1923 Columbus Tigers program
The Columbus Panhandles were a pro team long before the National Football League was formed in 1920. Columbus joined the NFL as a charter member that first season and played in the league from 1920 through 1926. The team changed its nickname to the Tigers in ’23.
Here is the cover of the game program from the Tigers’ win over the Oorang Indians on Sunday, Nov. 25, 1923. Oorang’s entire roster consisted of Native American Indians including the legendary Jim Thorpe. Columbus defeated Oorang that day, 27-3, by scoring all of their points in the first half. Thorpe drop-kicked a 47-yard field goal for Oorang’s only points. After playing a great game in a losing cause, Thorpe was forced from the game with a leg injury sustained in the fourth quarter.
Click on the image below to see the program’s cover and inside roster spread.
Related stories: Jim Thorpe’s HOF Bio | Oorang Indians | All-Time listing of NFL franchises
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