Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I think most all of us on this forum are aware that Wilson Sporting Goods has provided the National Football League with the official game ball since 1941. However, I'm not entirely sure what football was official prior to 1941. I assume it was Spalding, but is possible that there was no real official game ball before 1940? Anybody who can share knowledge on this would be appreciated.

Scroll about halfway down - you'll see a Spalding NFL ball used in the 1920s featuring Joe Carr's signature.

To dig deeper, I would recommend going through the Spalding Football Guides that were printed during that time. They can often be downloaded as a pdf for free online. Also, I would try to examine photos and film from the period to see if you can read some type of info on the ball such as manufacturer and model.

The Wilson balls for quite a while were manufactured/distributed under the "Thorp Sporting Goods" name.

https://www.antiquesportsshop.com/footballs.html

Thanks for the antique football web site. How I would love to have one of those white footballs from the fifties. Coolest football ever!