Randy Smith
The LSU Tigers announced this week they intend to use air conditioned football helmets this summer and fall. Air Conditioned helmets? What will they think of next? The new helmets are made by a Louisiana based company, Tigeraire...a company specializing in air flow technology for helmets and hard hats. The helmets have received rave reviews from LSU players who must battle almost unbearable heat and humidity during training camp each August. If you've ever been in the Bayou during the summer you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Former UTC head coach Buddy Nix once talked about his time at LSU as an assistant coach when he would walk out his office and be drenched in sweat before he reached his automobile.
One of the first questions asked about the new helmet is...how is it powered? Each helmet has a battery pack that will last up to five hours which is long enough for any training session or SEC football game. I would assume each battery can be recharged and that will make it more feasible.
This is a long way from the first helmet I ever wore when I played junior high football. It was too big for my head and had no face mask. When I finally got a better helmet, it was even bigger than the first one. It's amazing that I didn't receive a traumatic head or neck injury. It's also amazing that any of us didn't die from heat stroke because our coaches refused to give us water but gave us salt tablets before practice. Things have certainly changed over the past 60 years.
I don't know if this new invention needs approval by the SEC or NCAA. It seems to be getting a lot of positive press so it looks like it's here to stay. The next question is...how long will it take for the other schools in the SEC or any other conference to get on board? The cost of this new helmet is reported to be more than $1100 each, which means if a program purchases one hundred of them, the cost would be at least $110,000. That's chump change for big time schools but it may be more difficult for smaller programs like UTC.
After air conditioned helmets, I have no idea what's next. Perhaps virtual screens on the front of your face mask allowing you to receive the next play from your coaching staff or a virtual view of the play your opponent is running and how to stop it. This seems to be a brilliant marketing scheme by Tigeraire. If one school buys the air conditioned helmet, you know every school in the country will follow suit because if you're going after a big-time five star prospect, you don't want your big rival to offer him something you can't provide. So...Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia...it's your move.
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Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com