Steelers

Leather Helmets

See end of page for a listing of leather helmets.

1950-62

Between 1950 and 1962, the Steelers wore three styles of helmets. Riddell did not officially manufacture a helmet for any of these styles. The photos are custom helmets.

1962

This gold helmet has the word “Steel” in the logo. It is in the Throwback Series 1 and Throwback 2-bar sets. The steelers also wore plain gold helmets during this season. Riddell did not manufacture pocket pros for this style.

For one playoff game in the 1962 season (1963 actually), Pittsburgh wore a black helmet with a yellow stripe and the “Steel” logo. There’s no pocket pro for this helmet. This black helmet is a custom.

1963-present

The most significant change to the logo in 1963 was the use of the word “Steelers” instead of “Steel.”

The Steelers logo itself has seen mild changes over the years. These changes have been subtle and may not be of interest to regular collectors. I detail those changes in my Steelers Pocket Helmet Update blog post from December 2023.

1963-76: Black helmet, gray facemask, 1963-2001 logo

This helmet is in the Throwback Series 1, Throwback Series 2, Throwback NFC 1969 2-bar, and Throwback 2-bar sets. The 1969 helmet had “69” printed on the helmet.

1977-2001: Black helmet, black facemask, 1963-2001 logo

In 1977, the Steelers changed the facemask changed from grey from black. This helmet is in the traditional set.

2002-present: Black helmet, black facemask, 2002-present logo

In 2002, the Steelers changed the logo to a more bold font and added a black circle around the gray circle, although this is hardly noticeable due to the black helmet. This helmet is in the traditional, revolution and speed sets.

The Steelers also wore a plain black helmet in 1994 as a throwback for one game. The team also periodically wore the 1962 gold helmet between 2007 and 2011. Interestingly, the Steelers only wore a plain black leather helmet for one game in 1942. And the 2007-11 throwback shows the current Steelers logo, no the “Steel” logo the Steelers originally wore with the gold helmet.

In 2024, the Steelers wore a throwback commemorate the 50th anniversary of Super Bowl 9. As far I can tell, the only change to the helmet was a grey facemask.

Steelers Pocket Pro Super Bowl Helmets

Super Bowl 9

Super Bowl 10

Super Bowl 13

Super Bowl 14

Super Bowl 40 (with other super bowl 40 helmets)

Super Bowl 43

Checklist: 1950-present

Years	Color	Facemask	Logo	Stripe	Pocket helmet
1950-52	Yellow	Leather	None	None	None
1953-61	Yellow	leather (53), lucite (54) and grey (55-62)	None	Black	None
1957-61	Yellow	Grey	Player #	Black	None
1962	Black helmet	Grey	“Steel”	Yellow	None
1962	Yellow	Grey	“Steel”	Black	Throwback Series 1 Throwback 2 bar
1963-76	Black	Grey	1963-2001 “Steelers”	Yellow	Throwback Series 1 / Throwback Series 2 Throwback NFC 1969 2-bar Throwback 2-bar
1977-2001	Black	Black	1963-2001 “Steelers” In 1990, the Steelers font was made slightly bolder.	Yellow	Traditional Chrome
2002-present	Black	Black	2002-present “Steelers”	Yellow	Revolution Speed
1994	Black	Black	None	None	None
2007-11 Alternate Throwback	Yellow	Black	2002-present “Steelers”, no black outline	Black	Revolution
2024 Throwback	Black	Grey	2002-present “Steelers”	Yellow	None
2025 alternate throwback	Matte yellow	Grey	2002-present “Steelers”, black outline	Black	Speed – limited edition series

Leather Pittsburgh Steelers Helmets 
These helmets were not officially made by Riddell. They only exist as custom helmets.

• 1933-34 (Pittsburgh Pirates), 1938-42, 1945-49 (Steelers) – Leather wing front, yellow
• 1935-36 (Pittsburgh Pirates) – Leather wing front, yellow/black
• 1937 (Pittsburgh Pirates): Leather six strap, yellow/black
• 1941: Leather six strap, white
• 1942: Leather six strap, black

References

• Gridiron Uniform Database, Steelers
• Helmet History.com, Steelers
• Pittsburgh Steelers Wearing Throwbacks To Honor the 50th Anniversary of Super Bowl IX, Phil Hecken, Uni Watch, 10/15/24