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BCRF :: Wilson Sporting Goods Co. bcrfcure.org | Sports Goods,Sports Accessories,Sports Goods Supplier,Sports Accessories... asiansports-india.com | Sporting Goods Drop Ship Program Sports Dropshipper fitnesscash.com |
 The Wilson Sporting Goods Company is a sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois, and currently is a foreign subsidiary of the Finnish company Amer Sports.[1] Wilson makes equipment for many sports, among them badminton, baseball, basketball, softball, football, golf, racquetball, soccer, squash, tennis, and volleyball.
[edit] HistoryThe company traces its roots to the Schwarzchild & Sulzberger company (later changed to Sulzbeger & Son's) based in New York City that operated meat packing plants in New York, Chicago and Kansas City.[2] Sulzberger founded the Ashland Manufacturing Company in 1913 to use animal by-products from its slaughterhouses. It started out making tennis racket strings, violin strings, and surgical sutures but soon expanded into baseball shoes and tennis racquets.[3] In 1915 Thomas E. Wilson, former president of meatpacker Morris & Company, was appointed President and renamed the company Thomas E. Wilson Company. The company acquired the Hetzinger Knitting Mills to produce athletic uniforms and a caddie bag company which produced golf balls but soon expanded into footballs and basketballs.[4] In 1918 Wilson left to concentrate on the beef packing business changing the Sulzberger company to Wilson & Co. (which would ultimately become Iowa Beef Packers and then taken over by Tyson Foods. The packing company continued to have control in the company until 1966 when it was sold to LTV.[5][6] Under new president L. B. Icely it acquired the Chicago Sporting Goods Company and striking a deal to supply the Chicago Cubs. It also hired Arch Turner, a leather designer who would design the leather football.[7] In 1922 it introduced the Ray Schalk catcher's mitt which became the standard. It worked with Knute Rockne to introduce the double-lined leather football and first valve football and the first waist-line football pants with pads.[8] In 1925 it was renamed Wilson-Western Sporting Goods following a distribution agreement with Western Sporting Goods. After Rockne's death, the company focused on golf introduing the R-90, a sand wedge golf club inspired by Gene Sarazen's victory in the 1932 British Open.[9] In 1931 it renamed itself Wilson Sporting Goods Company. During World War II it introduced the Wilson Duke football, featuring the best leather, ends that were hand-sewn, lock-stitch seams, and triple lining which was adopted as the official ball of the National Football League.[10] After the war it focused on tennis and signed Jack Kramer who developed its line of Jack Kramer signed tennis rackets. Icley died in 1950 but the company continued to expand with many believing that Icely's introduction of a computer to monitor inventory had been a huge help.[11] In 1955 it acquired Ohio-Kentucky Manufacturing for making footballs. In 1964 it acquired Wonder Products Company which made toys and custom-molded items. It transformed the custom-mold section to make protective equipment in football and baseball, such as face masks for football helmets and leg guards for baseball catchers. [12] In 1967 it was acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV Corporation). In 1970 it was acquired by PepsiCo. It sold the official balls of the National Basketball Association and National Football League, provided most of the uniforms of teams in Major League Baseball, United States Summer Olympics teams.[13] In 1985 it was acquired by Westray Capital Corporation through subsidairy WSGC Holdings. In 1989 WSGC merged with Bogey Acquisitions Company which is affiliated with the Amer Group Ltd..[14] [edit] ProductsWilson tennis racquets are used among many professional tennis players. Pete Sampras used one specific model to win 14 Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Former Wilson brand racquet-using players include Jack Kramer (has an eponymous model), Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Novak Djokovic, and Steffi Graf. The original kevlar Pro Staff model (Sampras' racquet) was heavy (350+gm) and small-headed (85 sq. in.); Roger Federer also used the same racquet model. Currently, he uses the KSix-One Tour model that is heavy (354 gm) and slightly larger (90 sq. in.). In late 2009, Wilson unveiled the latest line of their racquets, codenamed 20x, which they will later call them BLX. This lines directly replaces their previous K-Factor series with all new technologies.[15] Also, many use custom-made racquets that perform differently from the mass-produced versions. In 1979, Wilson tennis balls were first used in the US Open,[16] and still are used to this day. In 2006, the Australian Open began using Wilson Tennis Balls.[17] Aside from tennis racquets, the Wilson sporting goods company also makes tennis shoes, strings, clothes, and racquet bags. [edit] American Football The Wilson football factory in Ada, Ohio manufactures footballs for both the National Football League and the United Football League (2009). [edit] GolfMain article: Wilson Staff Wilson Staff is the golf division of Wilson Sporting Goods. The company designs and manufactures a full range of golf equipment, accessories and clothing using the Wilson Staff, ProStaff and Ultra brands. Many of the worlds top professional golfers have used Wilson equipment including Arnold Palmer and Ben Crenshaw both of whom used a Wilson 8802 putter, Crenshaw's receiving the moniker Little Ben such was his proficiency with it, and Nick Faldo. Current Wilson Staff players include Open and USPGA champion Pádraig Harrington. [edit] VolleyballsWilson makes the official volleyball of the AVP, the American professional beach volleyball league. A Wilson volleyball starred in the film Cast Away (2000), the volleyball was called Wilson (see story below). [edit] BaseballWilson makes a variety of baseball gloves, with patterns and materials tested by the best names in the game. They make gloves for several different patterns: pitcher, catcher, infield, outfield, and first base. [18] [edit] In popular culture
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