:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/5WP5IJCXCZDRJLE4SQGCSK46TY.jpg)
Wilson brand balls are used in NFL games. In 1941 they appeared as the official ball of the National Football League, according to a note published on the website of Indigo Report. George Halas and Tim Mara were the ones who reached an agreement that continues to this day. Each ball is called ‘El Duque’ and is unique. Here we will tell you history.
The reason why it is called ‘The Duke’
Always according to the aforementioned source, the name is in honor of the former owner of the New York Giants (United States), Wellington Mara, who is a historical figure of the sport. The father of this man in question, Tim Mara, named his son after Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington.
That’s why when Wellington Mara was little and served as a ball boy in training, he was nicknamed ‘The Duke’. It is worth mentioning that the idea for the ball to be called that came from the former owner and coach of the Chicago Bears, George Halas, as a thank you to Tim Mara for what he did to achieve the agreement with the Wilson brand.
It is necessary to specify that that name was used from 1941 to 1969, when the NLF and AFL leagues created what is now known as the NFL. In 1970 it was no longer accepted to be called ‘The Duke’ so that there would be no problems with the AFL teams. However, the Wilson brand continued to make the balls.
A year after the death of Wellington Mara (2006) it was once again accepted that the ball be called ‘El Duque’ and it continues to be so to date. That is why we say with complete certainty that in the 2023 Super Bowl, where the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will face each other, said ball will be used.
production of balloons
Each ball is made of the best quality leather and is hand-stitched with great precision. The highest technology is combined with the efforts of the workers of the Wilson brand, which makes 4,000 balls a day and more than 700,000 a year.
If you want more information about deposewe recommend that you follow our most active social networks that we present below.
