1922 Oorang Indians season
| 1922 Oorang Indians season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Walter Lingo |
| Head coach | Jim Thorpe |
| Home stadium | Lincoln Park<rf>(Marion, Ohio) |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–6 (NFL) (5–8 overall) |
| League place | 11th NFL |
The 1922 Oorang Indians season was their inaugural season in the National Football League (NFL). The team was organized by legendary back Jim Thorpe and featured a Native American roster, a feature which allowed aggressive promotion of games. Practicing in tiny La Rue, Ohio, the team played all but one of its contests on the road, its one "home" game taking place in neighboring Marion, Ohio.[1] The Indians finished the 1922 season with a record of 3–6, eleventh best in the league.[2]
Background
[edit]The team's name, Oorang Indians, is the object of some confusion. The name was adopted due to the sponsorship of the team by Walter Lingo, proprietor of Oorang Kennels of La Rue, Ohio.[1] Lingo was a dog breeder and sportsman, specializing in the perfection of champion Airedale Terriers.[1] Lingo was attracted to the fellowship of some of the leading celebrities of his era, including baseball players Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, athletic legend Jim Thorpe, boxer Jack Dempsey, and actor Gary Cooper — all of whom he was known to hunt with, together with his dogs.[3]
In June 1922, Lingo purchased a franchise in the fledgling National Football League for $100.[3] Lingo acted as the team's business manager and tapped his friend Jim Thorpe to organize, recruit, and star on the team.[3] Together the two perfected the idea of establishing an all-Native American team and touring the squad almost exclusively — generating publicity for Lingo's kennels while covering expenses through collection of appearance guarantees.[3]
Spending so much time on the road and placing tight demographic limits on team membership make it difficult to field a competitive team, however, the presence of the still-formidable 35-year old Thorpe notwithstanding. Oorang battled to a record of 3 wins and 6 losses in 1922, playing just one game at home in Marion.[3] Their second season, 1923, would prove even worse and would be their last in the NFL as the novelty of an increasingly uncompetitive All-Indian team wore thin.
Schedule
[edit]| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 1 | at Dayton Triangles | L 0–36 | 0–1 | Triangle Park | ~5,500 [4] | Recap | [5][6] | |
| 2 | October 8 | Columbus Panhandles | W 20–6 | 1–1 | Lincoln Park | 1,200 | Recap | ||
| — | October 11 | at Ohio Cranes | W 20–6 | — | Seccaium Park Bucyrus, Ohio |
100 | — | [7] | |
| 3 | October 15 | at Canton Bulldogs | L 0–14 | 1–2 | Lakeside Park | 5,100+ [8] | Recap | [9] | |
| — | October 22 | at Indianapolis Belmonts | W 33–0 | — | Washington Park | 2,000 | — | [10] | |
| 4 | October 29 | at Akron Pros | L 0–62 | 1–3 | Elks' Field | 3,000 | Recap | ||
| 5 | November 5 | at Minneapolis Marines | L 6–13 | 1–4 | Nicollet Park | 4,000 | Recap | [11] | |
| 6 | November 12 | at Chicago Bears | L 6–33 | 1–5 | Cubs Park | 3,300 | Recap | [12][13][14] | |
| 7 | November 19 | at Milwaukee Badgers | L 0–13 | 1–6 | Athletic Park | 6,500 | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 26 | at Buffalo All-Americans | W 19–7 | 2–6 | Buffalo Baseball Park | 3,000 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 30 | at Columbus Panhandles | W 18–6 | 3–6 | Neil Park | 3,000 | Recap | [15] | |
| — | December 3 | at Lansing Durant All-Stars | L 0–29 | — | Pattengill Stadium | 5,000 | — | [16] | |
| — | December 9 | at Baltimore Pros | L 0–7 | — | Venable Stadium | < 5,000 | — | [17] | |
| Note: Non-NFL opponent in italics. Thanksgiving Day: November 30. | |||||||||
Standings
[edit]| NFL standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| Canton Bulldogs | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 184 | 15 | W6 | ||
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 123 | 44 | L1 | ||
| Chicago Cardinals | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 96 | 50 | W1 | ||
| Toledo Maroons | 5 | 2 | 2 | .714 | 94 | 59 | L2 | ||
| Rock Island Independents | 4 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 154 | 27 | L1 | ||
| Racine Legion | 6 | 4 | 1 | .600 | 122 | 56 | L1 | ||
| Dayton Triangles | 4 | 3 | 1 | .571 | 80 | 62 | W1 | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 3 | 3 | .571 | 70 | 54 | W2 | ||
| Buffalo All-Americans | 5 | 4 | 1 | .556 | 87 | 41 | W2 | ||
| Akron Pros | 3 | 5 | 2 | .375 | 146 | 95 | L3 | ||
| Milwaukee Badgers | 2 | 4 | 3 | .333 | 51 | 71 | L3 | ||
| Oorang Indians | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 69 | 190 | W2 | ||
| Minneapolis Marines | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 19 | 40 | L1 | ||
| Louisville Brecks | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 13 | 140 | W1 | ||
| Evansville Crimson Giants | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 6 | 88 | L3 | ||
| Rochester Jeffersons | 0 | 4 | 1 | .000 | 13 | 76 | L4 | ||
| Hammond Pros | 0 | 5 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 69 | L2 | ||
| Columbus Panhandles | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 24 | 174 | L8 | ||
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Roster
[edit]The following individuals saw action in at least one NFL game for the Oorang Indians in 1922.[18] The number of games in which each player appeared follows in parentheses.
Linemen
- Alex Bobidosh (1)
- Fred Broker (1)
- Elmer Busch (9)
- Pete Calac (9)
- Dick Deer Slayer (2)
- Xavier "Red Fang" Downwind (5)
- Bob Hill (6)
- Buck Jones (2)
- Nick Lassa (9)
- Joe Little Twig (2)
- Ted Lone Wolf (5)
- Stillwell Saunooke (9)
- Ted St. Germaine (5)
- Baptiste Thunder (1)
- C.B. Winneshiek (5)
Backs
- Reggie "Laughing Gas" Attache (8)
- Lo Boutwell (8)
- Joe Guyon (9)
- Ed Nason ("Running Deer") (4)
- Jim Thorpe (5)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Tom Bennett, et al., The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football. New York: Macmillan, 1977; p. 19.
- ^ 1922 Oorang Indians
- ^ a b c d e Greg Isabel, "Walter Lingo," Baron von Aliff, baron-von-aliff.home.att.net
- ^ The Troy Daily News has the crowd as "between five and six thousand.
- ^ "Dayton's Triangles Easily Best Thorpe's Indians in Gem City: Oorang Indians Unable to Score Single Point in Opening Battle," Troy Daily News, Oct. 2, 1922, p. 4.
- ^ "Triangles Swamp Indians: Cantons Next For Triangles; Beat Indians," Dayton Daily News, Oct. 2, 1922, p. 8.
- ^ Willis, Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians, p. 130.
- ^ The Canton Daily News reported an attendance of between 7,000 and 8,000, but NFL historian Chris Willis has the figure at "more than 5,100 paying fans."
- ^ Willis, Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians, p. 131.
- ^ Willis, Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians, p. 134.
- ^ Willis, Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians, p. 138.
- ^ "Chicago Bears Tame Indians: Thorpe's Eleven Handed 33 to 6 Defeat," Decatur Review, Nov. 13, 1922, p. 10.
- ^ "Bears Win from Thorpe's Indians by 33–6 Margin: Old Jim Himself Gets in Against Ex-Staleys in Final Quarter," Decatur Herald, Nov. 13, 1922, p. 8.
- ^ Willis, Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians, p. 139.
- ^ Willis, Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians, p. 142.
- ^ Willis, Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians, p. 144–145.
- ^ Don Riley, "Redskins Bow to Paleface: Thorpeless Oorangs Fall Before Baltimore Pros, 7 to 0," Baltimore Sun, Dec. 10, 1922, p. 20.
- ^ "1922 Oorang Indians Roster & Players," Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com
Further reading
[edit]- Whitman, Robert (1984). Jim Thorpe and the Oorand Indians: NFL's Most Colorful Franchise. The Hubbard Co.
- Willis, Chris (2017). Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians: How a Dog Kennel Owner Created the NFL's Most Famous Traveling Team. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.