The Helmet Cart

As the team loads the busses and heads to its destination of play there is an escort of police cars, fire trucks and the bell. Leading this escort is Jerry Follis and Lakeland’s Helmet Cart. Not only does the cart lead the way to each home and away game, it also leads the Dreadnaught’s on to their sideline with a stream of smoke laying the path for the Dreadnaught’s to follow.

Jerry first created the helmet cart in 1993 and lead the Dreadnaught’s to its first ever 10-0 season. At first the cart was only decked out with an intercom system, tape player and some small speakers. Since then, the helmet cart has been retrofitted with police lights which were later traded out for a booming sound system that can be heard from quite a distance. The Helmet cart has become an icon for Lakeland Dreadnaught Football just as the Bell has. Other schools such as Auburndale, Lake Gibson, and Kathleen have tried to imitate some sort of cart, but theirs just doesn’t have the flare and style like Jerry’s helmet cart.