By Jackson Posey | Sports Editor
The chrome domes are back.
Baylor is reintroducing the lustered helmets to its uniform lineup this season for the first time in eight seasons. The new lids are expected to make their on-field debut in the Bears’ Friday night season opener against Auburn.
“This isn’t given to losers,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “We need to win.”
Baylor initially adopted the chrome look in 2013, marking the beginning of a period that coincided with the program’s most successful run in history: three consecutive seasons with double-digit wins, appearances in the postseason AP poll, and two consecutive Big 12 championships — all program firsts.
The now-infamous 2014 season, and its shared conference championship with TCU, resulted in a fifth-place finish that left the Bears a razor’s edge from the inaugural College Football Playoff.
The last time the Bears wore chrome helmets was Nov. 11, 2017, in a 38-24 loss to Texas Tech at AT&T Stadium. Baylor outgained the Red Raiders 523 yards to 337 yards, but couldn’t overcome three lost fumbles and a game-opening kick return touchdown by Keke Coutee. Charlie Brewer, then a true freshman, completed a program-record 43-of-63 passes for 417 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the losing effort.
The Bears went 1-11 that year and dropped the helmets the following season. Nike led a university-wide rebrand in April 2019; the chrome had not been back since.
“This helmet has been a secret passion project for a couple of years now,” deputy athletics director and chief operating officer Jovan Overshown said in a statement. “We wanted the perfect look and perfect moment — one that nods to the storied success of those who wore the chrome before us, while giving it a modern, refined edge that captures the energy and expectation of today and the future.”
The new helmets are more yellow-tinted than their predecessors, which bordered on silver in certain lighting. They will be paired with the Baylor’s anthracite jerseys, which debuted last season, for the Bears’ season-opening blackout game against Auburn at McLane Stadium Friday at 7 p.m.
“I think it’s way cool,” Aranda said about the new helmets. “We’re really excited about it.”
