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Nick Lassa

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Nick Lassa
Date of birth(1898-07-11)July 11, 1898
Place of birthFlathead Indian Reservation, Montana
Date of deathSeptember 4, 1964(1964-09-04) (aged 66)
Career information
Position(s)Tackle, center, guard, end
Uniform number14 (1922)
7 (1923)
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight205 lb (93 kg)
High schoolCarlisle Indian
Haskell Indian
Career history
As player
1922–1923Oorang Indians
Career highlights and awards
Career stats

Nicholas Anthony Lassa, (July 11, 1898 – September 4, 1964) more popularly referred to as Long Time Sleep, was a professional American football player from the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana.

Biography

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Born on July 11, 1898, Lassa was Native American and a member of the Pend d'Orielle tribe, one of three members of the confederated tribes of the Flathead reservation in Montana. He was given the name, Long Time Sleep, by his teammates because he was difficult to wake up in the morning. [1]

Lassa attended and played college football at the Carlisle Indian School and Haskell Institute.[2] Lassa eventually played in the National Football League in 1922 with the Oorang Indians.

The Oorang Indians were an all-Native American football team based in La Rue, Ohio and formed by Walter Lingo in 1922 to help promote his Airedale kennel. The team was organized by Jim Thorpe, who served the team as a player-coach.[3] When the team formed, Lassa was the first player to arrive in La Rue.[4]

Aside from football, Lassa enjoyed wrestling. He would make up to $50 (equivalent to $910 in 2023)[5] for wrestling matches throughout the area. In fact he is most remembered for wrestling a bear as part of a halftime show of one of the Indians' games. Lassa would usually win $10–$20 (equivalent to $182–$364 in 2023)[5] per match, which would allow the whole team to go out partying all night.[3][6]

After the team folded in 1923, Lassa stayed near LaRue, earning his living as a professional wrestler and strongman. He also stayed on working for Lingo and several of the other farmers in the area. He finally left the area in the early 1930s. He reportedly gave up drinking, raised a family, and became a respected member of his community.[4] Lassa died on September 4, 1964.

References

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  1. ^ "NFL History: CSKT Member Nick Lasso And The Oorong Indian Football Team Were A Crowd Favorite In 1922–1923". S&K Technologies, Inc. S&K News Journal.
  2. ^ "NFL Players who attended Haskell Indian Nations University". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Braunwart, Bob; Bob Carroll; Joe Horrigan (1981). "The Oorang Indians" (PDF). Coffin Corner. 3 (1). Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–17. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Willis, Chris. "Remembering the Oorang Indians" (PDF). Coffin Corner. 24 (3). Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2012.
  5. ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  6. ^ D'Ambrosio, Brian (March 8, 2021). "The Forgotten Legend of Nick Lassa". Flathead Living. Flathead Beacon Productions. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
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