A Super Ball, Made Especially for the Super BowlA Super Ball, Made Especially for the Super Bowl

Take a look at how Wilson Makes Official NFL Footballs for the Super Bowl in Ohio.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

February 4, 2025

6 Slides
The Duke football wears the official NFL logo.

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The Duke football wears the official NFL logo.WIlson Sporting Goods

It might not be as famous as the Wilson volleyball seen in the Tom Hanks film Castaway, but the Wilson Sporting Goods official NFL football will get more exposure during the Super Bowl than any of the star players in the game.

The only football used in all National Football League games since 1941 is “The Duke,” made by Wilson Sporting Goods. Wilson’s deal with the NFL is one of the longest partnerships in sports history.

“Wilson and the NFL are one of the most iconic relationships in sports, dating back over 80 years,” said Kevin Murphy, global general manager of Team Sports at Wilson. “Since then, Wilson has been part of every snap, pass, and touchdown in NFL history. We are thrilled to build upon this partnership as we continue to work with the league on growing the game globally and open opportunities for everyone to be part of the sport.”

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Wilson is also the official football of the NFL’s international flag football programs that introduce the non-contact version of football to young athletes in twelve global markets. Flag football is the league’s tool for attracting interest from non-traditional players and locations. It is played by more than 20 million athletes in 100 countries, with participation among women and girls driving some of the sport’s fastest growth.

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The all-leather balls are hand-stitched by experts at Wilson’s Ada, Ohio plant, and for the Super Bowl, they make a batch of specially branded balls for use in the game. The balls are stitched together in a 20-step process at Wilson’s recently expanded plant that has doubled in size to keep up with demand. Wilson makes its leather footballs in five different sizes for Pee Wee, Junior, Youth, High School/Collegiate, and Official NFL players.

“The new and improved Wilson Football Factory has been a game-changer for our business and our staff," said Kasey Patton, Plant Manager at Wilson’s Football Factory. "It allows us to keep pushing boundaries through innovation while offering our dedicated craftsmen and craftswomen more space to continue doing their best work.”

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The extra space includes a football museum that showcases memorable Wilson football and NFL moments. Naturally, there is a gift shop and visitors can go on a tour of the manufacturing facility. Wilson also does product testing, ball customization, and the crucial game-ready product break-in process at the Ada plant.

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The craftspeople at Wilson’s Ada plant appreciate the opportunity to contribute to a product with such high visibility on Super Bowl Sunday, Patton said. “It is an honor to build the official footballs for the Super Bowl, and our team takes great pride in the impact we make in our community and the sport of football at large.”

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With such attention to detail, the ball should be ready for its Super Bowl spotlight. For a look at how they make the Super Bowl game balls, click through our slide show photo gallery.

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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