Schutt Sports | Courtesy Photo
Armando Villarreal’s depiction of the warship USS Salt Lake City on the University of Utah helmets last year won him a second Helmet of the Year Award from UNISWAG.
Courtesy Photo
The entire family got down on the field at the Utes’ home game against Oregon last November when the Utes sported a special helment painted by Armando Villarreal. That helmet earned Villarreal UNISWAG’s 2021 Helmet of the Year.
Another Helmet of Year award yields artist Villarreal more bragging rights
It didn’t come with any cash, but a second Helmet of the Year award from UNISWAG gives Imperial’s Armando Villarreal some major bragging rights.
His air brush painted helmet for the University of Utah last November was voted the best by followers on UNISWAG’s social media site.
“This is the Oscar for sports equipment,” Villarreal said.
“It’s a big award in the sports equipment world.”
It’s also Villarreal’s second Helmet of the Year. He won two years ago for the moon helmet he painted for the University of Central Florida, and now he also owns the 2021 title.
His Utes’ award-winning helmet paid tribute to the USS Salt Lake City, one of the most decorated warships of WWII.
Villarreal used an actual reproduction of the battleship, camouflage coloring and a cannon blast from the ship during battle in his helmet design.
The only color on the black and white helmet was the orange blast from the cannon and its reflection in the water.
The warship is named after Utah’s capital and was unofficially credited with taking part in more naval engagements than any ship in the fleet, even being dubbed “the one-ship fleet.”
The vessel launched on Jan. 23, 1929, and continued serving the U.S. Navy until the late 1940s.
Fans across the country saw the helmet in action during ESPN’s broadcast of the Utes’ game against rival Oregon on Nov. 20.
Villarreal said he and his family attended the game and were treated like royalty by university staff.
They were given stadium, lockerrooom and practice field tours, and were taken onto the playing field. They were shown on the big screen and mentioned and shown during the game on ESPN cameras. Being a veteran himself, it was special to Villarreal as the game was near Veteran’s Day.
The UNISWAG site keeps track of what sports teams are wearing and “what’s hot,” Villarreal said.
It tracks uniforms, helmets, shoes and more worn by athletes in all the college and professional sports, he added.
Its Helmet of the Year is the one to win, he said.
Villarreal works as a contractor for Schutt Sports as its air brush artist for special projects.
He said he’s already been contracted to paint four helmets for the 2022 college season. Two of them include Utah and Maryland, and two others he can’t reveal yet.