John Updike wrote about his visit to the football factory

ONU Professor Emeritus of English Claude “Bud” Smith had an article, “Touching Genius: John Updike's Odd Obsession,” published in the anthology John Updike Remembered, edited by Jack A. DeBellis (McFarland, 2017).

The piece details Updike’s visit to ONU and the short story he later wrote called “The Football Factory,” inspired by a tour of the Wilson Sporting Goods football factory.

Prof. Smith makes a cameo appearance in that story, which was included in Updike’s book "Love Factories."

John Updike died in 2009. He was one of several noted authors that Prof. Smith knew and invited to ONU/Ada.