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DeKALB, Ill.  – Northern Illinois University football players are taking the field during preseason camp with their heads just a little heavier, and a lot safer, thanks to the new SAFR Helmet Covers the Huskies are wearing during practices in 2023.
 
NIU became the first Mid-American Conference team, and the first Football Bowl Subdivision team in Illinois, to provide the SAFR Helmet Cover, a soft outer shell attached to the helmet that absorbs and dissipates the energy caused by hits. According to the company, the helmet cover acts much like an airbag, delaying the timing of the impact and guiding force away from the head thanks to the spring-loaded attachment system.
 
"As a head coach, my concern is for the safety of the players," said NIU head coach Thomas Hammock. "When players started wearing different things on top of their helmets to protect them from concussions, we had those conversations – with the medical staff, the equipment personnel, the athletic director – to figure out the best way to protect our players. When these pro caps [SAFR Helmet Covers] came out, the research was there, the data was there to back it up and I've been very pleased with the results."
 
The Huskies did not just take the company's word for it when searching for the safest and most proven helmet safety system. They relied on data provided by the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, widely considered THE resource for studying helmet safety at all levels. The lab tested three of the most popular 5-STAR rated helmets with and without the SAFR Helmet Cover and saw as much as 77 percent improved protection and lowered risk of concussion with the helmet cover. In addition, results of a three-year on-field study saw a 72 percent reduction in linear concussive impacts.
 
"Dr. Stefan Duma and the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, who do all of the helmet readings at all levels of football, studied and looked at the impacts that were taken to the head with the helmet covers compared to with the helmets alone," said Heath Duncan, NIU senior associate athletic trainer and head football athletic trainer. "What they saw is a much better reduction of the forces that were impacting the head. Once we saw that data and the research that came out, that's when we decided on this product."
 
The Helmet Lab's testing also looked at the risk of concussion by location and saw significant reduction on the back (80 percent) and side (64 percent) with the SAFR product as compared to the 5-STAR Helmet alone.
 
NIU players were presented with the data and given the choice to wear the SAFR Helmet Cover or not. Every player on offense and defense chose to wear the Helmet Cover during practice. The devices are customized to match the look of NIU's standard helmets, and Huskie players said adjusting to the extra layer of protection has been seamless.
 
"I think the [helmet covers] are great," said linebacker Jaden Dolphin. "It really adds another level of safety, and you barely even notice it's on [the helmet]. We've had them now for over a week and it's easy to get adjusted to. It's great for NIU to be on the forefront of something brand new."
 
"It's super lightweight and the statistics say they prevent concussions and head injuries so it's a great opportunity that we have them for this fall camp," said center Pete Nygra. "I play center on the offensive line, so I'm hitting heads every single play, unintentionally, but it happens. The more protection we have to keep myself and everyone else on the team safe is huge going into the season."
 
Duncan said doing everything possible to increase player safety is a top priority of everyone involved with the Huskie program. 
 
"We're always looking at how to make things safer," Duncan said. "We've had these discussions [about this piece of equipment] over time with every area - the coaches, our staff, equipment, administration, operations, even our strength staff. This has been a collaborative effort to get these helmet covers here, and I think that says a lot about NIU. It says we want the best for our student-athletes, and I think that's something we can all appreciate."
 
The helmet covers are just the latest initiative by NIU Athletics to protect and promote student-athlete well-being, from opening the Phi Sigma Kappa Alumni Association of NIU Nutrition Center in June 2019 to help fill the nutritional needs of student-athletes, to the addition of Dr. Shyann Beach as Director of Athletics Counseling last year, to expanding the athletic training staff which now numbers 14 full-time athletic trainers.
 
The NIU football team practiced in full pads again Wednesday morning with several periods of 11-on-11 work on red zone efficiency. Toward the end of the two-hour practice, the offense and defense squared off in "move the ball" with live tackling for the first time. Hammock was especially pleased with the way the team finished the practice.
 
"I liked the way we got stronger as the day went along," Hammock said. "[Practice] got more physical as the day went along and we got a lot of excellent work in. There was an emphasis on red zone plays today and then obviously we did move the ball which events the playing field from an offensive and defensive perspective as the defense can't anticipate plays. Our offense had a 14-15 play drive to start with different situations."
 
The practice also featured live tackling for the first time and Hammock liked what he saw from the NIU defense in those situations.
 
"We went with some live tackling for the first time, and I was pleased with how that turned out," he said. "We're tackling the right way with the right angles and the right leverage. We have to continue to do those in spurts so we can keep our guys healthy."
 
The Huskies open the 2023 season on Saturday, September 2 at Boston College with the first of six home games on September 9 versus Southern Illinois.
 
Check out the daily preseason camp schedule, catch up on the position previews and hear from different Huskie players by clicking on 2023 Preseason Camp Central on NIUHuskies.com.  
 
Season, single game and mini-plan tickets for the 2023 Huskie home games are all on sale now 24 hours a day, seven days a week online at NIUHuskies.com/myhuskies or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). Season tickets provide the best overall value at as little as $17 per game for general admission seating on the West Side of Huskie Stadium ($102 total). Sit in the same reserved seat for all six games for just $144 (sections A, B, F) or $162 (sections C, D, E). With the addition of the new Homecoming + One option, there are three "Pick Your Pack" mini-plans available, including Saturday Only and MACtion+Saturday four-game plans. See all the ticket prices and options, including premium experiences, here.
 
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