NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
NATIONAL CONFERENCE SOUTH
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|---|---|---|
| ATLANTA | CAROLINA | NEW ORLEANS |
| FALCONS | PANTHERS | SAINTS |
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|---|
| TAMPA BAY |
| BUCCANEERS |
COMMENTS
The most recent helmet change in this division came in 2003, when the Falcons changed their helmet logo.
ATLANTA FALCONS
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|---|---|---|
| 1966 - 1969 | 1970 - 1977 | 1978 - 1983; |
| 1994 special |
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|---|---|---|
| 1984 - 1989 | 1990 - 2002 | 2003 - present |
The Falcons entered the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1966. The original helmet included two gold stripes outside the white stripes. The stripes were added supposedly to appease Georgia Tech fans who were upset that the Falcons choose red and black as their colors, the same colors used by state arch-rivals Georgia. I'm not sure exactly when the stripes were removed, but they were gone by 1970.
There was a subtle change to the logo in 1990 when to team switched to the black helmets. The white lines in the falcon wing were extended to the logo outline. Before 1990, the lines did not touch the outline.
You can also view several falcons prototypes on the NFL Prototypes page.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
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|---|---|
| 1995 - present | |
The Panthers have used only one helmet design since entering the league in 1995. They did change the helmet color slightly in 2003 to a more metallic shade. I may try to show the difference by adding a second helmet later.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
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 |
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|---|---|---|
| 1967 preseason | 1967 - 1968 (first 2 games); | 1968 (last 12 games) |
| 1969 - 1975 |
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|---|---|---|
| 1969 preseason | 1976 - 1999 | 2000 - present |
The Saints entered the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1967. Prior to their first season, a helmet with a single white stripe was displayed in promotions, but if it was used, it was only worn during the preseason. For the third game in 1968, they inverted the stripe sequence, from black-white-black to white-black-white, for the remainder of the season. In 1969, the team wore black helmets during the preseason, but switched back to the gold helmet worn in 1967 for the regular season.
They finally settled down for awhile, only changing the facemask in 1976. The current helmet differs only slightly from the old, in that the logo is outlined in white, gold and black, instead of just white and black. It also appears to be slightly more compact. Unfortunately you can barely tell the difference in the images above.
The Saints wore helmets similar to the 1969-75 design for a game against the Buccaneers in December, 2002.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
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 |
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|---|---|---|
| 1976 - 1991 | 1992 - 1996 | 1997 - present |
The Buccaneers entered the league as an expansion team in 1976. The original flamboyant logo was given a nickname - "Bucco Bruce" - by its designer Lamar Sparkman, a cartoonist for the Tampa Tribune. Supposedly, the logo was enlarged by about 25% in 1992.