June 5, 2015 (Atlanta, Ga.) - The Belhaven University football program has reached the College Football Hall of Fame, as Mike Bilbow, Vice President of Content and Production, announced a new exhibit addition to the Hall of Fame.
The College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience opened a new exhibit on May 23. "The Alternate Helmet - Modern Styles" is part of the Specialty Exhibit Delivered by UPS and features a selection of more than 50 alternate and throwback helmets from a number of college football programs.
Belhaven is one of 57 schools across all levels of College Football to have an Alternate Helmet displayed in the new exhibit, which is in Atlanta, Georgia.The alternate helmet, which was worn against Campbellsville University this past season, was selected for the exhibit.
"The alternative helmet is the latest step in the long evolution of the football helmet that began when Navy's Joe Reeves first wore one in 1893," explains Kent Stephens, historian and curator for the College Football Hall of Fame. "Today, the helmet is the most distinct part of the uniform. While some schools have taken the opportunity to make a fashion statement with their headgear, others have chosen to maintain a more conservative approach, and that has become a tradition in its own right."
The Blazers Football program is one of just three non-FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as NCAA Division I-A) teams to feature in the new exhibit and the only school from NCAA Division III or the NAIA to be represented.
The new College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience is a 94,256-square-foot attraction located in the heart of Atlanta's sports, entertainment and tourism district. Adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center and Centennial Olympic Park, the new Hall provides visitors with a highly immersive, interactive and engaging experience using a blend of historic college football artifacts and state-of-the-art, interactive multimedia exhibits. The National Football Foundation (NFF) launched the Hall in 1951 to stand as one of the nation's premier sports shrines, immortalizing the game's greatest players and coaches as positive role models for future generations. Atlanta Hall Management, Inc., partnered with the NFF to construct and operate the new Hall of Fame attraction, which also provides a platform for community outreach, education and character development initiatives, as well as serves as one of Atlanta's premier special event spaces. For more information, please visit www.cfbhall.com.