A Golden Era Reborn: Inside the Years-Long Project to Bring Back Baylor’s Chrome Helmets

Instant Reactions to Baylor's Revamped Gold-Chrome Helmets

When Baylor’s all-conference linebacker Keaton Thomas arrived at the Simpson Center for what he perceived to be a promotional photoshoot heading into the 2025 season, he had no idea what would happen next.

Thomas suited up in the sweet one-year-old anthracite uniforms — business as usual — but instead of being handed the dark-gray helmet to take pictures with, he was gifted something different: a revamped and modernized version of Baylor’s iconic gold-chrome helmet that the Bears rocked during the height of their success from 2013 to 2017.

As one of the first people to set eyes on the updated “chrome domes,” Thomas was instantly infatuated with the sleek and shiny new lids and couldn’t contain his excitement.

“Keaton’s eyes got really big, and if it were up to him, he’d wear it every game, “Will Glasscock, Baylor’s assistant AD of equipment services, jokingly said. “He loved it. He was really excited about it. I don’t think he wanted to take it off. It was cool to see him react that way.”

In a similar surprise story, the quarterbacks of Baylor’s current and past, Sawyer Robertson and Bryce Petty, shared a special moment when the two had the revamped “gold-chrome” helmets revealed to them at the same time.

Both were awestruck but ecstatic to see the return of a helmet that defined the winningest era in program history and is forever marked with its association to big-time moments, big-time games and big-time players, who played with a relentless edge and swagger.

“That was a really neat exchange, just seeing different versions of Baylor football history represented by individuals, and the passing of the torch, if you will; it was really special,” Jovan Overshown, the deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, said in an interview with SicEm365.

The process of designing the helmets, however, began long before the official reveal to the fanbase on Thursday morning. Right after the Bears had wrapped up their 2024 season with a loss to LSU in the Texas Bowl, Glasscock stood at his desk and excitedly tore into the package he had received from Riddell, knowing that it could only mean one thing.

With the package in hand, he scurried up the stairs into the office of Overshown to show her the latest version of what had become their passion project since the spring of 2024 and promptly placed the item on the table in all its golden glory.

Both Glasscock and Overshown’s eyes got big as they looked up at each other with the same reaction: “All right. Let’s do this.”

Before that day in early January, Glasscock and Overshown had spent the last several months tirelessly cycling through a handful of helmet samples that ultimately never came close to their shared vision; some were too close to lime green, some were too dark, while others were too dull and lost their luster in the lights.

Finally, they thought they had found their perfect match. The next step, however, might have been their biggest challenge yet — to discreetly leave the Simpson Center to see whether the helmet could pass the next set of rigorous tests.

“Before we had full buy-in, it was like, let’s sneak this bad boy out and see it in the daylight. Let’s sneak this thing out and see it at night under the lights. Let’s see what this looks like because you don’t want to photograph a bunch of images and not have it translate well,” Overshown said.

She added, “We see that sometimes on television, uniform combinations don’t look like they do off-screen. We evaluated a lot of things before deciding it was the one. We were so excited, but we tempered that because we knew it had to be right.”

After deciding on the specific color and initiating the helmet ordering process, it took months to finalize everything from a details perspective. While people might expect a uniform change to be a swift addition, it’s a strenuous process, and neither Overshown nor Glasscock wanted the final product to be rushed whatsoever.

“It took time because we refused to rush something this important,” Overshown said. “Anytime that you are going to create something special that mimics something iconic, you want to do it well, and you want to do it with excellence, so that’s part of it from a creative standpoint. You want to honor the past while respecting the future with integrity.”

Behind the scenes, Overshown and Glasscock kept their passion project a secret almost entirely between themselves, something that bugged Overshown while she had to patiently await the right moment for the official reveal.

“It was a struggle; it was seasons' worth of people posting and calling on us to do something with the chrome, but in the back of your mind, knowing that we have something really special that we’re working on, but there are some elements that we can’t rush,” Overshown said. “That was a burning thing in the back of my mind, but it further told me this is the right nod, this is the right move.”

Once the new lids arrived in Waco, the revamped chrome helmets came with a “slightly refined color” to match Baylor’s current color palette and updated branding, as well as several unique details, according to Glasscock.

“It’s very different than the previous chrome helmet we had several years ago,” he said. “The decal, the bumpers that go on the front and back, we did what we felt meshed with the uniform. From a detail standpoint, the face mask is chrome as well. Making all that come together and matching it up makes it a special helmet. Everyone’s going to really enjoy it, especially at night when we get it under the lights.”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t until Thursday morning that the helmets were revealed to the rest of the team, which was met with thunderous applause and appreciation, given the significance the helmets hold for the program and fanbase.

“They know when they put that on, there’s a look, there’s a mentality that goes with that chrome helmet,” Overshown said. “That’s just naturally who they are. There was a lot of excitement and eagerness, but Dave [Aranda] was quick to put that out of their mind and tell them it’s great, but to put it aside for now and not focus on that.”

The Bears will also be able to mix-and-match the “chrome domes” with different uniform combinations moving forward, not just the anthracite jerseys that returned after a five-year hiatus last season. It’s yet to be determined, however, what exactly those combinations will be and whether small details on the helmet, such as the decal, can be interchanged.

“We’re definitely able to wear with different combinations; what those combinations will be, we’ll decide later on,” Glasscock said. “Similar to all of our helmets, we pick the color and the matchup in a way that we think is going to look good, whether it be a home or road game.”

Although the helmets are already an immediate fan favorite, the program still aims to wear them only on special occasions. In the back-to-back Big 12 Championship seasons in 2013 and 2014, the Bears wore the gold-chrome helmets a combined six times.

“We have to remember this is for key moments and matchups; we don’t want to dilute the face of who we are,” Overshown said. “We still want this to carry something really impactful because it’s the evolution of something iconic. We’re not going to be rolling this out every week, but I’m sure this is something that fans will love to see time and time again.”

Aside from symbolizing big-time games and big-time moments, the helmets also represent an era of the greatest fan support and engagement in program history, something Aranda wanted his team to understand. While winning is an essential factor in fan support, the athletic program believes these helmets can help bridge the gap from different eras of Baylor football.

“It's one of those gifts that's reciprocal,” Overshown said. “It's an acknowledgement that this season is for all of us. It's a reminder that Baylor football is built on excellence, but that excellence starts in the stands. That's what is really cool about this — that's the unifying piece of this helmet, it's showing that there are two pieces to this, to this pathway to success.”

Once the dust settled following the official reveal of their “passion project” to the public on Thursday morning, Overshown and Glasscock were overwhelmed with both gratitude for the positive response from the fanbase and the excitement to see the helmets debut under the McLane Stadium lights.

“These are the moments we live for,” Overshown said. “It means so much because it’s a collective win for our team, for our fan base, just have a lot of love for the for the Baylor family and this is just one of those unique opportunities where you get to do something in acknowledgment of them, but at the same time, it equally juices us on the athletic side, and the guys that are suiting up to be on the field.”

Glasscock added, “I think it's gonna be really special once we get to the field and see it. For me, it's a bit different because I was in school when we debuted the original chrome one in 2013. To be part of both, that's a cool little perspective that I have about it. Selfishly, I'm really glad they were able to get this done, because it was a lot of work for me and my team and several others. I can speak for a lot of people, it's going to be a really special time when we debut them.”

Baylor football opens the 2025 season in a primetime matchup at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29, against Auburn at McLane Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on FOX.

A Golden Era Reborn: Inside the Years-Long Project to Bring Back Baylor’s Chrome Helmets

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