Walter Lingo
Encyclopedia
Walter Lingo was a Airedale
breeder from La Rue, Ohio
. During the 1920s, he owned the Oorang Dog Kennels. As a way of promoting his kennels, Lingo financed a National Football League
franchise, called the Oorang Indians
in 1922.
Over time, the Oorang Kennel Company and its Oorang Airedales became known throughout the world. He donated a stud dog for Red Cross work in Europe
to the military during World War I, then, after the war, promoted in advertising for the purpose of breeding. He also gave away dogs as a promotion to winners of contests, silent film stars, baseball players, and two were given to the editor of Field & Stream
magazine, who favored the kennel with complimentary ads and even a fictional book or two, featuring Oorang Airedales.
However many of Lingo's neighbors described the Airedales as killers. These neighboring farmers accused the Oorang Kennels of raising a nation of sheep killers. This public relations disaster, prompted Lingo to enlist the aid of celebrities to endorse his dogs. He invited celebrities, such as Ty Cobb
of the Detroit Tigers
, boxer Jack Dempsey
, actor Gary Cooper
, Tris Speaker
of the Cleveland Indians
, and Olympic sprinter Charles Paddock to LaRue to hunt with him and his dogs. Perhaps, Lingo's most famous supporter was Jim Thorpe
, the celebrated athlete of the 1920s. With no reluctance at all, Thorpe came to Lingo's aid by testifying that he once knew an Oorang Airedale that had saved a 6-year-old girl's life. After that, Lingo and Thorpe became hunting buddies.
. What "home games" they did play were played in Marion
since La Rue lacked a playing field.
Lingo hired Thorpe to put together a team that only consisted of Native American
players. He was paid $500 a week to organize the team. The Indians remained a team in the National Football League for the 1922
and the 1923
seasons. The Oorang Indians players not only played football. Lingo also required them to work in his kennels, caring for his dogs. He also forced his players to parade around the football field with his dogs during half times, hoping that fans would purchase his dogs. Lingo used his own Airedale terrier magazine, Oorang Comments, to get dog and football enthusiasts buzzing about his product and his team. At first the Oorang Indians were an excellent gate attraction. However, the novelty eventually wore off and Lingo pulled his financial backing. So, at the end of the 1923 NFL season
, the Indians, suspended operations.
. He would lure audiences to his games with the promise of an outrageous halftime show, instead of the promise of a good football game. Entertainment, both prior to the games and during halftimes, was provided by the players and the Airedale dogs. There were shooting exhibitions with the dogs retrieving the targets. There were Indian dances and tomahawk and knife-throwing demonstrations. One halftime event was showcased an Indians player, named Long Time Sleep, wrestled a live bear. Another show was a demonstration of the United States Indian scouts actions during World War I. The show promoted Lingo's kennels by showing the Airedale Red Cross dogs administering first aid to wound soldier. Many of the scouts and Red Cross dogs taking part in the event were real veterans of the war, while the German troops were impersonated by local American Legion
men who wore German uniforms furnished by Lingo. The halftime activities soon became more important than the results of the game for the Indians fanbase. The Indians only won 3 games in their two seasons of existence.
struck in the 1930s, prompting Lingo to scale back his business. People could no longer afford the Airedales, prompting Lingo to have approximately three hundred puppies put to sleep in 1929 alone. He eventually tried to establish a business in Minneapolis, Minnesota
that manufactured dog biscuit
s, but this venture failed to succeed. However back in LaRue, Lingo's wife, Beryl, revived the kennels. Although the operation was scaled down from its 1920's peak, the Oorang Kennel Company continued until Walter Lingo’s death in 1966.
Airedale
Airedale is a geographic area in Yorkshire, England, corresponding to the river valley of the River Aire . The valley stretches from the river's origin in Malham which is in the Yorkshire Dales, down past Keighley and Bingley, through Leeds and Castleford and on to join the Humber...
breeder from La Rue, Ohio
La Rue, Ohio
LaRue is a village in Marion County, Ohio, United States. The population was 775 at the 2000 census.-Geography:LaRue is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
. During the 1920s, he owned the Oorang Dog Kennels. As a way of promoting his kennels, Lingo financed a National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
franchise, called the Oorang Indians
Oorang Indians
The Oorang Indians were a traveling team in the National Football League from LaRue, Ohio . The team was named after the Oorang dog kennels. It was a novelty team put together by the kennels' owner, Walter Lingo, for marketing purposes. All of the players were Native American, with Jim Thorpe as...
in 1922.
Dog breeder
Lingo bred his first litter when he was 9 years old in 1900. Over time he bred and sought to create a stronger type of Airedale. His efforts resulted in the King Oorang breed of Airedale dogs. Lingo described the King Oorang as the "world's great all-around dog." Upon creating the King Oorang breed, Lingo embarked on a mail order business, selling his puppies to people throughout the Americas. Lingo spent most of his time breeding and training his championship Oorang Airedale dogs in LaRue. He expanded his breeding program expanded to meet the enormous demand for Airedales by selling up to a thousand Airedale bitches to farmers throughout Ohio. Lingo took back the bitches for breeding and whelping, then returned them to their owners, while buying back the pups at a pre-agreed price. Lingo then resold the pups to buyers throughout the country. Reportedly Walter sold up to 15,000 Airedales per year, and by the mid-1920s he claimed to be spending $2000 per month on advertising.Over time, the Oorang Kennel Company and its Oorang Airedales became known throughout the world. He donated a stud dog for Red Cross work in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to the military during World War I, then, after the war, promoted in advertising for the purpose of breeding. He also gave away dogs as a promotion to winners of contests, silent film stars, baseball players, and two were given to the editor of Field & Stream
Field & Stream
Field & Stream is a magazine featuring hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities in the United States. Together with Sports Afield and Outdoor Life, it is considered one of the Big Three of American outdoor publishing....
magazine, who favored the kennel with complimentary ads and even a fictional book or two, featuring Oorang Airedales.
However many of Lingo's neighbors described the Airedales as killers. These neighboring farmers accused the Oorang Kennels of raising a nation of sheep killers. This public relations disaster, prompted Lingo to enlist the aid of celebrities to endorse his dogs. He invited celebrities, such as Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, boxer Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
, actor Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
, Tris Speaker
Tris Speaker
Tristram E. Speaker , nicknamed "Spoke" and "The Grey Eagle", was an American baseball player. Considered one of the best offensive and defensive center fielders in the history of Major League Baseball, he compiled a career batting average of .345 , and still holds the record of 792 career doubles...
of the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, and Olympic sprinter Charles Paddock to LaRue to hunt with him and his dogs. Perhaps, Lingo's most famous supporter was Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
, the celebrated athlete of the 1920s. With no reluctance at all, Thorpe came to Lingo's aid by testifying that he once knew an Oorang Airedale that had saved a 6-year-old girl's life. After that, Lingo and Thorpe became hunting buddies.
Oorang Indians
To help promote his dogs, Lingo eventually created the Oorang Indians, an NFL team in La Rue. He established the squad as a publicity stunt and named the team after his Oorang dog kennels. The cost of establishing an NFL franchise in 1922 was $100, however the cost of just one of Lingo's Airedales could sell for $150. The stunt worked and Lingo would go on to make a million dollars selling Airedales in just one year, during the height of popularity of the Oorang Indians. Interestingly, La Rue, is the smallest community to have ever sponsored an NFL franchise. The Indians, however, never played a game in La Rue. the team was primarily a traveling teamTraveling team
In professional team sports, a traveling team is a member of a professional league that never or rarely competes in its home arena or stadium. This differs from a barnstorming team in that the latter does not compete within a league or association framework...
. What "home games" they did play were played in Marion
Marion, Ohio
Marion is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Marion County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus....
since La Rue lacked a playing field.
Lingo hired Thorpe to put together a team that only consisted of Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
players. He was paid $500 a week to organize the team. The Indians remained a team in the National Football League for the 1922
1922 NFL season
The 1922 NFL season was the 3rd regular season of what was now called National Football League . The NFL fielded 18 teams during the season, including new league teams such as the Milwaukee Badgers, the Oorang Indians, the Racine Legion, and the Toledo Maroons...
and the 1923
1923 NFL season
The 1923 NFL season was the 4th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time, all of the clubs that were considered to be part of the NFL fielded teams. The new teams that entered the league included the Duluth Kelleys, the St. Louis All Stars , and a new Cleveland Indians team...
seasons. The Oorang Indians players not only played football. Lingo also required them to work in his kennels, caring for his dogs. He also forced his players to parade around the football field with his dogs during half times, hoping that fans would purchase his dogs. Lingo used his own Airedale terrier magazine, Oorang Comments, to get dog and football enthusiasts buzzing about his product and his team. At first the Oorang Indians were an excellent gate attraction. However, the novelty eventually wore off and Lingo pulled his financial backing. So, at the end of the 1923 NFL season
1923 NFL season
The 1923 NFL season was the 4th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time, all of the clubs that were considered to be part of the NFL fielded teams. The new teams that entered the league included the Duluth Kelleys, the St. Louis All Stars , and a new Cleveland Indians team...
, the Indians, suspended operations.
First halftime shows
Many football historians credit Lingo with creating the halftime showHalftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during halftime, the period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of divisions , or for sports that do not have an extended...
. He would lure audiences to his games with the promise of an outrageous halftime show, instead of the promise of a good football game. Entertainment, both prior to the games and during halftimes, was provided by the players and the Airedale dogs. There were shooting exhibitions with the dogs retrieving the targets. There were Indian dances and tomahawk and knife-throwing demonstrations. One halftime event was showcased an Indians player, named Long Time Sleep, wrestled a live bear. Another show was a demonstration of the United States Indian scouts actions during World War I. The show promoted Lingo's kennels by showing the Airedale Red Cross dogs administering first aid to wound soldier. Many of the scouts and Red Cross dogs taking part in the event were real veterans of the war, while the German troops were impersonated by local American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
men who wore German uniforms furnished by Lingo. The halftime activities soon became more important than the results of the game for the Indians fanbase. The Indians only won 3 games in their two seasons of existence.
Great Depression
After the Oorang Indians' collapse, Lingo continued to sell his Airedale dogs. Unfortunately, the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
struck in the 1930s, prompting Lingo to scale back his business. People could no longer afford the Airedales, prompting Lingo to have approximately three hundred puppies put to sleep in 1929 alone. He eventually tried to establish a business in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
that manufactured dog biscuit
Dog biscuit
A dog biscuit is a hard biscuit-based dietary supplement for dogs or other canine, similar to human snack food.Dog biscuits tend to be hard and dry. Dog biscuits may be sold in a flat bone-shape...
s, but this venture failed to succeed. However back in LaRue, Lingo's wife, Beryl, revived the kennels. Although the operation was scaled down from its 1920's peak, the Oorang Kennel Company continued until Walter Lingo’s death in 1966.