On Monday afternoon, Iowa State Football head coach Matt Campbell and his staff announced that the Cyclones would be getting an alternate, white helmet to use multiple times during the 2016 season.
The Third Time is the Charm for ISU’s White Helmets
At first glance, these look fantastic. It appears the decals are chrome cardinal and gold, and the stripe in the middle resembles the stripes on the jerseys, in what is just a clean, all-white look.
#ItsHappening 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/qxKF2CqXWo
— Cyclone Equipment (@CycloneEQUIP) June 6, 2016
Although it’s hard to see in the photos above, the helmet will also feature a cardinal back to it, with “IOWA STATE” written in gold.
Few of the guys taking notice of our new alternate helmet after workouts this morning. #ItsHappening #cyclONEnation pic.twitter.com/HFT3GpT1K1
— Cyclone Equipment (@CycloneEQUIP) June 7, 2016
However, this isn’t the first time Iowa State has tried the white helmet. In 2007 when they re-did the school’s logo, they had fans pick which helmets they liked – all were white.
Fans were quick to turn down the look, as it clashed a bit with the already new cardinal and gold jerseys that were coming in that fall, and Iowa State settled to keep it cardinal.
Iowa State has tried white helmets before — 2007, when the new logo was being selected pic.twitter.com/OXiFNGbTr9
— LWOS Cyclones (@LWOS_ISU) June 7, 2016
The next season, Iowa State unveiled new white pants in the graphic seen below along with a new white helmet.
Fans raved at the idea for the white uniforms this time around, and the hype built up over the week. The Cyclones were 2-0 with a potential Heisman winner, or what was believed to be, leading the offense.
The game inched closer, and the anticipation grew, then former head coach Paul Rhoads told the media that he was a traditionalist and the Cyclones wouldn’t be wearing them during the Friday Night game.
Then these were announced prior to the Connecticut game in 2011, but never actually went with the white helmet pic.twitter.com/12RElEjCNR
— LWOS Cyclones (@LWOS_ISU) June 7, 2016
The cardinal helmets stayed.
Then, Matt Campbell was named the new head coach, and right off the bat, the first time he was asked about it, said he had something in the works regarding a new look for ISU. The problem was Nike normally takes two years to get new jerseys for a set.
Although it’s easy to trust Campbell after seeing the white helmets, Iowa State’s uniform set for 2016 might be the best that fans have seen in Ames for a long time.
