During the weekend of October 27th to 30th, 1926, Haskell Institute hosted a celebration and dedication to the newly constructed football stadium and Arch. (Donations for the construction of the stadium came from all over Indian Country. Haskell students provided the majority of the physical labor for the construction of the stadium). Jim Thorpe and John Levi, both well-known Haskell athletes, gave an exhibition. Thorpe did the kicking and Levi the passing. John Levi threw a pass for 83 yards. The weekend celebration included a Buffalo feast, a powwow, a "Hiawatha" performance by Haskell students and a football game against Bucknell University (Pennsylvania). Haskell Institute won 36-0.
Historically, Haskell's sports teams played against major universities and colleges from across the country. James Turner commented: "By defeating nearly every team they played, Haskell - a tiny remedial Indian School in the mud flats of Kansas - has become a threat to the nation's prestigious university athletic system."
John Levi
John Levi, Arapaho (1898-1946) - He attended Haskell Institute in the 1920's. In 1923, while a junior, he won All-American Football-Fullback honors. He was to play for the NY Yankees but returned to Haskell to coach, He was quoted as saying "I got homesick. I had to come back to my people".
Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe, Sac and Fox and Potawatomi, (1888-1953) - attended Haskell Institute for a couple of years. He is considered to be one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals for the 1912 Pentathlon and Decathlon, played American football (collegiate and professional) and played professional baseball and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he was paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals.
Billy Mills
Billy Mills, Oglala Sioux (born in 1938), took up running while attending Haskell Institute. He won the Olympic Gold in the 10,000 meter run in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. He is currently the only American to have won the Olympic gold in the 10,000 meter run. Billy Mills serves as the spokesman for Running Strong for American Indian Youth, an organization that helps support projects that benefit the American Indian youth.
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