1922 Oorang Indians season

1922 Oorang Indians season
OwnerWalter Lingo
Head coachJim Thorpe
Home fieldLincoln Park
Results
Record3–6 (NFL)
(5–8 overall)
League place11th 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. The team played most of its contests on the road but made their home in Marion, Ohio.[1] The Indians finished the 1922 season with a record of 3–6, eleventh best in the league.[2]

Background

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 LaRue, 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

Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources
1 October 1 at Dayton Triangles L 0–36 0–1 Triangle Park Recap [4]
2 October 8 Columbus Panhandles W 20–6 1–1 Lincoln Park 1,200 Recap]
— October 11 at Ohio Cranes W 20–6 — —
3 October 15 at Canton Bulldogs L 0–14 1–2 Lakeside Park Recap
— October 22 at Indianapolis Belmonts W 33–0 — —
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 Recap
6 November 12 at Chicago Bears L 6–33 1–5 Cubs Park "good-sized crowd" Recap [5][6]
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 Recap
— December 3 at Lansing Durants L 0–29 — —
— December 9 at Baltimore Pros L 0–7 — —
Note: Thanksgiving Day: November 30.

Standings

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

The following individuals saw action in at least one NFL game for the Oorang Indians in 1922.[7] The number of games in which each player appeared follows in parentheses.

Linemen

Backs

References

  1. ^ a b c Tom Bennett, et al., The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football. New York: Macmillan, 1977; p. 19.
  2. ^ 1922 Oorang Indians
  3. ^ a b c d e Greg Isabel, "Walter Lingo," Baron von Aliff, baron-von-aliff.home.att.net
  4. ^ "Triangles Swamp Indians: Cantons Next For Triangles; Beat Indians," Dayton Daily News, Oct. 2, 1922, p. 8.
  5. ^ "Chicago Bears Tame Indians: Thorpe's Eleven Handed 33 to 6 Defeat," Decatur Review, Nov. 13, 1922, p. 10.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "1922 Oorang Indians Roster & Players," Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com

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