Made in Ada
FROM ADA ICON - Fourteen lucky Ada Wilson's Sporting Goods employees had their own Super Bowl party on Sunday night that lasted into the wee hours of Monday.
According to Andy Wentling, plant manager, the “super” crew worked into the early morning hours at the Ada facility to create the official 2021 Super Bowl footballs.
“We had dies for the four teams in Sunday’s playoff games ready to use,” he said. “By 10:30 p.m., as soon as the games were over and the winners were determined our crew went to work.”
The crew worked until around 4 a.m. as they created the football bladders for 216 games balls plus 12 kicking balls.
Then, at 6 a.m. on Monday, the regular staff clocked in and put the balls together and in the final touch, laced them up and sent them on their journeys to Kansas City and Tampa.
“Each team received 108 balls, plus the kicking balls on Tuesday,” said Wentling.
Now Wilson employees can sit back and enjoy their work by watching Super Bowl LV on television.
The game is at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 7, in Tampa Bay.
Every football created for 55 Super Bowls have been made in the Wilson plant in Ada.
Stories Posted This Week
Thursday, October 15, 2026
- DeWine announces $200M Rural Health Transformation program award
- Herb program with Marge Lafollette, Oct. 15
- Prairie seeding activity at Bluffton University, October 24
- Food for thought: Choline for the brain
- Results for 5K on October 2, Bluffton University Homecoming event
- 15 minutes with Sherry Miller, senior center activities coordinator
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, October 14
- CANCELLED Main St. closure on October 15
- Frederick Clyde Warren founded True-2-Form Plastics
- October 15 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Pirate boys soccer beats Wapak in regular season finale
- Pirate girls soccer defeats Liberty Center
- Mennonite pastor to explore ‘good news’ in creation
- Bluffton University earns recognition in U.S. News & World Report rankings
- Obituary for Deborah "Debbie" Welch, 74
- Spirits and exorcism presentation during University Spiritual Life Week Forum
- Dodging bullets: Bluffton oral history 90+ years after Dillinger robbery
- Nora Matthews named BHS Student of the Month for September 2026
- ICAPP analysis on charter status and local autonomy
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, October 13
- Bluffton area Women in Business meeting October 15
- Leo club glasses collection
- Night at the (Swiss Historical) Museum, October 24
- Woodcarving ornament workshop at Swiss Heritage Center
- Barefoot nature walks at the Nature Preserve
- Pirate volleyball seeded 4th
- Beavers sports roundup, October 6-11
- Bluffton leaf pickup scheduled for last week of October
- Pirate boys soccer shuts out Bellefontaine
- Watch an after school movie at the Bluffton Public Library
- Dunlap awarded OSBA humanitarian award