Fritz Crisler
The winged helmet
71-16-3
Record at Michigan
.806
Win percentage
1
National titles
2
Big Ten titles
1-0
Bowl record
College Football Hall of Fame · 1947 national championship
Crisler arrived in 1938 and brought the helmet with him. He had introduced the winged design at Princeton in 1935; at Michigan he put it in maize and blue, and it debuted on October 1, 1938, in a 14-0 shutout of Michigan State. His reasoning was practical — he wanted his receivers easier for a passer to pick out downfield, and thought a single coloured helmet for receivers alone would tip the defence.
He went 71-16-3 in ten seasons. The last one was the best: the 1947 "Mad Magicians" went 10-0, beat USC 49-0 in the Rose Bowl, and won the national championship. Crisler stepped down afterward to run the athletic department, and is also the man most responsible for the return of two-platoon football.