http://tourtheten.com/articles/history-of-michigans-winged-helmet/
The tradition started in 1938 when Herbert “Fritz” Crisler left Princeton University to coach football at the University of Michigan. When he arrived on campus in Ann Arbor, he brought his winged helmet concept, which he developed at Princeton, along with him. At the time, Michigan’s helmet was a plain black and brown leather helmet. Crisler’s new design consisted of a blue helmet with a maize (yellow) wing, and three stripes running to the back of the helmet. One of the benefits of the new helmets was to assist the quarterback find his receivers downfield. In the debut game of Michigan’s winged helmet, the Wolverines shut out the Michigan State Spartans 14-0 on October 1st, 1938.