College Football's Top 20 Best Helmets

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The Bulldogs’ helmet is a perfect example of putting your own spin on something and making it better. The block ‘G’ also is on the helmet of the historic Green Bay Packers. Yes, UGA just stole copied the decal. But Georgia’s red and black gives it a different feel.

If you look at Georgia’s helmet history, the helmet has stayed pretty much the same throughout the years. The newest version has a white stripe on the top, not exactly a drastic difference from anything before it. Between the hedges, with Uga on the sideline, it wouldn’t seem like Georgia football without that regal lid.

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The Georgia "G" Helmet
In 1963 after becoming the Bulldogs' Head Football Coach, Vince Dooley redesigned the football uniform choosing a red helmet with a black "G" on a white background as the dominant feature of the new uniform for the 1964 season.

He discussed with his staff that a forward-looking "G" would be an appropriate emblem for the helmet of the Georgia team. Dooley had just hired John Donaldson, former Georgia player from 1945 to 1948, as backfield coach. John was keen on the idea of a new image and volunteered his wife, Anne, who had a BFA in commercial art from UGA to design a logo for the new Georgia helmet with the general specifications Dooley had outlined. Dooley accepted Anne's original "G" which fit his vision for a forward look to Georgia's new emblem.

Since the Georgia "G"- though different in design and color- was similar to Green Bay's "G", Coach Dooley thought it best to clear the use of Georgia's new emblem with the NFL team. Athletic Director Joel Eaves called for permission which was granted. However, since its inception in 1961, the Green Bay "G" has been redesigned several times and now looks like Georgia's original 1964 "G." Georgia is proud that the Packers apparently liked the special nuances of the Bulldogs' forward-looking "G."

Georgia's oval "G", eventually replacing Georgia's old block "G" as the official UGA symbol, has stood the test of time. It made its first appearance in the opening game in 1964 and was an immediate hit with the Georgia fans, especially after Dooley's first three teams were so successful--highlighted by the 1966 SEC Championship.

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