it this far – and selected comments from Helmet Tracker.

Dickinson Red Devils – East Regional, #1 Seed

We noticed this helmet immediately. It’s unique. It’s colorful. Some say outlandish. We thought it would go far, but has exceeded every expectation. When we talked to Assistant Athletic Director Christian Payne, we learned that a driving force in Red Devil vote turnout are the parents of the football team.

Centennial Conference

Round 1 – Bye

Round 2 – defeated McDaniel Green Terror, 80.1% – 19.9%

Round 3 – defeated Moravian Greyhounds, 66.7% – 33.3%

Conference Championship – defeated Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, 66.6% – 33.3%

Johns Hopkins won the conference in Helmet Bowl I and has an instantly recognizable and somewhat classic helmet. We thought they would give the Red Devils a run here, but no.

Helmet Bowl II National Championship

Round 1 – defeated Tufts Jumbos, 59.8% – 40.2%

Round 2 – defeated Misericordia Cougars, 64.4% – 35.6%

Round 3 – defeated Kentucky Christian Knights, 50.3% – 49.7%

This was the most anticipated matchup of the round. The Knights, with a unique helmet design themselves, powered through the first two rounds of the National Championship, getting out the votes in droves. This round was difficult to call right up to the last day when the Devils won by a handful of votes.

Round 4 – defeated Lafayette Leopards, 55.9% – 41.1%

The Leopards sported a strong helmet design with a charging Leopard coming at you out of a strong red L on a white helmet. It was this team who beat the defending Helmet Bowl I National Champion Gallaudet Bison. Texts and emails went out to Leopard fans and students, and the team at Lafayette, led by Anthony Martin, Director of Equipment, came up just short on the final day of voting.

Maine Black Bears – North Regional, #1 Seed

The Black Bears, tucked up in the Northeast corner of the country, use a light blue strip down the middle of their black helmet adorned with an in-your-face bear head, mouth agape. We anticipated a matchup for the Colonial Athletic Association title with the Spiders of Richmond and that is what we got.

Colonial Athletic Association

Round 1 – defeated Towson Tigers, 76.2% – 23.8%

Round 2 – defeated Albany Great Danes, 88.4% – 11.6%

Round 3 – defeated James Madison Dukes, 55.4% – 45.6%

Conference Championship – defeated Richmond Spiders, 57.4% – 42.6%

We loved both these helmets. The Spiders sport a bright red spider on a white helmet. The Black Bears had momentum on their side and were able to stomp to the victory.

Helmet Bowl II National Championship

Round 1 – defeated Fitchburg State Falcons, 55.8% – 44.2%

Round 2 – defeated Saint Francis Fighting Saints, 56% – 44%

Saint Francis put up a great fight with their original looking St. Bernard complete with a barrel under its chin sketch helmet. When the Bears defeated the Saints, we thought that may be the end of the road for them.

Round 3 – defeated West Virginia State Yellow Jackets, 50.5% – 49.5%

West Virginia State sport a very large gold stinging insect and a strong following of voters and votes. They lead off and on throughout the week, but could not overcome the Bears to move to the North Regional Championship.

Round 4 – defeated Lake Erie Storm, 50.1% – 49.9%

Lake Erie surprised us. Cartoon helmets rarely compete well in Helmet Bowl, but their grimacing tornado tore through this tournament without hesitation and nearly achieved the semi-finals.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane – South Regional, #4 Seed

This helmet was tagged from the beginning as a winner. It remains to be seen how far the Hurricane can go. The clean look of the warning flags on a black helmet are instantly recognized as a sign of danger coming. Tulsa, we think, has had the most difficult road to the semi-finals. The helmets the Hurricane faced and defeated may represent the strongest conference and the strongest regional in the contest.

American Athletic Conference

Round 1 – defeated East Carolina Pirates, 76.7% – 23.3%

Round 2 – defeated Southern Methodist Mustangs, 72.9% – 27.1%

The Mustangs put forth a beautiful helmet, chroming the classic red running horse on a white lid. They just couldn’t muster the votes in the AAC.

Round 3 – defeated South Florida Bulls, 75.6% – 24.4%

Conference Championship – Navy Midshipmen, 66.2% – 33.8%

As much as we love the Tulsa helmet, we believed Navy could win the National title. They won the conference for Helmet Bowl I and had a variety of helmets to choose from to go deep into this year’s contest. In our opinion, they chose poorly and did not tap into the voting block that could propel the Academy to a Conference Championship and compete for a National title. Watch out for the Midshipmen in Helmet Bowl III.

Helmet Bowl II National Championship

Round 1 – defeated Mississippi State Delta Devils, 69% – 31%

Round 2 – defeated Liberty Flames, 60.7% – 39.3%

Liberty got out the votes and we watched with anticipation as they beat strong helmet after strong helmet. The Hurricane got the better of them and the contest was closer than the percentages show.

Round 3 – defeated Howard Payne Yellow Jackets, 50.8% – 49.2%  

Howard Payne got out the vote. The helmet included much to be commended – the honey comb stripe from back to front, the Texas representation, and the Yellow Jacket itching for a fight. This was a great contest to watch.

Round 4 – defeated Florida A&M Rattlers, 50.2% – 49.8%

The Rattlers were tagged by us as contenders this Fall, with their bright orange lid and the ready-to-strike snake. This was a great contest.

Southeastern Oklahoma Savage Storm – West Regional, #10 Seed

Who? Where did the Savage Storm come from? This is a great story. The Savage Storm are a #10 Seed and now vie for a chance for a National Championship. These guys have dominated. Period. The dark grey helmet sporting a rough silver sketch of a bison head showed unique and attractive design. Someone in Durant knows how to get out the vote! Amazing run thus far. Can the Savage Storm advance to the National Championship?

Great American Conference

Round 1 – defeated East Central Tigers, 67.6% – 32.4 %

Round 2 – defeated Northwestern Oklahoma Rangers, 58.7% – 41.3%

Round 3 – defeated Harding Bison, 79.9% – 20.1%H

Conference Championship – defeated Ouachita Baptist Tigers, 78.6% – 21.4%

The Savage Storm repeated their Conference Championship from Helmet Bowl I. Strong voting put them into the National Championship bracket of 64.

Helmet Bowl II National Championship

Round 1 – defeated Redlands Bulldogs, 56.5% – 43.5%

Redlands showed motivation and momentum behind a clean helmet design. We thought this contest would be closer. Watch out for the Bulldogs in HBIII.

Round 2 – defeated College of Idaho Coyotes, 50.5% – 49.5%

The Coyotes charged to a semi-final place in Helmet Bowl I and nearly knocked off the Storm here.

Round 3 – defeated South Dakota Coyotes, 56.7% – 43.3%

The Savage Storm faced a strong Coyote helmet for the second week in a row. South Dakota’s treatment with a chome-ish red paw print on a white helmet made for an attractive helmet that was easy to vote for. The votes just didn’t come in strong enough.

Round 4 – defeated Boise State Broncos, 51.1% – 48.9%

This fierce, red-eyed bronco head on a black helmet charged through the contest. We wouldn’t have been surprised to see it advance further. The Broncos, and the Helmet Bowl nation, were surprised with the Savage Storm showing.

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