Fred Gehrke Fred Gehrke ( April 24 , 1918 in Salt Lake City , Utah – February 9 , 2002 in Palm Springs , California ) was a National Football League running back for the Cleveland - Los Angeles Rams , San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Cardinals . from 1940 through 1950 . He is best remembered for designing the Los Angeles Rams logo in 1948 , which was the first painted on the helmets of an NFL team . He later became the General Manager of the Denver Broncos from 1977 through 1981 . Biography . Early life and college . Gehrke was born and raised in Salt Lake City . As a youth , Fred snuck into Utah Utes football games . He there developed a love for the sport . He attended South High School where he participated in swimming , track and field , and football . he graduated from high school in 1935 and then attended the University of Utah , where he majored in art . During his time at Utah , he started at running back on offense and left cornerback on defense . He also returned punt s and kickoff s . Cleveland Rams and World War II . Fred entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie . He landed a try - out with the Cleveland Rams in 1940 . He was awarded a spot on team after he returned a kickoff for a touchdown in a pre - season exhibition game . His first contract with Cleveland paid him $ 135 . 00 per game . However he did not play in many games that season because Parker Hall , the NFL ' s MVP in 1939 , was the Rams ' starting running back and his success kept Gehrke on the bench . When the United States entered World War II in 1941 , Gehrke reported for military service . However , he was denied entry in the armed forces when military examiners noticed an operation scar across Gehrke ' s knee ; he was immediately designated with a 4F status . Gehrke appealed the decision by was still denied entry in the armed forces . Fred however did contribute to war effort by landed a job with Northrop Aircraft , which was based in California , as a technical illustrator and began helping with the design of airplanes . In 1942 , Gehrke joined the Hollywood Bears of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League , which at this time had a talent level considered to be on par with NFL , since many National Football League players were in the military atationed on the West Coast and others were working in war industries there . The players worked their jobs during the day and then worked out and played their games at night . Gehrke played for the Los Angeles Bulldogs in 1943 and the Los Angeles Wildcats in 1944 . Return to the NFL . Once the war ended in 1945 , Gehrke returned to the Cleveland Rams . That season , the Rams won the 1945 NFL Championship Game by defeating the Washington Redskins 15 - 14 . Gehrke led the NFL that year in both average rushing yards , with 6 . 3 yards per rush , and an average punt return of 15 . 0 yards . He was then named to " Pro Football Illustrated ' s " All - Pro team . In 1946 the Rams relocated to Los Angeles . That season , Gehrke was named to " Pro Football Illustrated ' s " All - NFL second team . He also repeated as the NFL ' s average rushing leader with 5 . 2 yards per carry . He also continued working at Northrup , since many players at the time took up jobs outside of football during the off - season . He would then take three months off to play professional football . First helmet logo . In the mid - 1940s Gehrke toyed with notion of painting a football helmet . Rams coach , Bob Snyder suggested that Fred paint a helmet with the ram horns on it that he could present to the team ' s owner Dan Reeves . Fred painted two ram horns on an old college helmet and presented the design to Reeves , who was intrigued by the design . Reeves then contacted the NFL for a ruling on legality of having a football helmet painted . It was reported that the answer Reeves received from NFL was " You ' re the owner ; do what you want ! " Reeves then tasked Gehrke to paint 75 helmets at $ 1 . 00 per helmet . The project took Gehrke the entire summer of 1948 . The newly painted helmets debuted during a pre - season match - up between the Rams and Redskins at the Los Angeles Coliseum before a crowd of 105 , 000 . Upon seeing the new helmets the crowd began cheering which was followed by a five - minute standing ovation . To this day , Gehrke ' s rams horn logo is still worn by the team . By 1949 , the Riddell sporting goods company had created a plastic helmet , baking in Gehrke ' s design . Some observers of the 1950 NFL Championship Game said that the only way to tell the Rams and the Cleveland Browns apart in the initial low resolution coast - to - coast telecast was the distinctive horns on the Rams ' helmets . Throughout the 1950s many pro and college teams began painting logos to their helmets . The Pro Football Hall of Fame displays one of the original helmets , painted by Gehrke , along with the story behind it each year during Super Bowl Week . Logo innovation also earned Fred the Pro Football Hall of Fame ' s first Daniel F . Reeves Pioneer Award in 1972 . First facemask . Gehrke is also credited with developing the first helmet with a full facemask . He developed the face mask after having his nose broken 3 times during the 1946 season . He played the entire 1947 season with the facemask , which was made by Fred applying a clay mold to his face . Once the mask dried , he had a few of the machinists who were running the power stamping machines at Northrop cover it with a sheet of aluminum . The manufactured piece of aluminum covered the nose , forehead and rested on the cheekbones to bear the brunt of blows . Fred then took the mask to his grandfather , who covered it in leather . In order for Fred to get the helmet on , it was cut up the back and laces were weaved into it . While the mask did protect Fred ' s face , it did obscure his vision on pass plays to the sides . He could only see the ball with one eye . However on punt returns his vision was unobstructed . He returned to using the traditional helmet the next season . Retirement and broadcasting . Fred spent three more seasons with Rams . From 1945 - 1948 , Fred beat out Tom Harmon and Les Horvath for the starting job at running back . Both men were Heisman Trophy winners . In 1950 , he was traded to the Chicago Cardinals . In mid - season Chicago traded him to San Francisco ' 49ers . He scored his last touchdown with San Francisco . By this time , Fred was tired of the constant moving and traveling that came with being an NFL player . He retired as a player at the age of 31 . Upon his retirement from pro football , Gehrke returned to Northrup and moved into an administrative post as head of the department . However he was still involved in football . On weekends he would assist his former roommate Tom Harmon , who was announcing San Francisco 49er and college football games . He held the job with Harmon for the next 13 seasons . Denver Broncos and the USFL . In 1964 , Gehrke was approached by Mac Speedie , a former Utah Utes football player who was then the coach of the American Football League ' s Denver Broncos , to become a pro scout for Denver . Fred repeatedly turned down the offer . He finally accepted the position . He then rose from personnel director to general manager to vice - president of the team . In 1981 the team was sold to Edgar Kaiser , a Canadian businessmen who brought in his own personnel . Gehrke and Coach Red Miller were asked to resign . However Gehrke and Red Miller were hired by Denver Gold of the United States Football League . But after three years the league folded and Gehrke ' s life in football finally came to an end . Fred Gehrke died at his home in Palm Springs , California on February 9 , 2002 .