This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/GeorgeHalasLover on 2025-06-08 00:53:56+00:00.
The 1920s NFL was a mix of unique teams and cities that were more like an extended family than a formal league. One of these teams-the Oorang Indians, a team that featured Hall of Famers Jim Thorpe and Joe Guyon, featured the first halftime show in NFL history and one player would wrestle Bears on occasion, and was sponsored by a dog kennel of all things.
All players on their rosters for the two seasons (1922 and 1923) were Native-American and most of them came from the famous Carlisle Indian School where Thorpe himself attended. LaRue, Ohio is the smallest town to ever have an NFL franchise only having a measly population of 795 in 1920.
The Oorang Indians owner, Walter Lingo, was an Airedale dog breeder and was stated as saying that Native-Americans and Airedales had a supernatural bond. Thorpe defended Lingo after neighboring farmers were upset that Lingo had been raising “sheep-killers”. Thorpe stated that he had seen an Airedale save a 6-year-old girl from a bull. After this endeavor, Thorpe and Lingo became friends and were known to hunt together.
In 1921, Lingo invited Thorpe and Pete Calac who had been teammates with Thorpe at Carlisle Indian School to a hunting trip. By the end of the trip, both Thorpe and Calac agreed to work for Lingo to advertise his Airedales. Lingo then purchased a franchise for the 1922 season. Lingo thought that having a franchise would open up doors for the sole purpose of selling his Airedales. Lingo created the team on the premise that it would be all-Native-American and that the team would help run his kennels when not at games or practicing.
Lingo named the team the Oorang Indians after his kennels and favorite dog breed. Lingo had originally wanted the Indians to play their home games in LaRue, Ohio but due to the smallness of the town they were forced to play their home games in nearby Marion as it was the nearest town with a field suitable for football. The Indians were practically a travelling team for their two-year history as they only played one game in Marion during that time. This was good for advertising Lingo’s kennels, but the players were frequently tired having to be on the road constantly.
Thorpe then travelled across the country to recruit Native-Americans for the new team. Most of the roster had very limited playing experience and some were close to the age of 40 when they joined. Much of the roster was not full-blooded Native-American but Thorpe made them prove that they had some ancestry in order to join the team. Years later, Lingo’s son stated that the players took their job seriously and put the needs of the kennel often before practice. He also stated that some plays that they used were created on the spot.
The 1922 season was a rough outing for the Indians as Thorpe rarely played often choosing to coach then to play in games. Future Hall of Famer Joe Guyon didn’t join until halfway through the season, and Pete Calac who had played on the Canton Bulldogs with Thorpe previously suffered career-threating injuries due to his service in WWI the years prior.
Despite this, the Indians started off the 1922 season with a strong 3-2 record before suffering a 62-0 loss to the former NFL Champion Akron Pros the following week. Instead of going into the locker rooms at halftime, the Indians instead did tricks using the Airedales as well as Indian dances and axe-throwing. They even had a player named Nick Lassa who was known to wrestle bears on occasion. This proved to be a huge draw for crowds and some wondered whether the players were there to play football or to show off the prized Airedales.
The players themselves knew that Lingo didn’t care much about winning and were known for frequently partying and drinking. There were two famous instances where this came to the helm for the team. The first time they asked for drinks after 2:00am which was illegal in Illinois at the time and stuffed the bartender into a phone booth and turned the bar upside down. Another instance they wanted to return to a hotel after a night of drinking but mistakenly took a trolley going the opposite direction and turned it around once they found out it was going the opposite direction. Although Thorpe was and still is regarded as one of the best all-around athletes of all time, he was known for being a poor coach and was notorious for having little discipline with his roster.
Even though they returned for the 1923 season, the roster was substantially weaker and Thorpe, Guyon, and Calac missed a majority of the season with lingering injuries. They finished the season with a dismal 1-10 record getting their only win in the last game of the season against the Louisville Brecks.
One of the main reasons for their decline, both on and off the field is many fans came solely to see the halftime show and the novelty wore off after some time. The team disbanded in the 1923 offseason, and it formally folded in 1924. Funnily enough, Lingo and Thorpe fielded a basketball team under the same name in the late 1920s.
Even though he was injured during a majority of his time with the Indians, Joe Guyon played for the Canton Bulldogs, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, Rock Island Independents, Kansas City Cowboys, and New York Giants in addition to attending the famous Carlisle Indian School alongside Thorpe and under “Pop” Warner. He also helped the New York Giants win their first Championship in 1927 and was known for his unmatched versatility at any position both in the backfield and on the line.
Unfortunately for Guyon, with the exception of the New York Giants, most of the teams he played for only lasted a few seasons and he retained a humble attitude which led to him getting largely overlooked and forgotten as time went on. Thankfully for Guyon he was elected to both the College and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Thank you again for taking the time to read this and feel free to comment which defunct team I should cover next!
The Gridiron Uniform Database- Oorang Indians Uniforms
Player Characteristics - Google Sheets - Spreadsheet I have made with rosters for defunct teams for a video game I am currently developing, the Indians are near the front between the Evansville Crimson Giants and St. Louis All-Stars