Today's Tidbit... Uncle Jim's Helmet

Those who listen to my appearances on the Pigskin Dispatch Podcast may recall last week's episode when I mentioned wearing a leather helmet when playing pick-up games back in the day. I didn't wear the helmet for the regular pick-up game at the park, only for the 4th grader versus 5th grader games when most kids pulled out the cheap plastic helmets they obtained at Sears.

The helmet is a Spalding model 2FH, which I understood my Uncle Jim wore during his playing days in Chicago in the mid-to-late-1950s. He left the gridiron behind to play college basketball, resulting in his leaving his helmet at his mother's house. The helmet eventually made its way to our family and has been in my hands for decades. I've used it for a costume here or there, but it mostly sat on a shelf in my office.

Here are a few images of the helmet. It needs a coat of oil or two, but other than the torn chin strap, it's in pretty good shape.

Why am I showing you pictures of this helmet? It turns out that I recently acquired the 1949-50 Spalding Fall & Winter Catalog, and I did so without thinking about Uncle Jim's helmet sitting on the shelf.

Yesterday, while leafing through the catalog, I spotted the image and description of the model 2FH in the upper left of page 7.

(-Click image to enlarge-)

Finding the helmet in the catalog brought me a moment of joy, so I thought I'd forward the experience to you, hoping you, too, receive a fun surprise soon.

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