100 Day Sun Devil Football Countdown To Kickoff, #43: The Sparky Helmet Debuts

When we began the 100-Day Countdown back on May 22nd, we started our look at the top reasons to love Sun Devil football with the "sunburst" helmets that the team wore during the late 1970s. Now, we look at their replacement.

With the unceremonious end of the Frank Kush era, Darryl Rogers took over and one of the other major changes was a new helmet for the Sun Devils.

The gold helmet remained, but in place of the sunburst ASU logo was Sparky the Sun Devil. Also altered was the center stripe, going from a single maroon bar to a multi-striped maroon and white look (click here for a closer look).

Reaction was immediately positive, and it remained the Sun Devils' look for over 30 years, until the recent rebranding. Even with the new modern look, there are more than a few fans who wish to see Sparky as the helmet's centerpiece, rather than his current location on the back.

Over the years, the Sparky helmet saw several modifications. In 1985, the Sparky became much more detailed and his pitchfork became golden.

The 1980-84 version (left), the changes starting in 1985 (right)

More changes came over the year. The stripe was reverted to a single maroon line, the facemask changed to maroon, and there was a thankfully brief period of a horn-like dual stripe.

But through it all, there was Sparky.

See the previous entries on House of Sparky's 100 day countdown here

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