LaRue in Marion County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Home of the Oorang Indians
NFL's Most Colorful Franchise
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., circa April 19, 2009
1. Home of the Oorang Indians Marker
The Oorang Indian football team was founded by LaRue native Walter Lingo (1890-1966), owner of the Oorang Airedale Dog Kennels. The team, comprised of Native American Indians, played in the National Football League (NFL) in 1922-23.
The star player and coach was Jim Thorpe (1887-1953), a Sac and Fox Indian. Thorpe gained international fame as a two-time gold medal winner (decathlon and pentathlon) in the 1912 Olympics and was acclaimed as the "World's Greatest Athlete."
The team gave LaRue the distinction of being the smallest community ever to have an NFL franchise.
Erected 1997 by Marion County Historical Society and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 7-51.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Sports. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location. 40° 34.372′ N, 83° 23.062′ W. Marker is in LaRue, Ohio, in Marion County. It is on High Street (Ohio Route 37), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Scioto Valley and in the Till Plains. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: LaRue (approx. 0.9 miles away); LaRue Veterans Memorial Column (approx. 1.9 miles away); LaRue Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.9 miles away); Wheeler Tavern (approx. 6.9 miles away); Old Sandusky Trail and Shawnee Ford (approx. 6.9 miles away); Six Points, Goshen Township (approx. 7.1 miles away); Cheney Cemetery Veterans Memorial (approx. 7½ miles away); Mount Victory Veterans Memorial (approx. 7.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in LaRue.
Also see . . . History of the Oorang Indians.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., circa April 19, 2009
2. Home of the Oorang Indians Marker
Looking north along High Street.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., circa April 19, 2009
3. Photo of the Oorang Indians on Marker
Photographed by Craig Doda, September 13, 2025
4. Home of the Oorang Indians Marker
Looking south out of town towards the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 30, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,377 times since then and 153 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 30, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 4. submitted on September 14, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.
