# 1923 Oorang Indians season

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. They finished eighteenth in the league.

## 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. 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.
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 ostensible hometown proved to be a debacle, a Thanksgiving day exhibition game against the Marion Athletic Club at the county fairgrounds. 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.
The 1923 season would prove to be the team.

## Schedule

| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 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 |
| 4 | October 21 | at Buffalo All-Americans | L 0–57 | 0–4 | Buffalo Baseball Park | 12,000 | Recap |
| 5 | October 28 | at Cleveland Indians | L 0–27 | 0–5 | Dunn Field | | Recap |
| 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 | — |
| 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

NFL standings :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| Canton Bulldogs | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 246 | 19 | W5 |
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 2 | 1 | .818 | 123 | 35 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 7 | 2 | 1 | .778 | 85 | 34 | W5 |
| Milwaukee Badgers | 7 | 2 | 3 | .778 | 100 | 49 | W1 |
| Cleveland Indians | 3 | 1 | 3 | .750 | 52 | 49 | L1 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 161 | 56 | L1 |
| Duluth Kelleys | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 35 | 33 | L3 |
| Buffalo All-Americans | 5 | 4 | 3 | .556 | 94 | 43 | L1 |
| Columbus Tigers | 5 | 4 | 1 | .556 | 119 | 35 | L1 |
| Toledo Maroons | 3 | 3 | 2 | .500 | 35 | 66 | L1 |
| Racine Legion | 4 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 86 | 76 | W1 |
| Rock Island Independents | 2 | 3 | 3 | .400 | 84 | 62 | L1 |
| Minneapolis Marines | 2 | 5 | 2 | .286 | 48 | 81 | L1 |
| St. Louis All-Stars | 1 | 4 | 2 | .200 | 25 | 74 | L1 |
| Hammond Pros | 1 | 5 | 1 | .167 | 14 | 59 | L4 |
| Akron Pros | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | 25 | 74 | W1 |
| Dayton Triangles | 1 | 6 | 1 | .143 | 16 | 95 | L2 |
| Oorang Indians | 1 | 10 | 0 | .091 | 50 | 257 | W1 |
| Louisville Brecks | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 90 | L3 |
| Rochester Jeffersons | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 6 | 141 | L4 |
    Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.