Flyer Helmet History

Flyer Helmets Since 1980...and a bit of history.

By the way, what's a "Flyer"?

It is worth mentioning here that the team is NOT named for the Philadelphia Flyers NHL franchise. As originally launched in 1980, the "Middletown (NJ) Dixie Flyers" were named for the Nashville minor league (EHL) hockey team of the same name. There are also at least three musical groups named the 'Dixie Flyers'. One was a bluegrass band based in Canada. Another was the 'house band' for a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. This Nashville-based group made several recordings with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Rita Coolidge and the great Brook Benton around 1970. Duane Allman was a member for a time.

There is also a Dixie High School in Utah, of all places, whose teams are known as the 'Flyers'! Probably the most well-known 'Dixie Flyer' was The Dixie Flyer passenger train that operated from 1892 to 1965 via the "Dixie Route" from Chicago to Florida. Another 'Dixie Flyer' was an automobile built in Louisville, Kentucky from 1916 until 1923. These Dixie Flyers were marketed under the slogan of "The Logical Car." You can also find a racing bike company that used the name since the late 1800s until a recent change to Velo Bikes.

The whole "Dixie" persona of this franchise was dropped in 1981. The club's symbol changed at that point from the Rebel flag to a 'falcon' or 'hawk' type bird. It switched back and forth between that 'bird' mascot and a 'bi-plane' or 'pilot' logo several times prior to 2000.

In addition to their 'logo', the Flyers have never been reluctant to change their look. This page traces the evolution of their headgear. These first eleven helmets are those worn on a regular basis since the franchise was founded in 1980. The bottom group made brief appearances, sometimes only on the drawing board. Some of the helmets carried subtle changes not listed here as separate versions. For example the 1996 helmet had a thin black border around the "B". The border changed to blue in 1997.

The original Middletown Dixie Flyer helmet, with its Confederate flag logo, caused more commotion than perhaps any piece of football equipment in history. The quickly created alternative helmet (shown below) was rushed into the breech to quell the furor but the players refused to wear it. The Rebel logo helmet stayed for the entire '80 campaign before being scraped as the team moved to Maryland for the 1981 season.

The 2001 season's Week One Flyer-Heroe clash was the 40th matchup in one of the longest running rivalries in fantasy football. The helmets shown near the bottom of this page were worn in that game. The Heroes' helmet was an exact replica of the club's 1981 headgear. The Flyers' helmet was the never-worn 1980 alternative helmet with a New Jersey state seal decal to represent the original 1980 team.

More helmets to this page may be added as they are uncovered in the club's archives.

Our Game Helmets!
1980	1981-1983	1984-1991
The Infamous Rebel Flag	The Winged 'M'	The 'Falcon" Look
A Bad Choice	Ugliested Hat Ever?	Warm Memories Of A Title
1993-95, 2015	1996-2000	2002-2007, 2022
Jacked Up Falcons Clone	The "B"	A Long Timer
Intimidation Factor	Two Titles=A Fan Fave	A Six Season Tradition
2001,2008	2009-2011	2012-2013 & 2023-2024
First 'Name' Logo	Radical Approach For '09	Jazzing Up A Classic
A Classic, Returned w/variations	Tried For A 'Fierce' Look	1st Appeared as '99 Opener Special
2014	2016-'18 & '20-'21 & '25	2019
A Championship Memory	The '01 Is Revamped	40th Season Special
Homage To The Glory Days	The Owner's favorite!	New Look From An Old Alt
Special, Alternative, and Proposed Helmets
1980	1982	1984
Rejected 1st Year Helmet	Rejected 'Winged M'	Rejected 'B for Baltimore'
Should Have Gone With This!	Not So Bad In Retrospect	Colts Out, Flyers in!
1984	1990 Selected Games	1996
One Ugly Lid!	Throwback Helmet	Rejected '96 Proposed Helmet
Why A Blue 'B'?	This Has Returned A Few Times	Lost Out To The 'B', But A Nice One
1996	1999 Opening Day	2001
Another Regect	20th Season Celebration Game Lid	Alt Version Of The '01 Regular
'Too Dull' They Said.	A Decade Later Became Primary Helmet	Never Saw The Field
2001 Flyers Opening Day Special	2001 Heroes Opening Day Special	2006 Wk 13 Alt
Marking The 40th Showdown	Marking The 40th Showdown	'White Out' Game Win vs Heroes
Flyers 35, Heroes 25	Flyers 35, Heroes 25	Heroes Got Revenge In The Semis
2009 Proposed Alt	2011 Week One Alt Helmet	2025 Week One Special
Shelved This One For a Decade	9/11 Commemorative	Lock Haven State Clone
Revised as 40th Celebration Helmet	Worn League-Wide Week 2	Honoring Ralph Straley, a Proud LHSU Alum