Carlisle Indians football The Carlisle Indians football team represented the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in intercollegiate football competition . The program was active from 1893 until 1917 , when it was discontinued . During the program ' s 25 years , the Indians compiled a 167 – 88 – 13 record and 0 . 647 winning percentage , which makes it the most successful defunct major college football program . During the early 20th century , Carlisle was a national football powerhouse , and regularly competed against other major programs such as the Ivy League schools . Several notable players and coaches were associated with the team , including Glenn " Pop " Warner and Jim Thorpe . History . The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was founded in 1879 by an American cavalry officer , Richard Henry Pratt , in Carlisle , Pennsylvania . Its purpose was to facilitate the assimilation of the Native American population into mainstream American society . In 1893 , the Indians played their first season recognized by the NCAA . The Indians were consistently outsized by the teams they scheduled , and they in turn relied on speed and guile to remain competitive . Carlisle ' s playbook gave rise to many trick play s and other innovations that are now commonplace in American football . The overhand spiral throw and hand - off fake are both credited to Carlisle . Other strategems caused the National Collegiate Athletic Association to institute rules specifically prohibiting them . In 1903 , an Indian team coached by Pop Warner first employed its infamous " hidden - ball play " against heavily - favored Harvard . Warner , as coach at Cornell , had already used it against Penn State , but it had not achieved much notice . Carlisle led Harvard at halftime , and hoping to keep the game ' s momentum , Warner elected to try the play on the ensuing kickoff . Harvard executed the kick , and the Indians formed a circle around the returner . With the aid of a specially altered jersey , the ball was placed up the back of the returner . The Indians broke the huddle and spread out in different directions . Each player feigned carrying the ball , except Dillon , the man with the ball up the back of his jersey . The ruse confused the Crimson players , and they scrambled to find the ball carrier . Dillon , with both his hands free , was ignored by the searching Harvard players , and he ran unmolested into the end zone . With the score , Carlisle extended its lead to 11 – 0 , but Harvard came back and eventually won 12 – 11 . Nevertheless , the close match , and trick play , resulted in national attention . In 1907 , Jim Thorpe , undersized even for the Indians , persuaded Warner to allow him to try - out for the team . Thorpe immediately impressed his coach and secured a starting position on the team . On October 26 , 1907 , Jim Thorpe and Carlisle trounced a powerful University of Pennsylvania team , 26 - 6 , before an overflow crowd of 20 , 000 at Franklin Field . After graduating from Carlisle , he went on to stardom in numerous athletic endeavors , including as an Olympic athlete and professional player in football , baseball , and basketball . In 1911 , the Indians posted an 11 – 1 record , which included one of the greatest upsets in college football history . Against Harvard , Thorpe scored all of the Indians ' points in a shocking upset over the period powerhouse , 18 – 15 . The only loss for Carlisle came at the hands of Syracuse the following week , 12 – 11 . The Indians ' last season of play was 1917 . The school would fold at the end of the 1917 - 18 school year . Many of the Indians ' players would eventually end up in the National Football League and other professional football teams during the 1920s .