Sun Belt Conference

ARKANSAS STATE FLORIDA ATLANTIC FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
"Red Wolves" "Owls" "Golden Panthers"
Jonesboro, AR Boca Raton, FL Miami, FL
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA-MONROE MIDDLE TENNESSEE
STATE
"Ragin' Cajuns" "Warhawks" "Blue Raiders"
Lafayette, LA Monroe, LA Murfreesboro, TN
NORTH TEXAS SOUTH ALABAMA TROY
"Mean Green" "Jaguars" "Trojans"
Denton, TX Mobile, AL Troy, AL
WESTERN KENTUCKY
"Hilltoppers"
Bowling Green, KY

Comments

Florida Atlantic has a new helmet design for the 2012 season (the facemask color has been changed) (shown above).

In 2012 South Alabama will be a "provisional" member of Division I - Football Bowl Subdivision and will play a full Sun Belt conference schedule. Full FBS membership and postseason eligibility will begin in 2013.

Historical Helmets

ARKANSAS STATE

? - 1965 1966 c.1969? - 1979
*see note 1 below *see note 2 below
1980 - ? ? - 1995 1996
*see note 3 below
1997 - 1998 1999 - 2005 2006
2007 -

Arkansas State's team was known as the "Indians" prior to the 2008 football season.

*1 This design was in use from 1959 through 1965, and perhaps earlier.

*2 This design was used at least through the period 1974 to 1979 (possibly with other facemask colors having been used at various times), and the same logo was worn on the left sides of the helmets in 1969, with a version of the "100" decal that many teams used that season worn on the right sides.

*3 Two different versions of the helmet logo shown on this design were in use during the early 1980s; one with a white, curved line beneath the big "A", and one without the line. At least sometimes these were used simultaneously. It has been reported to me that the curved white line was a remnant of a large "U" that was part of the logo on one set of decals; most of the "U" was cut away when it was decided not to include it. The white facemasks were in use through at least 1987.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC

2001 - 2004 2005 - 2011 2012 -

2001 was the first football season for FAU.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL

2002 - 2007 2008 -

2002 was the first football season for FIU.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE

c.late 1960s - 1973 1974 1975 - 1979
*see note 1 below *see note 2 below *see note 2 below
1980 - 1986;
1992 - 1995		 1997 1987 - 1991; 1996; 1998
1999 - 2001 November 5, 2011 2011 -
*see note 3 below *see note 4 below
2002 -

The school was named the University of Southwestern Louisiana until September 1999. It has been reported to me that the team had several other helmet designs during the mid-1960s, but I have not received any photographs or specific information about these. Additional information would be greatly appreciated.

*1 This helmet featured a picture of what is known as the Acadiana flag, which is representative of the region in which Lafayette is located.

*2 It has been reported to me that the shell color of these two helmet designs was actually "cardinal red" rather than maroon, but I have not been able to obtain photographic confirmation of this yet.

*3 Worn during the 2011 home game vs Louisana-Monroe.

*4 First worn September 24, 2011 (at Florida International); subsequently worn October 8, 2011 (vs Troy), November 12, 2011 (at Arkansas State), and December 17, 2011 (vs San Diego State in the New Orleans Bowl at New Orleans, LA).

LOUISIANA-MONROE

1960 - 1963 c.late 1960s c.early 1970s
*see note 1 below *see note 2 below
1972 - 1974 1975 (last 10 games) 1975 (game #1); 1976 (game #1)
1978 c.1979? c.1980? - c.1995?
? - 1998 1998 1999 (first 3
games)
2000 - 2002 2003 2004 - 2005
2006 -

The University's name was Northeast Louisiana University prior to August 27, 1999. The team nickname was changed from "Indians" to "Warhawks" prior to the 2006 football season.

*1 This design appears in photographs from the 1966 season. The 1969 helmet was similar, but a version of the "100" decal was worn on at least the left sides of the helmets. I do not know the colors of the "100" decal.

*2 "Plain" helmets without stripes are visible in photographs from the 1971 season.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE

1960 - 1963 1964 1965 - 1966
1967 - 1968 1969 1970
1972 1971 - 1973 1974
*see note 1 below
1975 1976 1977
1978 1979 - 1981 1982 - 1998
1999 2000 -

These are all of the known helmet designs used by MTSU during the period covered by this site (1960 to present); thanks once again to Dan C. for most of this information.

*1 MTSU used plain white helmets during at least games #3 and #7 of the 1972 season, but the design labelled "1971 - 1973" above was used during game #10.

NORTH TEXAS

? - c.1963 1964 - 1966
1967 c.1968 - 1971 1972
1973 - 1978 1979 - 1982 1983 - 1993
1994 1996 - 1997 1995; 1998 - 2000
*see note 1 below
2001 - 2003 2003 - 2004 2005 - 2006
*see note 2 below *see note 2 below
2007 - 2010 2011 -

I do not yet have any information for North Texas for the years 1960 and 1961. In 1962, the team used white helmets with uniform numerals of some unknown color (probably green) on the sides; no stripes are visible in the photographs that I have from 1962. The team used plain white helmets during at least one game in 1963 (vs Cincinnati).

*1 During part of the period when this logo was in use, a completely white version of it, without the yellow parts, may have been used; this has been reported to me but not confirmed with photographic evidence.

*2 The difference between these two helmets is probably not readily apparent: the 1996 - 1997 helmet included two navy blue stripes flanking the central white stripe.

*3 The black facemasks were first used during the October 30 game against Troy State.

SOUTH ALABAMA

2010 -

This team played its first season of varsity football in 2010.

TROY

? - 1965 1966- ? c.1968-c.1970
c.1971 1972 only? 1973
1974 1975 - ? c.1978
c.1978? - c.1983? c.1984? - c.1988? c.1989? - c.1992?
1993? - 1998? 1999? - 2003 September 4, 2004
*see note 1 below
October 20, 2005 September 9, 2004 -
*see note 2 below

It was reported to me that black helmets were first used for Troy State's opening home game of the 1993 season (which was game #5 vs Charleston Southern).

*1 Plain black helmets were used during the team's first game of the 2004 season at Marshall, with a new design featuring shells of a dark red color being introduced for game #2, a home game against Missouri.

*2 Troy wore black helmets during the 2005 home game against Florida International as a tribute to former team member Al Lucas, who died on April 10, 2005 as a result of injuries sustained during an Arena Football League game between his team, the Los Angeles Avengers, and the New York Dragons.

WESTERN KENTUCKY

c.1970s c.1980s c.1997
? - 2002 September 10, 2005 2003 - 2006
*see note 1 below
2007 - 2010 September 10, 2011 2011 -
*see note 2 below

I have received little information other than some descriptions for WKU helmet designs used during the years prior to 1980. An early 1960s design has been described as featuring a red shell with a white "W" at the front of the helmet, more or less like the one used by Wisconsin at about the same time. The 1966 WKU helmet has been described as having a red shell with one white stripe and with a white "W" logo similar to the one used on the historical helmets shown at this web site for Winona State (see the NCAA Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference). A late-1960s helmet featured a red shell, one white stripe, and a white "W" on the sides. A design used during the early 1980s used white uniform numerals on the sides with the letters "WKU" in an arch above the numerals; again this was worn on red helmet shells. Photographs of any of these designs would be appreciated.

*1 This design was used during the 2005 home game against Eastern Kentucky and reportedly several other games that year (which ones?).

*2 Worn during WKU's 2011 home game against Navy.