What Do the Stickers on Football Helmets Mean?

What Do the Stickers on Football Helmets Mean?

When watching a game, you may have noticed various stickers beyond team emblems on football players' helmets. These stickers have different meanings depending on what kind of sticker it is. These stickers can be for player achievements, for officiating or team use and for commemorative purposes.

Pride Stickers


Pride Sticker Origins


Green Sticker on NFL Helmets

In NFL games, you may have noticed a bright green dot on one or two players' helmets. According to NFL rules, this is a sticker that marks the helmet that is linked up with a two-way microphone radio set, so the coaching staff can communicate with an on-field player. The quarterback on offense and the defensive captain or play-caller are linked up with communicators in their helmets. The green sticker must be worn for the helmet linked with the radio as instated by NFL rule in 2007. Only one player per team at a time can have a helmet with a radio in it on the field.

Commemorative Stickers

Sometimes, players will have a black sticker with a number or initials in it. This usually indicates the number or initials of a deceased player, coach, announcer or other individual who was close to the team, community, school or important to the sport itself. Examples include NFL players wearing "GU 63" after the death of Gene Upshaw and Mississippi State University players wearing "36" on their helmets in honor of late teammate Nick Bell.