CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M head football coach Hunter Hughes announced on Thursday afternoon that Buff football will be equipped with VICIS ZERO1 helmet for the 2019 football season. The ZERO1 has received the highest performance rating in National Football League (NFL) and National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) helmet performances testing two years in a row.

WT's decision to suit its entire team to the ZERO1 is the latest example of growing commitment from programs around the country to protect student-athletes with the most technologically advanced equipment. More than 150 professional and college teams, along with 1,200 high school programs and have made the switch to the ZERO1. Originally introduced in 2017 to NFL and NCAA teams, the ZERO1 features a deformable outer shell and a unique columnar layer designed to slow impact forces while enhancing players performance. 

"The safety of our student-athletes is a priority here at West Texas A&M," Hughes said. "This partnership with VICIS as our helmet provider shows this commitment more than anything recently. Athletics isn't the only sector of the university to realize the importance as Randy Rikel, Vice President for Business and Finance, and Zach Workman, Assistant Vice President for Risk Management, were instrumental in making this happen. State of the art technology applied to the design of both shell and interior of the helmet have resulted in VICIS scoring at the top of the helmet world in impact test over the years. We are looking forward to this relationship for many years in the future." 

The five-time Lone Star Conference Champion Buffs open the 2019 season on Sept. 7 when they host Azusa Pacific at Buffalo Stadium. It will be the first of six games hosted on the on-campus stadium followed by visits from Western New Mexico, Central Washington, Angelo State, Texas A&M-Commerce and Midwestern State. 

For additional information about VICIS and the ZERO1, visit www.vicis.com.

ABOUT VICIS
VICIS is a Seattle-based company focused on sports protective technologies. Its inaugural product, the ZERO1 football helmet, launched in 2017 and ranked first in 2017 and 2018 NFL/NFLPA Helmet Performance testing, and was also named one of the Fast Company's2018 Most Innovative Companies. The company was recently launched its ZERO1 YOUTH helmet, the first football helmet truly optimized for kids. The company is funded and/or advised by several current and former NFL players, including Roger Staubach, Jerry Rice, Russel Wilson, Doug Baldwin, Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith. For more information, visit www.vicis.com/.