The origin of Michigan’s winged helmet

The current Princeton helmet is patterned after the design which originated at Princeton but is most often associated with its 60-plus year run at Michigan. Princeton Coach “Fritz” Crisler is credited with designing the “winged” helmet in 1935 with the intention of helping his quarterbacks detect their receivers downfield; most teams’ helmets were bland and indistinguishable at that time, and Crisler’s design was one of the first to bear some distinction. The triangular shapes are said to represent the folded-back ears of a tiger, while the three stripes imitate those on the animal’s body. Although these features are purely ornamental on modern helmets, they coincided with physical features of the helmet during the 1930s. Crisler took the design with him to Michigan in 1938, and, as I understand it, Princeton ceased to use it at that same time.