LINCOLN — Jay Terry hadn't exactly performed any crash tests when deciding which helmets to purchase for the Nebraska football team.
But NU's equipment manager understood the increasing emphasis on protection against concussions. He also knew the Huskers didn't skimp on safety just to be frugal.
So when Virginia Tech/Wake Forest University's National Impact Database released the first comprehensive safety study on helmets earlier this summer, Terry wasn't surprised to find the model used by three-fourths of Nebraska's team — the Riddell Revolution Speed Classic — was the highest-rated helmet of the bunch. It was the only helmet to get a five-star rating, too.
"I feel comfortable with the safety of that brand," Terry said. "I like working with Riddell."
Two other helmets in NU's stock received four stars.
The Virginia Tech study affixed impact ratings to 10 helmet models from four brands — Riddell, Schutt, Xenith and Adams — by buying three in each model and subjecting them to 120 collisions with different speeds and angles. The auto industry uses stars for its crash-test ratings, so Virginia Tech did, too.
Riddell told the Associated Press in May that 38 percent of NFL players used the Riddell VSR-4 model, which received one star in the rankings. It's expected that many of them will upgrade to the Riddell Revolution Speed model that most Huskers wear. At $243.99 according to the study, it's one of the most expensive helmets on the market. One-fourth of NU players — mostly offensive linemen — wear $222.99 Riddell Revolution IQ, which received four stars from Virginia Tech.
One Husker — senior Curenski Gilleylen — wears a $169.95 Schutt DNA Pro, which also received four stars. At one time, Terry said, players got to choose between Schutt and Riddell, and Gilleylen has stayed loyal to a specific brand. Once he leaves, NU likely will wear Riddell helmets exclusively.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110719/BIGRED/707199827/-1#huskers-value-safety-over-cost-with-helmets
