‘We’re on a world stage;’ Ohio factory takes pride in making footballs for Super Bowl

While the Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns won’t be taking the field Sunday for the Super Bowl, there will be a piece of Ohio on the field.

Since 1955, the footballs used during the game come from the Wilson Sporting Goods factory in Ada, Ohio, which is about an hour and a half north of Dayton.

>> PHOTOS: Take a look inside the Ohio factory making footballs for the Super Bowl

“We’re on a world stage. There is (going to) be millions of people watching the Super Bowl this Sunday and our footballs that we produce here in little Ada, Ohio (are) going to be center stage in front of millions of people,” Mike Springer, project manager at Wilson, said.

He noted that while he’s only been with Wilson for eight years, the factory has been sending the handmade balls to the big game since the first Super Bowl.

“Every point scored in an NFL game has been with a football right here out of this facility,” Springer said.

As we showed you on News Center 7 at 5:00 p.m., making the balls by hand would not be possible without longtime employees like Caroline Milligan, who has been working at the factory for 45 years.

>> At least 2 dead after plane that traveled from Ohio crashes on Florida highway

“I’ve done a little bit of everything over here. I’ve laid, I’ve sewn, I just like it,” Milligan said.

She said she enjoys the job and the people she works with, which is why the 81-year-old still shows up every day.

While she doesn’t know how much longer she’ll work at Wilson, Milligan said she’s ready for Sunday.

“I got to watch those commercials. I hear (those) commercials are really going to be something this year,” Milligan said.

Springer told News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson that this time of year is not just special for the Wilson Football factory, but the entire village of Ada.

You can watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ners in the Super Bowl on WHIO-TV this Sunday at 6:30 p.m.