LITCHFIELD, IL -- Schutt Sports based in Litchfield Illinois said 36 players in the Super Bowl will be wearing its helmets. Schutt has two factories in Illinois: Litchfield where the company is headquartered and 70 miles southeast in Salem. Schutt makes football helmets for all ages including players in the NFL. The company said nearly 40 percent of NFL players wear a Schutt.
Schutt gave Five on Your Side amazing access to see how they make, paint and test helmets. The company is the latest subject of our Made with Pride series.
Part 1: See how a helmet is made: A mix of man and machine work at a feverish pace to make a helmet from scratch.
Part 2: The paint shop: You won’t believe how many different colors the crew uses to make sure teams look stylish. Meet the man who started the paint shop 23 years ago. He can’t believe how things have changed in the helmet game.
Part 3: See how a facemask is made: Schutt started in 1918 making basketball rims. In the 30’s Bill Schutt had an idea to protect a football player’s face. The facemask is still made in Litchfield today. The process starts with a two thousand pound coil of wire and ends a dip in the powder tub.
Part 4: Protecting the head: We’ll take you inside the Schutt research lab where they test every component of a helmet to try and keep the player safe on the field. You have to see how they test to see if a helmet will perform in cold weather.
