<p>Walter Lingo started the "Oorang Indians" in Ohio to promote his dog kennels, hired Jim Thorpe to play and coach, and launched an episode of sports history that highlights the tradeoffs Native athletes had to make between opportunity and participation in caricatured performances of "Indianness." </p>
Largely forgotten in the controversy over Native American-derived team names is the story of a short-lived NFL franchise founded 100 years ago and composed entirely of Native American players.