USC's football helmets are iconic, so we followed them to the Riddell factory in Union City, CA, to see them painted from start to finish.
Of note, California law mandates that all helmets are inspected every year, so USC sends them out after spring football. Riddell, which makes most of the helmets for teams west of the Rockies, strips all the guts from the inside and removes all the screws and metal. Then, they are inspected for cracks and any other defects.
The official color is "USC Cardinal Metallic." They paint two coats of cardinal primer beneath two coats of paint, so when the paint gets chipped and scuffed during the game, you still see cardinal.
Once the helmets are painted, the guts are reassembled inside, and they are shipped back to USC. The equipment staff then puts on the face masks and decals.
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