West Liberty, W.Va. – Through the nearly 100-year history of the West Liberty football program the Hilltoppers have featured a number of different looks on the field, and with that the WLU athletic department is looking to preserve a piece of their history by completing a collection of West Liberty football helmets through the decades.
The Hilltopper Helmet Project kicks-off with a commemorative helmet from the 1969 season, a year of celebrating the 100th anniversary of college football. The helmet was given to the WLU athletic department from Tony Filberto and was worn by his then West Liberty State College teammate and quarterback, Jerry Fato. The helmet features a commemorative 100th anniversary helmet sticker on one side and an interlocking WL logo on the opposite side of a gold shell helmet with a grey facemask. The commemorative helmet sticker was given to each college football program around the country for every athlete to wear throughout the season and celebrate the sport's growth through its first century. The 1969 Hilltopper squad led by head coach Bob Roe finished the season with a 6-3 record overall and 6-2 mark in league play, finishing third in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC).
