Shayne Graham Provides Insight Into His Awesome Collection

I wrote an article a couple days back showing off some of former Hokies kicker, Shayne Graham’s, awesome helmet collection. I consider myself an amateur Virginia Tech collector, but Shayne makes me look like a noob. I had the opportunity to ask Shayne about his collection, and one thing really stood out: It’s all about the details. He sent me one particular picture, which shows all the helmets he has worn in his lengthy career.

Photo Courtesy of Shayne Graham

I asked about the second helmet on the top row. That is a Pulaski County helmet, and me being a Salem Spartan, asked how he made that one. I thought he simply used a Boston College helmet, but I stood corrected. Shayne said, “Basically. I just ordered parts wholesale and put them together. Blank old gold shell, cardinal mask. Very similar to what a BC would be. I actually used a BC years ago and pulled the stripe on a display I had a long time ago.” The man is all about the smallest of the details. He offered this photo of some full size helmets mixed with minis:

Photo Courtesy of Shayne Graham

I noticed he wasted no time in pointing out that the Battle At Bristol was well represented. He replied, “The mistake made on that one most of the time is that people think they are matte black. And they are "satin".” That’s the type of detail that Shayne strives for. He also showed me the actual helmet worn in the 1999 national championship game. This one is especially memorable for Hokies fans everywhere:

Photo Courtesy of Shayne Graham

This seems to be a big time hobby for Graham, and he let us see some future projects in his workshop:

Photo courtesy of Shayne Graham

Photo Courtesy Shayne Graham

I think it’s really cool that Graham still has a ton of love for the Hokies. I think it’s really cool that Graham shared with us on his passion. There are rumors of a custom build for Gobbler Country, and be rest assured when this is completed, we will share.