<P> One of the first instances of football headgear dates to 1896 when Lafayette College halfback George "Rose" Barclay began to use straps and earpieces to protect his ears . It is not certain who invented the football helmet . Many sources give credit for the creation of the helmet to James Naismith, while other sources credit U.S. Naval Academy Midshipman Joseph M. Reeves (later to become the "Father of Carrier Aviation"), who had a protective device for his head made out of mole skin to allow him to play in the 1893 Army - Navy game . Reeves had been advised by a Navy doctor that another kick to his head would result in "instant insanity" or even death, so he commissioned an Annapolis shoemaker to make him a helmet out of leather . Later, helmets were made of padded leather and resembled aviators' helmets or modern day scrum caps . At least in professional football, they were optional . Some National Football League players, notably Hall - of - Famer Bill Hewitt, played all or most of their careers without a helmet . </P> <P> One innovation from the early 1900s period was hardened leather . 1917 marked the first time helmets were raised above the head in an attempt to direct blows away from the top of the head . Ear flaps also had their downfall during this period as they had little ventilation and made it difficult for players to hear . The 1920s marked the first time that helmets were widely used in the sport of football . These helmets were made of leather and had some padding on the inside, but the padding was insufficient and provided little protection . In addition, they lacked face masks . As a result, injuries were very common . Early helmets also absorbed a lot of heat, making them very uncomfortable to wear . </P> <P> In 1939, the Riddell Company of Chicago, Illinois started manufacturing plastic helmets because it felt that plastic helmets would be safer than those made of leather . Plastic was found to be more effective because it held its shape when full collision contact occurred on a play . These helmets were also much more comfortable and had more padding to cushion the head in an impact . Included with the plastic helmet came plastic face mask, which allowed the helmet to protect the entire head . By the mid-1940s, helmets were required in the NFL . They were still made of leather, but with improved manufacturing techniques had assumed their more familiar spherical shape . The NFL initially allowed either plastic or leather helmets, but in 1948 the league outlawed the plastic helmet, considering the hard - plastic material to be an injury risk . The NFL repealed this rule in 1949, and by 1950, the plastic helmet had become universal in that league . </P> <P> By the 1950s, the introduction of polymers ended the leather helmet era . The last leather helmet manufacturer, MacGregor, ceased production of leather helmets in the mid-1960s . The NFL also recommended face masks for players in 1955, reducing the number of broken noses and teeth, but also necessitating new rules prohibiting opposing players from grabbing the face mask . By varying accounts, either Pat Studstill or Garo Yepremian was the last to forgo the facemask; among non-kickers, Tommy McDonald was the last to do so . </P>

When did the nfl switch from leather helmets