Duke’s football team will throw out a new alternate helmet this week, and it’s pretty dandy.
To honor the 75th anniversary of the 1942 Rose Bowl, which was played in Duke’s home stadium, the Blue Devils will wear a specially-designed helmet this week featuring a retro-styled Blue Devil logo on a battleship gray helmet. Seeing as the 1943 Rose Bowl was transplanted due to the events of World War II, it is a fitting touch to include a gray reminiscent of a battleship.
https://twitter.com/DukeFBEquipment/status/789073766789754880
Duke is going to pair this alternate helmet with their black home jerseys and pants. I’m not a fan of Duke wearing black, but it does seem to go well with the gray helmet to be worn this weekend. As you can see in the video below, the black uniform will also feature some sort of special patch for the game, which looks like a nice touch as well.
.@DukeFBEquipment does it again. We'll wear these Battleship Grey helmets November 5 against Virginia Tech. #DukeGang pic.twitter.com/gpiMcubnho
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) October 20, 2016
The 1942 Rose Bowl between Duke and Oregon State was shifted to Durham, North Carolina a due to fears of a possible attack during World War II. Because the game was played so soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor, this was a move that made perfect sense without having to cancel the game entirely. The United States government essentially forced the game to be relocated as it shut down any event that would have a large gathering on the west coast just for that reason. The game was moved to Wallace Wade Stadium, where Oregon State came away with a 20-16 victory.
