Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
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| CENTRAL MISSOURI | EMPORIA STATE | FORT HAYS STATE |
| "Mules" | "Hornets" | "Tigers" |
| Warrensburg, MO | Emporia, KS | Hays, KS |
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|---|---|---|
| MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE |
MISSOURI WESTERN STATE |
NEBRASKA-OMAHA |
| "Lions" | "Griffons" | "Mavericks" |
| Joplin, MO | St. Joseph, MO | Omaha, NE |
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| NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE |
PITTSBURG STATE | TRUMAN STATE |
| "Bearcats" | "Gorillas" | "Bulldogs" |
| Maryville, MO | Pittsburg, KS | Kirksville, MO |
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| WASHBURN |
| "Ichabods" |
| Topeka, KS |
Comments
Washburn has a new helmet design for the 2009 season (shown above); this is the only one reported so far for the teams in this conference.
Historical Helmets
CENTRAL MISSOURI
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| 1961 - 1962 | 1963 | 1964 |
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| 1965 | 1967 | 1966; 1968 |
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| 1969 | 1970 - 1975 | 1976 - 1977 |
| *see note 1 below |
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| 1978 - 1980? | 1981? - 1983 | 1984 - 1998 |
| *see note 2 below | *see note 2 below | *see note 3 below |
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| 1999 - 2000 | 2001 - 2004 | 2005 - |
| *see note 4 below |
This school's name was changed from Central Missouri State University to University of Central Missouri on September 20, 2006.
*1 A slightly different design was used for CMSU's appearance in the December 12, 1970 Pecan Bowl game against Arkansas State in Arlington, Texas - two white stripes were used alongside the middle red stripe.
*2 The first of these two helmet designs was used during at least the 1978 and 1979 seasons, while the second was in use during at least 1981 and 1982. The 1980 helmet design may have been one or the other of these two, but a visitor to this site has suggested that the 1980 design was probably a hybrid of the other two - a decal like that used on the 1981 helmet worn on shells of the color used in 1979.
*3 The stripe sequence may have varied during the years when this design was in use; specifically, there may have been some years during which the white and black stripes bordered directly against each other (rather than having the red "gap" as shown here).
*4 During the 2004 season, the word "MISSOURI" in black letters was added inside the "tail" extending beneath the word "Central".
EMPORIA STATE
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| 1995 - 1998 | 1999 - present |
I believe that Emporia State was using white helmets during the early 1990s; these featured an apparently black "ESU" logo for at least a while. I have received no other information about historical ESU helmets.
FORT HAYS STATE
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| ? - 2000 | 2003 - 2004 | 2001 - 2002; 2005 - 2006 |
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| 2007 - |
MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE
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| ? - 1998 | 1999? - 2000? | 2001? - 2002 |
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| 2004 - 2005 | 2006 | 2007 - |
During the late 1980s Missouri Southern State used a logo consisting of white, block-style letters "M" and "S" inside a green oval shape; this was worn on yellow helmet shells. I have not received much information about other earlier helmet designs for this team.
MISSOURI WESTERN STATE
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| ? - 1995 | 1996 - 1998 | 1999 - present |
I have not yet received any information about earlier helmet designs used by Missouri Western State.
NEBRASKA-OMAHA
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| c.1980s | 1996 - 2006 | 2007 - |
Three earlier helmets for which I have received partial information are visible in the photographs below:
Helmet A was used in the late 1960s when the college was known as the University of Omaha and the team nickname was Indians. I believe that I had a color photograph of this one at one time, but I apparently lost it in one of the several hard drive failures that I have experienced. The helmet is red and the logo is a cartoonish "Indian head".
B is supposedly from about 1977 or 1978 and the helmet is probably red with an "arrowhead" logo of some sort. Clearer photos of this one would be appreciated.
C shows a black helmet that UNO used from about 1989 through 1993 (or through 1995, according to another report). The logo is apparently similar to the one used on the "c.1980s" helmet shown above.
NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE
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| ? - 1962 | 1963 - 1966 | 1967 - 1969 |
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| 1970 - 1971 | 1974 - 1978 | 1979 - 1982 |
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| 1983 - 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
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| 1988 - 1992 | 1993 - ? | ? - 1995 |
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| September 10, 2005 | 1996 - |
| *see note 1 below |
I have recently (January 2009) received a large number of photographs of old NWMSU helmets (thanks David), which has allowed me to partially document the team's helmet history back to 1961. Unfortunately, few of the photographs are in color, so uncertainties remain about what color the various helmet features were. While the team has apparently used green helmets since 1972, I do not know if the helmets have always been dark green (like the current design) - they presumably could have been a lighter shade during earlier years. The team colors were originally red and white, but I have been informed that the switch to the current colors (green and white) was made many years before 1960. Some helmet designs have also feature gold or yellow elements.
Through the 1960s the helmets apparently always had white shells. There was a single dark stripe on the helmets in 1961 and 1962, but from 1963 through 1966 the dark stripe was apparently flanked on either side by a lighter-colored stripe (probably gold). Also from 1963 through 1966, uniform numerals in some dark color were worn on the helmets. Two oval-shaped helmet logos were used from 1967 through 1971 - one containing an "M", and the other the letters "NW State". Below are photographs of the helmet designs known to have been used from 1961 through 1971.
The team apparently switched to dark-colored (probably green) helmets in 1972 (the 1977 NWMSU yearbook refers to the team as the "green and white"), possibly with one or more light-colored stripes during this first year. The helmets were apparently "plain" (without logos or stripes) from 1973 through 1978.
In 1979 an arched "BEARCATS" logo was adopted, and used through 1982. In 1983 the team switched to a script "Cats" logo, which was used through at least 1993, though possibly not for all games, and with a few different stripe combinations. Below are photos showing the two helmets logos used from 1979 through 1993.
During at least part of the 1995 season, another interesting helmet logo was used (see photo below) - this one featured the letters "NW" atop a "paw print".
*1 This design was used during the home game against Truman State in 2005 as part of an observance of the university's centennial.
PITTSBURG STATE
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| c.1970s | c.late 1970s - 1984? | 1985 - 1996 |
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| 1997 - 2005 | 2006 - |
This college was known as Kansas State College of Pittsburg prior to April 21, 1977. During the 1961 season, PSU was using the helmet design visible in the very small photographs below; it would appear that the helmets were probably silver or gold in color, and had at least two dark stripes.
At another point during the early 1960s, PSU wore white numerals on red helmet shells with gray faceguards. I am not aware of PSU having ever used any helmet logo other than the current script "Pitt", but I have received very little information for this team from the 1960s and 1970s.
TRUMAN STATE
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| c.mid 1970s | c.1980s | 1996 - 1998 |
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| 1999 - 2003 | 2004 - |
Truman State University was known as Northeast Missouri State University prior to July 1, 1996; hence the "NE" logo on the "c.1980s" helmet shown above. This logo was used at least as early as 1980. In 1978, the team was using white helmet shells with a purple-yellow-purple sequence of stripes; I do not know if any decals were worn on the sides of this design.
WASHBURN
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| 1966 - 1967 | 1968 - 1970 | 1977 - 1979 |
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| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 - 1989 |
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| 1990 | 1991 - 1993 | 1994 - 1995 |
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| 1996 - 2001 | 2002 | 2003 - 2005 |
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| 2006 | 2007 - 2008 | 2009 - |
