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My brother told me about this, I didn't know if you guys have already heard about this guy who painted the Utes helmets and others from Imperial or not.
University of Utah fans are about to see some more work by Imperial artist Armando Villarreal when the football team dons uniforms and helmets paying tribute to the USS Salt Lake City, a heavy cruiser during World War II.
Villarreal is completing the painting of the helmet shells this week, with the battleship as its centerpiece.
The 150 helmets will be worn by the team when the Utes host the Oregon Ducks Nov. 20.
Athletic officials at Utah must have liked what they saw two years ago when Villarreal also painted helmets for the team in 2019.
After Schutt Sports received Utah’s order for the helmet, Villarreal, who handles the company’s air brush and special projects, was awarded the job.
He said he then worked closely with Utah’s football equipment manager “to figure out the details” they wanted on the helmet.
“Utah does a special game like this every year,” Villarreal said.
The equipment manager told him they wanted to commemorate the USS Salt Lake City, using an actual reproduction of the battleship, camouflage coloring and a cannon blast from the ship during battle.
The only color on the black and white helmet is the orange blast from the cannon and its reflection in the water.
Once Villarreal is finished painting the shells, they’ll be shipped to Schutt Sports, where their specialists will add the padding and other details to the helmet, along with decals like their PAC 10 conference logo.
Coordinating the design takes some time, he said, especially when the military is involved. Villarreal said it’s been in the works for at least two years.
Approval from the Department of the Navy had to be given for use of the battleship’s likeness on the helmet, as well as other references to the ship on the uniform players will wear, he said.
According to the Utes’ website, USS Salt Lake City is written across the chest of the jersey and “one ship fleet” is seen on the back neckline
The base color of the uniforms are dark gray and feature “dazzle-camo accents” on the shoulders, sides of the pants and gloves like those seen on the USS Salt Lake City.
A single battle star is on the right shoulder, meaning when the ball is in play, there will be 11 stars on the field, signifying the 11 battle stars earned by the USS Salt Lake City.
The Division of State History reports the USS Salt Lake City is credited for being the first ship to fire on Japanese-held territory when it apparently opened fire on Wotje Island in retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The cruiser named after Utah’s capital unofficially was credited with taking part in more naval engagements than any ship in the fleet, even being dubbed “the one-ship fleet.”
The vessel launched on Jan. 23, 1929, and continued serving the U.S. Navy until the late 1940s.
Villarreal also painted a special helmet for the University of Maryland this year.
Besides Maryland’s and the two for Utah, he’s also been contracted in the past to paint helmets for Mississippi State, Michigan, University of Central Florida and Pitt.
He said Schutt Sports has already contracted three to four helmets he’ll paint for the 2022-23 college football season.
www.imperialrepublican.com
BATTLESHIP IS VILLARREAL’S LATEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL HELMET DESIGN
JAN SCHULTZ, THE IMPERIAL REPUBLICANUniversity of Utah fans are about to see some more work by Imperial artist Armando Villarreal when the football team dons uniforms and helmets paying tribute to the USS Salt Lake City, a heavy cruiser during World War II.
Villarreal is completing the painting of the helmet shells this week, with the battleship as its centerpiece.
The 150 helmets will be worn by the team when the Utes host the Oregon Ducks Nov. 20.
Athletic officials at Utah must have liked what they saw two years ago when Villarreal also painted helmets for the team in 2019.
After Schutt Sports received Utah’s order for the helmet, Villarreal, who handles the company’s air brush and special projects, was awarded the job.
He said he then worked closely with Utah’s football equipment manager “to figure out the details” they wanted on the helmet.
“Utah does a special game like this every year,” Villarreal said.
The equipment manager told him they wanted to commemorate the USS Salt Lake City, using an actual reproduction of the battleship, camouflage coloring and a cannon blast from the ship during battle.
The only color on the black and white helmet is the orange blast from the cannon and its reflection in the water.
Once Villarreal is finished painting the shells, they’ll be shipped to Schutt Sports, where their specialists will add the padding and other details to the helmet, along with decals like their PAC 10 conference logo.
Coordinating the design takes some time, he said, especially when the military is involved. Villarreal said it’s been in the works for at least two years.
Approval from the Department of the Navy had to be given for use of the battleship’s likeness on the helmet, as well as other references to the ship on the uniform players will wear, he said.
According to the Utes’ website, USS Salt Lake City is written across the chest of the jersey and “one ship fleet” is seen on the back neckline
The base color of the uniforms are dark gray and feature “dazzle-camo accents” on the shoulders, sides of the pants and gloves like those seen on the USS Salt Lake City.
A single battle star is on the right shoulder, meaning when the ball is in play, there will be 11 stars on the field, signifying the 11 battle stars earned by the USS Salt Lake City.
The Division of State History reports the USS Salt Lake City is credited for being the first ship to fire on Japanese-held territory when it apparently opened fire on Wotje Island in retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The cruiser named after Utah’s capital unofficially was credited with taking part in more naval engagements than any ship in the fleet, even being dubbed “the one-ship fleet.”
The vessel launched on Jan. 23, 1929, and continued serving the U.S. Navy until the late 1940s.
Villarreal also painted a special helmet for the University of Maryland this year.
Besides Maryland’s and the two for Utah, he’s also been contracted in the past to paint helmets for Mississippi State, Michigan, University of Central Florida and Pitt.
He said Schutt Sports has already contracted three to four helmets he’ll paint for the 2022-23 college football season.
Battleship is Villarreal’s latest college football helmet design
University of Utah fans are about to see some more work by Imperial artist Armando Villarreal when the football team dons uniforms and helmets paying tribute to the USS Salt Lake City, a heavy cruiser
www.imperialrepublican.com
