Founded | 1922 |
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Folded | 1923 |
Based in | LaRue, Ohio, United States |
League | National Football League |
Team history | Oorang Indians (1922–23) |
Team colors | Burgundy, gold, white[1] |
Head coaches | Jim Thorpe |
General managers | Jim Thorpe |
Owner(s) | Walter Lingo |
Mascot(s) | Walter Lingo's Airedale Dogs |
Named for | Oorang Dog Kennels All-Native American Team |
Home field(s) | Traveling Team |
The Oorang Indians (/ˈuːræŋ/) were a traveling team in the National Football League from LaRue, Ohio (near Marion). The franchise was a novelty team put together by Walter Lingo to market his Oorang (Airedale Terrier) dog kennels. All of the Indians players were Native American, with Jim Thorpe serving as its leading player and coach. The team played in the National Football League in 1922 and 1923. Of the 20 games they played over two seasons, only one was played at "home" in nearby Marion. With a population well under a thousand people, LaRue remains the smallest town ever to have been the home of an NFL franchise, or any professional team in any league in the United States.[2]