Ada's claim to fame

This region’s best-kept secret, Wilson’s Sporting Goods football factory has been the exclusive supplier of footballs to the NFL since 1941. The Ada factory has been the sole producer of Wilson footballs since 1955. The NFL is the only professional sports league in the country to use balls made in the United States.

 

The crew of about 150 full-time employees worked around the clock last week to turn out footballs to be used in this Sunday’s Super Bowl game in Miami, Florida. The plant normally operates four days a week, with employees working ten-hour shifts.

 

Superbowl XXVI game balls left the factory on January 26, 2010. Fifty-four balls are given to each team to use during the Superbowl game. There will also be approximately 100 balls on the sidelines.

 

On a typical day, the plant produces 3,000 to 4,000 handmade footballs. Each football is weighed, measured and individually inspected in the final steps of the production process. Only footballs meeting the exact requirements of the NFL are used in games; the others are packed and shipped to be sold in retailers across the country.

 

Wilson’s Sporting Goods football factory is the second largest employer in Ada, behind Ohio Northern University. Factory workers are paid per piece, increasing output and overall factory efficiency. Each step of the production process is completed by hand, with very little heavy machinery.

 

The football making process begins with authentic leather cowhides from various Midwestern states, commonly Iowa or Nebraska. The cowhides are dyed and stamped with traditional pebbling, including the Wilson “W”.

 

“Every Wilson football has small W’s stamped into the leather,” said plant manager Dan Riegle. “We have to do certain things to protect our business and set ourselves apart from our competitors.”  

 

Riegle has been the plant manager for twelve years, and has been with Wilson Sporting Goods for more than thirty years. He’s not alone, the average career of a worker at the Ada factory lasts more than twenty years, with several employees retiring after more than forty years of service.

 

One aspect of the Ada plant’s success and ability to keep their workers steadily employed is its resistance to swings in the economy.

 

“We’ve only seen a small reduction in our retail sales. Eighty percent of what we make is for teams, both NFL and college, and are used in games,” said Riegle.

Wilson Sporting Goods Co. is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

 

The Super Bowl will be played this Sunday evening at 6 p.m. The matchup is between the Indianapolis Colts (14-2) and the New Orleans Saints (13-3).