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Super Ball Champs!

Take a tour of the Wilson Football Factory, where every NFL game ball is handmade

February 2025
By Kathryn Free

Paul Spinelli/AP Images

Once each football is inspected, it’s out of the factory and into the players’ hands!

The year’s biggest football game is on February 9! Even though the teams that play in the Super Bowl change every year, we do know one star of the show: the football.

The Wilson Football Factory in Ada, Ohio, has been making NFL footballs since 1955. The factory employs more than 150 people who craft nearly 500,000 footballs each year. They make up to 2,500 every workday! “Every football is made by hand,” says Kevin Murphy. He runs  Wilson’s team sports division.

The biggest football game of the year is on February 9. It’s the Super Bowl! The teams that play in this championship change every year. But there’s one thing that’s always the same: the football.

The Wilson Football Factory in Ada, Ohio, makes every NFL football. They’ve been doing it since 1955. More than 150 people work at the factory. They craft nearly 500,000 footballs each year. That’s up to 2,500 every workday! “Every football is made by hand,” says Kevin Murphy. He runs the team sports division at Wilson.

The Wilson Football Factory
Take a tour of the Wilson football factory and watch how a football is made.

Modern NFL footballs are the exact same size, shape, and weight as in the past, explains Murphy. That means that when a player breaks a record for longest kick, it’s the player who makes the difference, not the ball. “Consistency in the factory is extremely important,” says Murphy.

Super Bowl season is the most exciting time at the factory. Workers watch the conference championship games and have a pizza party. Once they know which two teams are going to the Super Bowl, they work through the night to stamp the team names on the official game balls. Then they ship the balls out the next day. “For the factory staff in Ada, the Super Bowl is their time to shine,” says Murphy. “Their craftsmanship is on display for the world to see with every snap, pass, and touchdown.”

NFL footballs have been the same for 70 years, explains Murphy. They’re the exact same size, shape, and weight now as they were in the past. That matters when a player breaks a record, like for longest kick. Since the ball is the same, you know it was the player who made the difference. “Consistency in the factory is extremely important,” says Murphy.

Super Bowl season is the most exciting time at the factory. Workers watch the playoff games and have a pizza party. Once they know which two teams are going to the Super Bowl, they get to work. They spend all night stamping the team names on the official game balls. They ship the balls to each team the next day. “For the factory staff in Ada, the Super Bowl is their time to shine,” says Murphy. “Their craftsmanship is on display for the world to see with every snap, pass, and touchdown.”

Making a Football - Step by Step

J.D. Pooley/The New York Times/Redux

1. Despite the nickname “pigskin,” footballs are made of cowhide. Workers cut out oval shapes. One hide makes about 10 footballs.

1. Despite the nickname “pigskin,” footballs are made of cowhide. Workers cut out oval shapes. One hide makes about 10 footballs.

Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

2. The leather ovals are lined with rubber and cotton to make them sturdier.

2. The leather ovals are lined with rubber and cotton to make them sturdier.

The Washington Post/Getty Images

3. Four of the leather oval panels are sewn together inside out.  It takes more than 250 stitches to sew up a football.

3. Four of the leather oval panels are sewn together inside out.  It takes more than 250 stitches to sew up a football.

Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images

4. Workers turn each football right side out. Then they push an air bladder inside and insert an air pump valve.

4. Workers turn each football right side out. Then they push an air bladder inside and insert an air pump valve.

Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images

5. Workers use 49 inches of lace to stitch up the ball.

5. Workers use 49 inches of lace to stitch up the ball.

Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

6. For the final step, employees put the ball into a mold and inflate it with air.

6. For the final step, employees put the ball into a mold and inflate it with air.

Making a Football - Step by Step

J.D. Pooley/The New York Times/Redux

1. Despite the nickname “pigskin,” footballs are made of cowhide. Workers cut out oval shapes. One hide makes about 10 footballs.

1. Despite the nickname “pigskin,” footballs are made of cowhide. Workers cut out oval shapes. One hide makes about 10 footballs.

Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

2. The leather ovals are lined with rubber and cotton to make them sturdier.

2. The leather ovals are lined with rubber and cotton to make them sturdier.

The Washington Post/Getty Images

3. Four of the leather oval panels are sewn together inside out.  It takes more than 250 stitches to sew up a football.

3. Four of the leather oval panels are sewn together inside out.  It takes more than 250 stitches to sew up a football.

Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images

4. Workers turn each football right side out. Then they push an air bladder inside and insert an air pump valve.

4. Workers turn each football right side out. Then they push an air bladder inside and insert an air pump valve.

Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images

5. Workers use 49 inches of lace to stitch up the ball.

5. Workers use 49 inches of lace to stitch up the ball.

Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

6. For the final step, employees put the ball into a mold and inflate it with air.

6. For the final step, employees put the ball into a mold and inflate it with air.

Two-Step Equations
Watch an instructional video about two step equations.

SOLVING TWO-STEP EQUATIONS

Some equations require more than one step, or operation, to find the value of an unknown variable. To solve these two-step equations, you can “undo” operations in the reverse order of the order of operations.

EXAMPLE

A Wilson football is 71 centimeters long. That’s 43.5 cm more than half its width. Write an equation to find the width of a football, using the variable f, and solve.

STEP 1

Identify your known information and rewrite the word problem as an equation.

STEP 2

Undo the addition by subtracting 43.5 from both sides.

1/2f   +  43.5  =  71
            –43.5      –43.5

1/2f  =  27.5

STEP 3

Undo the division by multiplying by 2. This step will solve for the variable.

1/2f = 27.5
  × 2    × 2

f = 55

So a Wilson football is 55 centimeters wide.

SOLVING TWO-STEP EQUATIONS

Some equations require more than one step, or operation, to find the value of an unknown variable. To solve these two-step equations, you can “undo” operations in the reverse order of the order of operations.

EXAMPLE

A Wilson football is 71 centimeters long. That’s 43.5 cm more than half its width. Write an equation to find the width of a football, using the variable f, and solve.

STEP 1

Identify your known information and rewrite the word problem as an equation.

STEP 2

Undo the addition by subtracting 43.5 from both sides.

1/2f   +  43.5  =  71
            –43.5      –43.5

1/2f  =  27.5

STEP 3

Undo the division by multiplying by 2. This step will solve for the variable.

1/2f = 27.5
  × 2    × 2

f = 55

So a Wilson football is 55 centimeters wide.

Write and solve more two-step equations about how footballs are made. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Write and solve more two-step equations about how footballs are made. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

There are more than 150 employees at the Wilson Football Factory. That’s 10 more than 5 times the circumference, in inches, of an inflated football (measured the long way). Write an equation for the long circumference of a football, using the variable c, and solve.

There are more than 150 employees at the Wilson Football Factory. That’s 10 more than 5 times the circumference, in inches, of an inflated football (measured the long way). Write an equation for the long circumference of a football, using the variable c, and solve.

It takes 25 steps to make a Wilson football. One step involves lacing the football through a number of holes. The total number of steps to make a football is 7 less than 2 times the number of holes in a football. Write an equation to solve for the number of lace holes, using the variable h, and solve.

It takes 25 steps to make a Wilson football. One step involves lacing the football through a number of holes. The total number of steps to make a football is 7 less than 2 times the number of holes in a football. Write an equation to solve for the number of lace holes, using the variable h, and solve.

Each Wilson football is made of 4 panels that are sewn inside out. That’s 7 fewer than the average number of balls a “turner” at the factory can turn right side out each day divided by 50. Write an equation for the number of balls a turner can process each day, using the variable t, and solve.

Each Wilson football is made of 4 panels that are sewn inside out. That’s 7 fewer than the average number of balls a “turner” at the factory can turn right side out each day divided by 50. Write an equation for the number of balls a turner can process each day, using the variable t, and solve.

Wilson has supplied the official game ball to the NFL for 84 years. That’s 30 more than half the number of balls shipped to each team for the Super Bowl. Write an equation to find the number of game balls shipped to each team, using the variable b, and solve.

Wilson has supplied the official game ball to the NFL for 84 years. That’s 30 more than half the number of balls shipped to each team for the Super Bowl. Write an equation to find the number of game balls shipped to each team, using the variable b, and solve.

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