Lester Karlin was quoted in Paul Lukas' Uni-Watch column on ESPN.com today.
Interesting read, and always fun to hear about the day-to-day logistics involved in outfitting a team of 100+.
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Very cool article. Thanks for the post.
I find it hilarious that outfitting an entire team with new helmets was estimated to cost anywhere from $15,000-100,000.
Someone is jacking the prices up on certain schools.
Different finishes cost different amounts. Then there's stickers, which the Hokie Stone helmets were. The more intricate the design (see ND's shamrock or Arizona State flames) the more expensive because of the multiple paintings/finishes.
Well the bases seem to run from 15k to 50k with the chrome as the 100k. Still a pretty decent range:
and some of them are ordering 100 versus 125. That's the difference between $40k and $50k just in the number ordered.
Agree that some schools are getting hosed. But some of them don't have the tv exposure that others do. We had an "exclusive" Thursday night stage for our Hokie Stone helmets, I'm sure warranting some sort of consideration also.
That Hokiestone & Maroon Combo looked great on the field
I was also surprised to hear that Herma's Readers pays for them and then the auction gives the money (and some profit) back, the auction website always gave me the impression that every cent was profit towards the charity and the expense of the helmets came from AD budget.
I am going to call into the Steve Czaban Show this Tuesday and declare that I Am So Done With - the term "Brainbuckets" not sure when this started but it has been WAY over used!
Tailgate QB just doesn't understand #PUNTERSWAG.
HAHA true story!
A+ on the inclusion of AJ's tweet. That was the reason behind the post's title.
#PunterSWAG
I started using it after our 4th down QB started saying it.
4th down QB. nice
His term, not mine.
It's not as bad as the Sam Rodgers jokes, me thinks.
I may be in the minority but, I don't like all the changes in uniform and helmets.
gimme a home, and away, and maybe one for different weather conditions but, I'm not a big fan of all the changes. They're expensive and just not that thrilling to me.
I know some recruits want them but, that kind of stuff never reached me.
I'm with you, but it's a pretty solid recruiting tool. Younger guys really like new and crazy stuff. I would bet that Beamer would probably prefer to just have 2 uniforms himself, but given the recruiting benefits to having different uniforms he's likely given in to the demand.
Lester is awesome. I'm surprised they got him to sit down long enough to get some quotes from him. Always on the go. Pretty sure he was a freshman when Addison was a senior.
I hope the hokiestone helmets were auctioned off for more then they pai for them. I only saw 4 or 5 on the auction site..
They only auctioned off 12 because they will be worn again this year.
So are the 12 they auctioned off for players who aren't gonna see the field anyway?
Most likely they are 12 high-profile players (i.e. Logan, Gayle, Kyle Fuller, #MANBEARPIG, etc.), as those helmets would fetch the most money. They'd just be fitted with new helmets.
^This. I know they auctioned Logan, Gayle, Maddy, Skip, both Fullers, Facyson, and Jack Tyler. I think they also had Knowles, Stanford, and Coles as well. Possibly Byrn as the 12th, but I can't remember.
knowing how much they cost now, i really hope VT can stick to a couple over the course of the year. having said that, i really like the matte finish look. the chrome is cool too, but not $100k cool.