The nickname was originally used until 1970, when Wilson changed the game ball upon the National Football League-American Football League merger. Wellington Mara died in 2005 (at age 89), and Wilson returned "The Duke" to the game ball the following year in his honor.

Since the establishment of the league in 1941, “The Duke” has been at the heart of the game. Not only has every touchdown been scored with a Wilson football, but for decades, each NFL game ball has been expertly handcrafted in Ada, Ohio by skilled craftspeople.

College football balls can be slightly smaller than NFL footballs and have greater variation in terms of their dimensions. Whereas regulation NFL footballs are 11-11.25 inches long, most states permit college footballs to range in length from 10.5-11.25 inches.

Size 5 football balls are the standard football size for ages 12 and older all the way up to professionals. If you pick up an adidas size 5 pro ball, you'll not only be playing with the official football ball size of the football league, but you'll have the exact ball the pros use in their game.