NFL Ball: Everything You Need To Know About Iconic Duke Ball

No matter which NFL team captures your heart and your wagering in live betting odds – whether it is, say, the Falcons, Chiefs or Las Vegas Raiders – they all have one thing in common. Front and center, set down in the middle of the field, is the iconic football that gets thrown, kicked and cradled all game long.

But the famous American football ball, made by Wilson Sporting Goods, emblazoned with “The Duke” (named to honor Wellington “The Duke” Mara, whose father founded the New York Giants), did not start out that way. Initial iterations of the ball used in the game came about in the mid 1800s, during the early days of American football.

Initially, American footballs were made from inflated pig bladders. They were round and bore close resemblance to the typical rugby ball. Its current shape began to form by accident during a college football game, in 1869, between Rutgers University and Princeton University.

If you want to look at NFL betting odds for this week, you’ll have to settle for the school’s basketball division.

Slowly but surely, the rugby ball vs American football came to show serious differences as the latter began to take on the shape that we see it in today. Besides coming about serendipitously, the new shape also served a purpose. The original football was tricky to throw and all too easy for runners to drop. So, after it accidentally changed shape, the ball began to adopt the ovoidal look on purpose.

That was the deal in 1897. Nine years later, in 1906, after forward passing was added to the game – that was done to cut down on injuries of primitively padded players who were running with the ball and getting slammed – further refinements came to the football.

In 1912, it was made sleeker, which aided the development of long and true spiral passes that are now a hallmark of the game and turn quarterbacks into superstars.

Over ensuing years, the football came to resemble what we see today.

By the 1930s, footballs were made of leather with the familiar stitching down the center. Sometimes they were dyed white, which made the balls easier to see during night games. But, whatever color, in 1934, new rules dictated that the ball get slimmed at either end be smaller in the center. Those features made it easier to throw, to catch and to carry.

The ongoing, classic version, with its distinctive lather panels that are hand sewn, came into use in 1941. A deal had been negotiated with Wilson to make the ball.

Before production began, with the encouragement of Chicago Bears owner George Halas, it was agreed that The Duke’s name would adorn the ball. The American football, as we now know it, has been in play for 83 years – whether that’s in the regular season, the playoffs and even the Super Bowl.

However, in 1970, when the NFL and AFL merged, The Duke’s name was removed from the ball. According to thetouchdown.co.uk, it was “most likely [done] to appease the AFL in what was something of a hostile marriage.”

But then, 35 years later, following the passing of Wellington Mara, his name returned to the ball and it has been there ever since. The Duke’s presence adds a distinctive touch to the game ball, while serving as a testament to the fact that the NFL reveres its founders and respects its history.

Best of all, The Duke is not just for professional football games. Available at a cost of $150, it makes a perfect holiday gift. Unwrapped, The Duke can be put to good and immediate use as family members break from festivities for a game of touch football or just to toss around the pigskin as the ball is still called to this day.