Football of Yore: "On any given Sunday..." Hominy Indians
A forgotten part of football and Native American History, the Hominy Indians.
We've just completed the Academy Awards and the Osage Indians we part of it, although they didn't win an Oscar the broke a barrier and opened up a whole new era for Native American Films that tell many great stores, some very sad, some inspiring and some just a hell of a lot of fun, most have been buried and rarely heard by the white world. This is one of them, The Hominy Indians a barnstorming football team of mostly Osage Indians that played in the 1920s and in one spectacular game stunned the world champion New York Giants. The team was sponsored by two Osage brothers.
Enjoy a small part of history.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A journey into a collection of 19th and early 20th century American football memorabilia.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
"On any given Sunday..." Hominy Indians
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| 1927 Hominy Indians vs. NFL Champion New York Giants Game Ball |
This is one of the few "vintage" footballs in our collection. This particular item was the game ball from a little known and mostly forgotten part of football history. A professional team of Indians from various tribes, playing together as the Hominy Indians (from Hominy, Oklahoma), took on the 1927 World Champion New York Giants (basically a post season barnstorming team made up of mostly New York Giants and other notable players) in an exhibition game that many assumed would be rather dominating for the champions. The Giants had just gone 11-1 during the regular season, absolutely dismantling most of their competition. Over their twelve games, the champions scored a total of 197 points and held their opponents to just 20 points over that stretch. The Giants forced a total of nine shutouts, holding teams like the Pottsville Maroons, Frankford Yellow Jackets, Cleveland Bulldogs, and Duluth Eskimos scoreless. The champions doomed some of the most elite offenses in early football in unparalleled fashion (not to mention what the Giants did to these teams' defenses). The Indians, while unable to boast such an impressive record against NFL teams, had made somewhat of a name for themselves because they traveled up and down the east coast playing football. The squad had never lost any of their football games, and the Indians had earned a devoted following. Still, however, Hominy was not an NFL-caliber team. And few teams, let alone a team composed of unknown and untested players, could seriously contend with the Giants, the champions of the National Football League and presumably greatest team in the country. The Indians' fate rested with the great John Levi, who Jim Thorpe called "the best athlete" he'd ever seen. It is difficult to discern what from John Levi's biography is fact and what stems from legend. He is perhaps one of the most storied players from the early years of football. It has been said, for example, that Levi could drop-kick the football, which was rounder and heavier than today's ball, from the 50-yard line and send it through the goal posts. Legend also has it that Levi could pass the ball 100 yards. While there is no way to confirm these tales, what is certain is Levi's importance to the Hominy Indians and the development of football. Others on the Hominy team besides Levi, including some who had previously been coached by Jim Thorpe on the Oorang Indians (such as Joe Pappio), would also be essential if the Indians were to pull off a miracle against the Giants. During their exhibition game on December 27, the Indians and Giants engaged in a ferocious contest in front of over 2,000 fans. The Hominy squad outlasted the NFL champions and won by a score of 13 to 6, in what became one of the most unexpected upsets in football history. It is interesting to note that Hominy is the only Indian team to ever defeat an NFL team; not even Carlisle could ever do it. And Hominy did not just take down any NFL squad - they pummeled the champions . Jacob and I have been corresponding with Art Shoemaker, of Hominy, Oklahoma, who researched the Hominy Indians, and through him, we obtained extensive information on the team. Art is a wealth of information and is likely the most knowledgeable (and sharing) authority on Hominy and related Indian football. He is a researcher, author and a true gentleman. We sincerely thank him for his time and efforts. The game ball is in excellent condition. A beautiful piece of history. 
Posted by Joe at 5:10 PM
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A part of American and football history.
During this time, another college football a very small school compared to the football giants and legendary players and schools that they played is part of that Indian History that seems to have disappeared. I'll be posting the story of the Carlisle Indians School top-rated college football team in the future. Some call it the game that changed football.
Let's enjoy the Hominy Indians.
He was not an Osage (Sac / Fox) but Native American Jim Thorpe of Oklahoma was arguably the greatest athlete of all time...
Bright Path will play in important part in the next article about football that I'll seed.
there 's a town in PA named for him
Interesting
Indeed it is.
A movie should be made of it. Movies about sports breakthroughs are good entertainment. Think of the movies 42 about Jackie Robinson and A League of Their Own about the women's professional baseball teams.
It would make a great movie, and the next article that I post will make an even greater movie.
We've just completed the Academy Awards and the Osage Indians we part of it, although they didn't win an Oscar the broke a barrier and opened up a whole new era for Native American Films that tell many great stores, some very sad, some inspiring and some just a hell of a lot of fun, most have been buried and rarely heard by the white world.
I tend to agree with that. It is really a second part to a historical story that Director John Ford began in the 1950s.
That is up for debate since many experts believe he exploited the Indian and did not favor him. If your comment is true then it took decades before Hollywood and the Amercan public saw an authentic movie about Indians. Not much of a record.
The entire article is well worth reading. This is another article that is well worth reading:
Any thoughts on the article itself?
I'm in favor of history being told. All of it.
I am as well but only if it's true, not make believe.
What do you consider "make believe?'
hilarious comment...
Did you see anything that was make believe in Kavika's article?
Maybe you're right. It is hilarious.
Perhaps you can explain to us natives how the Hollywood portrayals of us over the years were accurate?
We have had all types of portrayals. Are the ones in Dances with Wolves accurate? Are the ones in The Searchers accurate?
Are you saying that only documentaries should be taken seriously? If that is your view, I'm ok with that.
In the context of Native Americans most of what you say.
I never said any such thing, especially since we are talking about ''Killers of the Flower Moon'' and it is not a documentary. There you go again, Vic making stuff up or deflecting from the article and comments.
It is not a good look for you.
So then, maybe we can agree that a movie can be both entertaining and somewhat based on truth?
Yes, it can but that is not what we are discussing.
You've done your best to derail the article and lost your point so if you have anything to say about the article, now is the time that is if you're actually interested in that bit of sporting history.
In that case, thank you for letting me speak.
Hollywood movies.
it's hilarious that you think that was the comment of yours that I was replying to...
... stereotypical attention to detail.
Details, details.
gosh darn those indians for beating a bunch of white guys in a land acquisition game of commercial exploitation...
Nicely put, devan.
thanks kav...
So, we can expect nothing but documentaries on the story of westward expansion. No more Dances with Wolves make believe stories.
Glad to hear it.
Dances with Wolves, a decent movie but once again it is the white man as the savior of the Lakota.
You probably don't watch Fox News, but last night Jesse Waters had a controversial Native American guest whom many Americans might have a personal portrayal of.
If you want to watch it, let me know what you think:
I've seen it and nothing that he stated was untrue.
Why do you keep trying to deflect from the movie? Was it because it showed white people are murderers, thieves so now you in your immature way have to get some payback? It is but one case in thousands of the mindset of whites regarding Indians.
With that kind of mindset who were your heroes, Chivington, Kit Carson, and Custer?
I'm not trying to deflect. I liked the movie and thought it was informative at the same time.
That being said, I assume the same could be true if a movie were made about the Fetterman massacre.
The Fetterman massacre, well then why not the Sand Creek Massacre as well, there are plenty of examples of Manifest Destiny available.
Yes, Kavika, let us have all of it. It is a great forum for history.
It most certainly you should post what you believe is the unvarnished history.