2025 Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl: Riddell Unveils Hi-Tech Helmets

The annual HBCU football all-star classic will have new advanced helmets from Riddell.

2025 HBCU Legacy Bowl Helmets / Credit: Riddell

The HBCU Legacy Bowl will have new advanced helmets to kick off the all-star game at Tulane University's Yulman Stadium on Saturday afternoon.     

Riddell will provide the HBCU quarterbacks with the Axiom helmet, a pinnacle of athlete protection and helmet technologies. This advanced helmet, developed for Tru-Fit, ensures the players' safety is paramount in the game.

The other players will be fitted in the Riddell SpeedFlex helmets.

Riddell Axiom Logo / Credit: Riddell

AXIOM HELMET FEATURES

• The helmet showcases the TRU-FIT, which "combines interior liner pads to create a personalized fit and protection system."  
• Also, an EXPANDED FLEX SYSTEM has "flex panels in the shell's front, side, and back, along with the Axiom's unique face mask attachment and enhanced impact response."
• The FRONTAL PROTECTION SYSTEM "removes a traditional face mask's top bar, allowing for more flexibility within the frontal protection system."
• PANORAMIC ELLIPTICAL FACE MASK includes CAST CAGE CONSTRUCTION, available in stainless steel and titanium. The unique shape and orientation strengthen the face mask structure and provide a sweeping field view.
• LOW-PROFILE HELMET RETENTION SYSTEM features a redesigned and streamlined StrapLoc and CamLoc combination chin strap for efficient adjustment and a secure and proper fit.

Team Gaither vs. Team Robinson / Credit: Riddell

Team Gaither will wear black helmets with an old gold accent on the facemasks and black chin straps. Team Robinson will wear solid white helmets with black facemasks and white chin straps.

The meticulous design process for the Axiom helmets is as follows:  

1. Start with a standard white and black base coat of paint

2. Finish off the paint job with a flat topcoat to get a matte finish

3. Paint dries for about a day

4. Add side decals to the shell

5. Assemble the interior of the helmet

6. Add bumper decals

7. Assemble the remainder of the helmet, including face mask and chin strap

8. Quality check the finished helmet to ensure it matches the specifications

9. Box up and ship off to New Orleans!

Based on the details of the new 2025 Allstate Legacy Bowl Helmets by Riddell, expect a more stylish lid emphasizing player safety in the all-star affair.

The 2025 Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl will occur at Yulman Stadium on Tulane University's campus. Steve Wyche (play-by-play), Charles Davis (color analyst), and Bucky Brooks (color analyst) will return for another broadcast of the annual event on the NFL Network at 3 PM CT.

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2025 HBCU LEGACY BOWL HEAD COACHES - HBCU LEGENDS EDITION / RE: HBCU LEGENDS

ICYMI: WHO ARE THE 2025 ALLSTATE HBCU LEGACY BOWL HEAD COACHES?

The Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) has announced the head coaches for the 2025 Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl will have a couple of new faces.   

The 2025 Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl will take place at Tulane University’s Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.  

THE HEAD COACHES

Coaching staffs from the Division I HBCU conferences, SWAC, and MEAC will be joined by leaders from the HBCU Division II teams, CIAA, and SIAC.

“These coaches earned this honor by winning their respective conferences. Each coach exemplifies the spirit, leadership and tradition of HBCU Football, and we’re proud to have them,” NFL QB legend and Black College Football Hall of Fame Co-Founder James “Shack” Harris said.

Each team will have two co-head coaches from those conferences, along with several members of their coaching staffs, to form the HBCU Legacy Bowll coaching ranks.

Another great line-up of head coaches helping to develop and prepare our student-athletes for the NFL Draft and professional football leagues! @hbculegends @HBCULegacyBowl @blacksportsinc https://t.co/iipR3lOBKl

— Kyle T. Mosley (@ktmoze) January 30, 2025

This season, South Carolina State University's head coach Chennis Berry (MEAC) and Coach Alvin Parker (CIAA) of Virginia University will lead the TEAM GAITHER squad.

“It’s an honor to once again represent my school at the Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl,” three-time Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl Coach, Chennis Berry said. “It’s a first-class experience that the players will love, and provide them an opportunity to further their football career.”

Team Robinson will be led by head coach T.C. Taylor from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). He is the coach of the HBCU National Champions, Jackson State University. Taylor will compete alongside of Sam Shade, who is the current head coach at Alabama A&M and a former coach at Miles College, representing the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).

Both Shade and Taylor will serve as co-head coaches for Team Robinson at the 2025 Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl.

ABOUT TEAM GAITHER

Players from the CIAA and the MEAC will make up TEAM GAITHER. The team is named after legendary Florida A&M University football coach Jake Gaither.

ABOUT TEAM ROBINSON 

Players from the SIAC and the SWAC will make up TEAM ROBINSON. The team is named after legendary Grambling State University football coach Eddie Robinson.

ABOUT THE BLACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

The Black College Football Hall of Fame, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, located at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio was founded in 2009 by African American pioneers, quarterbacks James Harris and Doug Williams to preserve the history and honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

There are 118 Inductees including Mel Blount, James Harris, Willie Lanier, Art Shell and Doug Williams, who serve as Trustees. The Black College Football Hall of Fame has awarded over $450,000 in direct support to HBCUs and HBCU scholarships since inception.

Other major initiatives include the Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl, the HBCU Combine and the Ozzie Newsome GM & Quarterback Summit (in partnership with the NFL), as well as the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic (in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame).

ABOUT THE ALLSTATE HBCU LEGACY BOWL

The Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl, presented by the Black College Football Hall of Fame, is a postseason all-star game that showcases the top 100 NFL draft-eligible football players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The game will be played on the Saturday, February 22, 2025 (Yulman Stadium at Tulane University), and broadcast live on NFL Network. More than a football game, the week-long celebration of Black culture and history provides invaluable exposure for HBCU students and includes the largest HBCU Career Fair in the country.

Follow at www.HBCULegacyBowl.com and on social media via @HBCULegacyBowl.

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