Re: which ball used in NFL/AFL preseason games
Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2023 11:44 pm
Sorry to resurrect a zombie thread, but someone on the Facebook AFL group posted (at my request) the pages from the Super Bowl III program with the article by Don Smith of the Pro Football HOF and it confirms what I remembered from over 50 years ago: the AFL (J5-V) and NFL (F1100) balls had exactly the same dimensions:
Length (long axis): 11 to 11-1/4 inches
Circumference (long axis): 28 to 28-1/2 inches
Circumference (short axis): 21-1/4 to 21-1/2 inches
Weight: 14 to 15 oz.
Pressure: 12-1/2 to 13-1/2 lbs.
In the text of the article, Smith mentions that the difference was in the "ogive" (curve from the laces to the point): the AFL ball was "pointier" whereas the NFL ball was "rounder", relatively speaking. Here are the pages
Length (long axis): 11 to 11-1/4 inches
Circumference (long axis): 28 to 28-1/2 inches
Circumference (short axis): 21-1/4 to 21-1/2 inches
Weight: 14 to 15 oz.
Pressure: 12-1/2 to 13-1/2 lbs.
In the text of the article, Smith mentions that the difference was in the "ogive" (curve from the laces to the point): the AFL ball was "pointier" whereas the NFL ball was "rounder", relatively speaking. Here are the pages
- Don Smith article
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- Rules sidebar
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