Protective sports helmet having a two-piece face cage

1. A protective sports helmet comprising:

a rigid shell defining a cavity configured to fit over a wearer's head and having a top, rear, and side portions shaped to protect the top, rear, and side areas of a wearer's head, said shell configured to define a face opening in the area of said wearer's face;

an upper face cage attached to said rigid shell such that said upper cage covers a portion of said face opening to protect said wearer's upper face and eyes; and

a lower face cage attached to said rigid shell such that said lower cage covers a portion of said face opening to protect said wearer's lower face and mouth, wherein said upper face cage and said lower face cage are made of dissimilar materials.

2. The protective helmet of claim 1 , wherein said upper cage comprises tubular metal.

3. The protective helmet of claim 2 , wherein said tubular metal is selected from the group consisting of steel, titanium, and aluminum.

4. The protective helmet of claim 2 , wherein said upper cage comprises an upper frame and a lower frame, wherein said frames define an opening through which said wearer's view is substantially unobstructed.

5. The protective helmet of claim 4 , wherein a distance between said upper frame and said lower frame is less than 2.5 inches.

6. The protective helmet of claim 5 , wherein a distance between said upper frame and said lower frame is approximately 1.5 inches.

7. The protective helmet of claim 1 , wherein said lower cage comprises a polymeric material.

8. The protective helmet of claim 7 , wherein said polymeric material comprises a plastic material.

9. The protective helmet of claim 8 , wherein said plastic material comprises nylon.

10. The protective helmet of claim 9 , wherein said nylon is nylon 66.

11. The protective helmet of claim 7 , wherein said lower cage comprises a plurality of openings in the area of said wearer's mouth and nose.

12. The protective helmet of claim 1 wherein said rear portion is attached to said side and top portions with expandable connectors to allow fitting said helmet snugly to said wearer's head.

13. A protective sports helmet comprising:

a rigid shell defining a cavity configured to fit over a wearer's head and defining a face opening in the area of said wearer's face;

a tubular metal upper face cage attached to said rigid shell to extend across an upper portion of said face opening to protect said wearer's upper face and eyes, said upper face cage defining an opening through which said wearer's view is substantially unobstructed; and

a polymeric material lower face cage made attached to said rigid shell to extend across a portion of said face opening to protect said wearer's lower face and mouth, said lower face cage comprising a plurality of openings in the area of said wearer's mouth and nose.

14. The protective helmet of claim 13 , wherein said tubular metal is selected from the group consisting of steel, titanium, and aluminum, and wherein said polymeric material is nylon.

15. The protective helmet of claim 14 , wherein said nylon is nylon 66.

16. A face cage for use with a protective helmet, said face cage comprising:

an upper face cage made of tubular metal configured to extend across a face opening in said helmet, said upper face cage defining an opening through which a wearer's view is substantially unobstructed; and

a lower face cage made of a polymeric material configured to extend across a face opening in said helmet, said lower face cage comprising a plurality of openings in the area of said wearer's mouth and nose.

17. The face cage of claim 16 , wherein said tubular metal is selected from the group consisting of steel, titanium, and aluminum, and wherein said polymeric material is nylon.

18. The face cage of claim 17 , wherein said nylon is nylon 66.