Tulane Athletics revealed a City Edition uniform and hand-painted helmet today that Green Wave Football will wear for this year’s Homecoming game. Debuting on Saturday, November 15, these special edition uniforms celebrate the culture, history, and spirit of the Crescent City.
The City Edition uniform and helmet are uniquely New Orleans. The helmet was designed and hand-painted by renowned helmet artist Armando Villarreal. Since 2018, Villarreal has personally airbrushed helmets for 13 different programs, including Michigan, Tennessee, Maryland, Boise State, BYU and Utah. A former U.S. Army Reserve member who served deployments in Kosovo and Iraq during the early 2000s, Villarreal juggled his city job while airbrushing hundreds of helmets annually. In 2022, he made the shift to full-time artistry and has since become a prominent figure in this niche craft.
The helmet has a light gray base textured with cracks mimicking New Orleans’ sidewalks, and the iconic street tile font proudly spells out “Tulane” on each side. Mardi Gras beads wrap around the helmet, paying homage to the world-famous celebration synonymous with New Orleans, while the stripe features the elegant wrought iron found throughout the city’s legendary architecture. Since the helmets are hand painted, each helmet has subtle differences in the beads and street tile lettering, meaning no two helmets are exactly the same. Even the back warning sticker is a nod to the Sewerage & Water Board logo, adding a secret local flair. The front bumper is the final piece, boldly stamped with “Uptown,” a shoutout to the heart of Tulane Football’s home turf.
The uniform incorporates many of the same elements, with wrought iron on the shoulders of the Tulane blue jersey, and down the sides of the white pants. Player names on the back of each jersey will also be in street tiles, and the inside the back collar, a hidden message reads, “Welcome to Uptown,” a phrase commonly associated with Green Wave Football.
These City Edition helmets and uniforms will only be worn one time ever, making them extremely rare collectibles.
READ MORE:Tulane football unveils New Orleans inspired uniform and helmet
