TLDR: It’s been nearly 40 years since the Alabama Crimson Tide veered away from their iconic crimson helmets, a tradition firmly upheld since the end of the Ray Perkins era in the ’80s. This steadfastness was once more reinforced when first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer echoed former coach Nick Saban’s 2022 sentiment, committing to the team’s traditional look. While DeBoer’s past coaching stints at Fresno State and Washington did feature alternate helmet colors, he emphasized the importance of tradition over aesthetics at Alabama. DeBoer highlighted that unlike in Washington, where alternate headgear decisions were influenced by agreements beyond the coaching staff, Alabama’s coaching remains focused on the Crimon Tide’s legacy rather than their fashion. Despite intermittent history with white helmets, particularly during strategic match-ups from the ’50s through the mid-’80s, Alabama has steadfastly donned crimson helmets through more than 500 games since Perkins did away with their alternates. As Alabama prepares to host Mercer, their unwavering tradition continues.

For nearly four decades now, the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide has sported their classic crimson helmets, a symbol as enduring as the southern sun. The last time we saw a different hue gracing the Tide’s noggins was back in November 17, 1984, during the Ray Perkins days when they took on Cincinnati. Coach Saban had said back in 2022 he had no plans to change Alabama’s traditional headgear, a sentiment freshly backed up by Kalen DeBoer when he stated, “there’s just a lot of pride in who we are,” during the SEC coaches’ teleconference.

Kalen DeBoer, who previously coached at Fresno State and Washington, had his fair share of helmet variety, with red, white, and even blue helmets making appearances during his tenure. However, he firmly believes in maintaining the crimson tradition here in Alabama, focusing on what happens on the field rather than what’s worn on the noggin’. It seems decisions regarding helmets and uniforms at Washington weren’t entirely in his hands, but at Alabama, DeBoer’s holdin’ onto that legacy like a true southern gentleman guards his grandma’s pie recipe.

Alabama’s history with helmets has seen its changes, particularly in the 1950s and 60s when white helmets were quite a thing – even Ray Perkins brought ‘em back for old times’ sake. But they didn’t stick after 1985 when Perkins decided they might’ve been jinxed, maybe, given their performance against teams like Mississippi State and LSU. The crimson helmets with white numbers have been on a win streak ever since. This weekend, the Tide will continue their tradition of crimson pride when they host Mercer, streaming live for all the diehard fans out there. Let’s see if those helmets shine as brightly on the field as they do in our hearts.