Attended the NFL Draft Town here in Chicago Saturday - highlights ...
- Was sitting in Selection Square when Bud Sasser's name was called - I belted out a big MIZ, and a quite resounding ZOU from several others in the crowd responded. We all did 2 rounds of MIZ-ZOU ... glad to report the Black & Gold were well repped ! ! !
- 70,000 were in attendance Saturday - huge crowd. Walked around, massive production, every NFL team had their own tent with activities. They noted it covered over 15 football fields. Very impressive!
- Favorite area was the Wilson football production assembly line. Talked to the lady sewing footballs, Mava Howard, fascinating storyline. She is only 1 of 2 ladies who sew "every NFL & NCAA" footballs, she sews about 300 a day. Each NFL game receives 15 footballs for each game. In total Wilson produces about 3,000 footballs a day, year round, including from pee wee through the NFL. The pig skin leather comes from right here in Chicago. She saw my MIZZOU shirt, smiled and said "hey, your quarterback is from my hometown, Maty Mauk, Kenton, Ohio." Wilson is located in Ada, Ohio, a very few short miles from Kenton. Mava knew the Mauk family well, Cocah Mauk was their high school football coach, said they hated to see them leave, but understood. So I asked Mava, "so you make the actual footballs that Maty throws in every game?" She replied with this huge smile on her face, "well at least it's a 50/50 chance!" Every step of the production line was there, right up to the packaging. Of course footballs were available for $100 each.
- Besides the live draft in Selection Square, there were additional production areas for ESPN and the NFL Network. If ever the chance, go to one of these events - widely interesting!
- Was sitting in Selection Square when Bud Sasser's name was called - I belted out a big MIZ, and a quite resounding ZOU from several others in the crowd responded. We all did 2 rounds of MIZ-ZOU ... glad to report the Black & Gold were well repped ! ! !
- 70,000 were in attendance Saturday - huge crowd. Walked around, massive production, every NFL team had their own tent with activities. They noted it covered over 15 football fields. Very impressive!
- Favorite area was the Wilson football production assembly line. Talked to the lady sewing footballs, Mava Howard, fascinating storyline. She is only 1 of 2 ladies who sew "every NFL & NCAA" footballs, she sews about 300 a day. Each NFL game receives 15 footballs for each game. In total Wilson produces about 3,000 footballs a day, year round, including from pee wee through the NFL. The pig skin leather comes from right here in Chicago. She saw my MIZZOU shirt, smiled and said "hey, your quarterback is from my hometown, Maty Mauk, Kenton, Ohio." Wilson is located in Ada, Ohio, a very few short miles from Kenton. Mava knew the Mauk family well, Cocah Mauk was their high school football coach, said they hated to see them leave, but understood. So I asked Mava, "so you make the actual footballs that Maty throws in every game?" She replied with this huge smile on her face, "well at least it's a 50/50 chance!" Every step of the production line was there, right up to the packaging. Of course footballs were available for $100 each.
- Besides the live draft in Selection Square, there were additional production areas for ESPN and the NFL Network. If ever the chance, go to one of these events - widely interesting!
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