CAPPING OFF A GREAT CAREER

This game-used helmet belonged to Alex Barron, the towering offensive tackle who served as a protective fortress on the Noles offensive line in the early 2000s. Barron was a two-time consensus All-American in 2003 and 2004, anchoring a line that helped the Seminoles remain national contenders throughout the Bobby Bowden era. He twice won the ACC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy, awarded to the conference’s best offensive lineman. “He had the footwork of a tight end and the frame of a left tackle,” Bowden once remarked. Though offensive linemen rarely get the spotlight, this helmet tells the story of an unsung protector whose impact was felt every time a quarterback stayed upright and a running back broke free.