1923 Oorang Indians season

National Football League team season March 2026 November 2013 Oorang Indians 1923 1–10 NFL(2–10 overall) 18th in NFL Walter Lingo Jim Thorpe touring team none true The 1923 Oorang Indians season was their second and final season in the National Football League (NFL). The team failed to improve on their previous league record of 3–6, winning only one NFL game.1923 Oorang Indians They finished eighteenth in the league.1923 Oorang Indians season 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.Tom Bennett, et al., The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football. New York: Macmillan, 1977; p. 19. Lingo was a dog breeder and sportsman, specializing in the perfection of champion Airedale Terriers. 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.Greg Isabel, "Walter Lingo," Baron von Aliff, baron-von-aliff.home.att.net The team made no effort to make Marion, Ohio into a bastion of fan support for the club, playing every NFL game of the 1923 season on the road. Their one appearance in their hometown proved to be a debacle, a Thanksgiving day exhibition game against the Marion Athletic Club at the county fairgrounds.F.L. Kraner, "Thorpe's Indians Win First Game of Season: Defeat Athletics at Fairground, 31 to Nothing," Marion Star, Nov. 30, 1923, p. 26."Oorangs Finally Win: Defeat Marion Athletics, 31 to 0, in First Victory of Season," Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 30, 1923, p. 22. Only about 100 fans paid a dollar to attend the game, and many of these remained in their automobiles parked alongside the field rather than endure the cold drizzle of the day. Moreover, with the 36-year old Thorpe suffering a series of nagging injuries, his appearance on the field could no longer be meaningfully promoted. Only bad football remained — the team scored just one touchdown, one field goal, and a safety in its first 9 games combined. Attendance plummeted.For example, a mere 1,000 fans came to see the Indians play the Bears at Wrigley Field and just 1,200 showed up to Comiskey Park in Chicago for a December game against the Chicago Cardinals. The 1923 season would prove to be the team. Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 30 at Milwaukee Badgers L 2–13 0–1 Athletic Park 4,000 Recap 2 October 7 at Toledo Maroons L 0–7 0–2 Armory Park 5,000 Recap 3 October 14 at Minneapolis Marines L 0–23 0–3 Nicollet Park 4,000 Recap "Marines Face Tough Chicago Team Sunday: Local Eleven Shows Improvement in Beating Oo-Rangs, 23 to 0," Minneapolis Star, Oct. 15, 1923, p. 11. 4 October 21 at Buffalo All-Americans L 0–57 0–4 Buffalo Baseball Park 12,000 A wire report, apparently from the league, puts the crowd between 13,000 and 14,000. Recap "All-Americans Smother Thorpe's Oorang Indians: Famous Veteran and His Team Prove Weak Opposition for Locals," Buffalo Courier, Oct. 22, 1923, p. 9."Buffalo Beats Indians, 57–0: Jim Thorpe's Team Swamped by All-Americans Before Large Crowd," Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Oct. 22, 1923, p. 11. 5 October 28 at Cleveland Indians L 0–27 0–5 Dunn Field "modest crowd"Chris Willis, Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians, p. 161. Recap Merrick M. Hill, "Cleveland Indians Romp to 27–0 Triumph Over Thorpe's Oorang Redskins: Jim's Lengthy Kicks Avail Little as His Eleven Are Defeated," Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 29, 1923, p. 16."Cleveland in 27–0 Victory Over Indians," Davenport Democrat and Leader, Oct. 29, 1923, p. 8."Thorpe Fails at Cleveland," Dayton Daily News, Oct. 29, 1923, p. 11. 6 November 4 at Chicago Bears L 0–26 0–6 Cubs Park 1,000 Recap 7 November 11 at St. Louis All-Stars L 7–14 0–7 Sportsman's Park 5,000 Recap 8 November 18 at Canton Bulldogs L 0–41 0–8 Lakeside Park 5,000 Recap 9 November 25 at Columbus Tigers L 3–27 0–9 Neil Park Recap – November 29 vs. Marion Athletic Club W 31–0 — Marion County Fairgrounds 100 — F.L. Kraner, "Thorpe's Indians Win First Game of Season: Defeat Athletics at Fairground, 31 to Nothing," Marion Star, Nov. 30, 1923, p. 26."Oorangs Finally Win: Defeat Marion Athletics, 31 to 0, in First Victory of Season," Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 30, 1923, p. 22. 10 December 2 at Chicago Cardinals L 19–22 0–10 Comiskey Park 1,200 Recap 11 December 9 at Louisville Brecks W 19–0 1–10 Parkway Field 1,200 Recap Note: Non-NFL opponent in italics. Thanksgiving Day: November 29. Standings References 35em Further reading 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. Category:Oorang Indians seasons Oorang Indians Category:1923 in American sports Oorang Indians