The Daily Helmet: A New Jacket And Some Turf
It Finally arrived!
The other day I talked about my second chance at the Buccaneers jacket and today the package arrived in the mail. It came in a box that was smaller than I would have thought. Just looked how they stuffed this thing in the tiny Box!
It can be hard to tell from pictures in the eBay listing, but this jacket was in fantastic shape. Other than a few slight stains on the sleeve, which I should have no trouble removing, this jacket is almost like new. Buying used stuff, you are always afraid that it will not be in as good of shape when you get or it will have some strange odor from some dude who wore the jacket 35 years ago.
The jacket is a brand called Active Generation and they were sold in the early 80s. Compared to other satin jackets from the era or slightly after, these jackets are not at the same quality. They are a lighter material and don’t have the same amount of branding, with most of the Active Generation jackets only having a logo or helmet on the breast of the jacket. These in general go for quite a bit less than most satin jackets with listings in the $30-$50 listing, with the exception of the Oilers which can go for double that or more. I was unable to find much information on the company. The tag says that Active Generation was a Division of Dallas Cap And Emblem. It looks like they shut down in 1985 and opened up under a new name. If you know anything about this company and the manufacturing of the jackets let me know.
There are plenty available on ebay, if you want to pick one up here is a sample of some of the ones I’ve seen.
A Piece Of Turf
A WNY legislator has proposed that the Buffalo Bills auction off the New Era Field turf when it is ripped up and replaced this spring. He wants to split it up and sell with proceeds going to local charity. In the past the Bills have donated the turf to schools and other places. The problem is that field turf doesn’t seem like something that would make a door mat or display item, when the rubber pellets are no longer there. I actually have some of the plastic field turf grass from the first installation of field turf at Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2003.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Bills sold pieces of their turf. At the conclusion of the 1990 season the Bills finally replaced the horrible old Astro Turf No. 8 that was completely worn out. It was bad. I blew my knee out just looking at it on TV. They cut the turf up in a bunch of different pieces and sold it in various states. Some were smaller pieces in glass or keychains. Other people got their hands on bigger framed pieces. I happen to have doormat made from the turf. It is a little worn out, but the one endzone says “A Piece Of History”. It also includes some complimentary Jay Schroeder tears leftover from the 1990 AFC Championship game.
More Turf for You
If you want your own piece of turf from your favorite team, there are plenty of listings on eBay. You can buy these coasters with authentic turf from the Meadowlands. You can also pick up this blue end zone turf from Texas Stadium for a mere 600 bucks! Or if this is more your speed, you can get original Texas stadium turf in a cool package. There is also plenty of turf available from Three Rivers Stadium. There is also this very cool checkerboard turf from Neyland Stadium in Tennessee.
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Headed to The Burgh
I’ll be in Pittsburgh the next couple days and one of my favorite things to do there is to visit the Immaculate reception site outside of Heinz Field where Three River Stadium once stood. I love history and there is something cool about being in the exact spot where something important, memorable or significant happened. I always wonder how accurate the spot they marked are. Did Franco’s foot really rest in that spot when he caught the deflected pass (illegally?) on December 23rd 1972? Raiders and Steelers fans will forever argue if Franco actually caught it before it hit the turf or if it hit John Fuqua first making the catch illegal by the rules at the time. Either way it is probably the top moment in NFL history and it is cool that it has been memorialized in such a great way.
What I Watched: 1991 NFC Divisional Playoffs Atlanta Falcons Vs. Washington Redskins
The 1991 playoffs featured quite a few teams, who at the time were not frequently involved in the Playoffs. The Saints, Lions and Falcons were all in the 1991 playoffs. with the Lions and Saints Winning their division. On the AFC side, the Jets made what seemed like a rare appearance to the postseason as well. This game featured the Back In Black Atlanta Falcons, with Prime Time Deion Sanders and Jerry Glanville as head coach. The Falcons doubled their regular season win total from the previous year, going 10-6 in 1991. The Falcons met the #1 seed Redskins following a big win over New Orleans the week prior in the Wild Card Round. At the time the Falcons had never won in Washington (finally got a win there in 1994). The two teams met earlier in the year where the ‘Skins embarrassed the confident Falcons 56- 17 in week 11. This time the Falcons fared a little better, but still lost to the eventual champs 24-7. This game featured Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts in the booth and as an added bonus this Youtube video of the game also included The NFL Today Pregame show and halftime show with special guest recently fired Rams Head coach John Robinson, which is always fun to see. Plus there is plenty of rain and mud, the way football should be played.
Helmet Of The Day: 1966 Michigan State
It is no secret, I love the color green. I think one of the best uniform colors is green. I have yet to meet a green team I didn’t like. For this project, I decided to make a Faux vintage 1966 Michigan State Helmet. By faux, I mean the helmet isn’t really era authentic, but I put an older style mask and used the old style clips to give it the look of an antique helmet without the price. I saw these decals on eBay and had them around a few years before I finally got around to making the helmet. I also added the number 60 on the back, which was just a random number I chose. This helmet was worn by the Spartans 1966-1968 and possibly in 1972 as well.
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