Walter Lingo was an Airedale Terrier breeder from La Rue, Ohio.
22 Facts About Walter Lingo
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Walter Lingo bred his first litter when he was 9 years old in 1900.
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Walter Lingo's efforts resulted in the King Oorang breed of Airedale dogs.
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Walter Lingo spent most of his time breeding and training his championship Oorang Airedale dogs in LaRue.
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Walter Lingo expanded his breeding program to meet the enormous demand for Airedales by selling up to a thousand Airedale bitches to farmers throughout Ohio.
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Walter Lingo took back the bitches for breeding and whelping, then returned them to their owners, while buying back the pups at a pre-agreed price.
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Walter Lingo then resold the pups to buyers throughout the country.
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Reportedly Walter Lingo sold up to 15,000 Airedales per year, and by the mid-1920s he claimed to be spending $2,000 per month on advertising.
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Walter Lingo donated a stud dog for Red Cross work in Europe to the military during World War I, then, after the war, promoted in advertising for the purpose of breeding.
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However many of Walter Lingo's neighbors described the Airedales as killers.
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Walter Lingo invited celebrities, such as Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers, boxer Jack Dempsey, actor Gary Cooper, Tris Speaker of the Cleveland Indians, and Olympic sprinter Charles Paddock to LaRue to hunt with him and his dogs.
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Walter Lingo established the squad as a publicity stunt and named the team after his Oorang dog kennels.
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The stunt worked and Walter Lingo would go on to make a million dollars selling Airedales in just one year, during the height of popularity of the Oorang Indians.
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Walter Lingo hired Thorpe to put together a team that only consisted of Native American players.
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Walter Lingo was paid $500 a week to organize the team.
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Walter Lingo required them to work in his kennels, caring for his dogs.
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Walter Lingo forced his players to parade around the football field with his dogs during half times, hoping that fans would purchase his dogs.
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Walter Lingo used his own Airedale terrier magazine, Oorang Comments, to get dog and football enthusiasts buzzing about his product and his team.
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However, the novelty eventually wore off and Walter Lingo pulled his financial backing.
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Many football historians credit Walter Lingo with creating the halftime show.
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People could no longer afford the Airedales, prompting Walter Lingo to have approximately three hundred puppies euthanized in 1929 alone.
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Walter Lingo eventually tried to establish a business in Minneapolis, Minnesota that manufactured dog biscuits, but this venture failed to succeed.