WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.379 Welcome to the Deep Dive. We are stepping into 00:00:03.379 --> 00:00:05.740 the archives today to explore the life of an 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:08.619 athlete whose real -world statistics sound like 00:00:08.619 --> 00:00:12.500 they belong in, honestly, a work of fiction. 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:15.039 They really do. It's pretty mind -blowing. Yeah, 00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:17.480 totally. We are pulling all our information today 00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:20.579 from a comprehensive Wikipedia article detailing 00:00:20.579 --> 00:00:23.719 the life of Louis Weller. He was universally 00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:27.820 known to sports historians and... his contemporaries 00:00:27.820 --> 00:00:30.940 as Rabbit Weller. And he was a Native American 00:00:30.940 --> 00:00:33.579 athlete from the Caddo tribe, born in Anadarko, 00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:39.020 Oklahoma territory on March 2, 1904. And as we 00:00:39.020 --> 00:00:41.060 go through the source material today, you're 00:00:41.060 --> 00:00:42.740 going to hear about a career that fundamentally 00:00:42.740 --> 00:00:45.280 challenges our modern assumptions about human 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:47.299 athletic potential. It is a really fascinating 00:00:47.299 --> 00:00:49.799 subject to explore with you because when you 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:51.539 look at the landscape of modern sports today, 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:55.039 everything is driven by extreme early specialization. 00:00:55.299 --> 00:00:58.049 Oh, absolutely. Right. A modern athlete typically 00:00:58.049 --> 00:01:02.090 chooses one sport and often like one highly specific 00:01:02.090 --> 00:01:04.170 position within that sport. And they train for 00:01:04.170 --> 00:01:06.590 it year round from a very young age. We have 00:01:06.590 --> 00:01:10.950 sports science, biomechanical analysis and highly 00:01:10.950 --> 00:01:13.689 targeted nutrition. It's a whole machine. Exactly. 00:01:13.790 --> 00:01:16.230 A total machine. But when we look at Louis Weller, 00:01:16.290 --> 00:01:19.510 we are forced to completely reevaluate that paradigm. 00:01:19.930 --> 00:01:22.769 We are looking at a multi -sport marvel of the 00:01:22.769 --> 00:01:26.560 early 20th century. He dominated across. Completely 00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:29.239 different disciplines in a way that is just vanishingly 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:31.599 rare in the recorded history of athletics. Yeah, 00:01:31.659 --> 00:01:34.200 it really is. His story is a testament to raw, 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:37.439 adaptable, instinctual athletic genius, the kind 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:40.120 that existed long before the advent of modern 00:01:40.120 --> 00:01:42.280 training facilities. Okay, let's untack this 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:44.620 because to really understand the scale of what 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:46.719 he accomplished, we need to trace his past from 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:49.500 the beginning. Weller was born in Anadarko, Oklahoma, 00:01:49.859 --> 00:01:52.620 but his athletic journey really starts gaining 00:01:52.620 --> 00:01:55.480 documented traction when he becomes a multi - 00:01:55.500 --> 00:01:58.040 sport athlete at Arkansas City High School in 00:01:58.040 --> 00:02:00.840 Kansas. And after his high school years, he moves 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:03.480 up to Arkansas City Junior College where he plays 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:08.039 football for the 1925 and 1926 seasons. And the 00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:10.580 source notes that in just those two seasons, 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:14.740 Weller scored a total of 190 points. Which is 00:02:14.740 --> 00:02:17.919 massive. Yeah, and that included 28 touchdowns. 00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:20.199 And to truly appreciate those numbers, we have 00:02:20.199 --> 00:02:22.719 to establish what the game of football actually 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:26.120 looked like in 1925 and 1926. Right. It wasn't 00:02:26.120 --> 00:02:28.319 the game we know now. No, not at all. It was 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:30.819 a vastly different environment than the high 00:02:30.819 --> 00:02:32.900 -flying, pass -heavy game you might watch on 00:02:32.900 --> 00:02:35.080 television today. This was the leather helmet 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:37.659 era. Just brutal. Completely brutal. The forward 00:02:37.659 --> 00:02:40.659 pass was legal, but it was rarely used and heavily 00:02:40.659 --> 00:02:43.219 penalized if incomplete. The entire offensive 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:46.039 philosophy of the sport was predicated on dense, 00:02:46.099 --> 00:02:48.919 physical, ground -based attacks. Three yards 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:52.039 in a cloud of dust. Precisely. Teams would routinely 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:53.819 run the ball directly into the middle of the 00:02:53.819 --> 00:02:56.080 defensive line, hoping to grind out two or three 00:02:56.080 --> 00:02:58.719 yards at a time. Scoring was incredibly low. 00:02:58.919 --> 00:03:01.460 Games frequently ended in ties or with scores 00:03:01.460 --> 00:03:05.199 like 6 -3 or 7 -0. Which means crossing the goal 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:08.180 line was a massive grinding undertaking for an 00:03:08.180 --> 00:03:10.860 entire team. Exactly. The defensive formations 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:13.340 were stacked to stop the run because everyone 00:03:13.340 --> 00:03:16.159 knew the run was coming. So for Luis Weller to 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:18.919 consistently find the end zone 14 times a season 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:21.520 in that specific era. It's unreal. It means he 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:23.460 was operating at a completely different speed 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:25.719 and with a completely different level of agility 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:28.819 than every single person trying to tackle him. 00:03:29.020 --> 00:03:32.020 He wasn't benefiting from modern spread offenses 00:03:32.020 --> 00:03:34.949 that create. wide open spaces, he was creating 00:03:34.949 --> 00:03:37.710 his own space in a highly congested, physically 00:03:37.710 --> 00:03:41.289 punishing environment. That context casts a completely 00:03:41.289 --> 00:03:44.009 different light on those 28 touchdowns. And it 00:03:44.009 --> 00:03:46.789 perfectly sets the stage for his next move. In 00:03:46.789 --> 00:03:49.590 1927, the source tells us Weller attends the 00:03:49.590 --> 00:03:52.139 Chiloco Indian School. For some historical context, 00:03:52.460 --> 00:03:55.319 the Coloco Indian Agricultural School was one 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:57.900 of several federal off -reservation boarding 00:03:57.900 --> 00:04:01.020 schools for Native Americans. And while the complex 00:04:01.020 --> 00:04:03.580 and often painful history of assimilation policies 00:04:03.580 --> 00:04:06.599 at these government -run institutions is a massive 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:09.000 topic of its own, historically, these schools 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:12.509 also became places where incredibly strong deeply 00:04:12.509 --> 00:04:15.090 bonded athletic traditions were forged among 00:04:15.090 --> 00:04:17.350 Native students. They really were powerhouses. 00:04:17.569 --> 00:04:20.529 They were. And it is at Chiloco that Weller produces 00:04:20.529 --> 00:04:24.269 a statistic that almost defies belief. The article 00:04:24.269 --> 00:04:27.209 highlights a specific game from that 1927 season. 00:04:27.899 --> 00:04:30.339 In a single football game, Luis Weller returns 00:04:30.339 --> 00:04:32.740 seven punts for touchdowns. What's fascinating 00:04:32.740 --> 00:04:35.139 here is the sheer biomechanical and statistical 00:04:35.139 --> 00:04:37.980 improbability of that event. Even today, returning 00:04:37.980 --> 00:04:40.279 a single punt for a touchdown is widely considered 00:04:40.279 --> 00:04:42.720 one of the most difficult, chaotic plays to execute 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:44.680 in the sport. Oh, for sure. You are standing 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:47.279 completely still, looking up into the sky to 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:51.300 track a falling ball. Meanwhile, 11 highly motivated 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:54.720 defensive players are sprinting 40 to 50 yards 00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:57.279 down the field at full speed with a running start, 00:04:57.519 --> 00:05:00.899 converging on your exact location. The moment 00:05:00.899 --> 00:05:03.279 you catch the ball, you are immediately surrounded 00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:06.139 by chaos. And there were no modern blocking schemes 00:05:06.139 --> 00:05:09.519 to protect him. Precisely. To evade all 11 of 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:11.860 those tacklers in the open field requires elite 00:05:11.860 --> 00:05:14.800 peripheral vision, sudden directional changes 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:17.480 without losing momentum, and sheer breakaway 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:20.579 speed. To successfully return one punt for a 00:05:20.579 --> 00:05:22.560 touchdown is the highlight of a player's season. 00:05:22.699 --> 00:05:26.060 To do it seven times in a single afternoon requires 00:05:26.060 --> 00:05:28.860 a level of physical stamina and dominance that 00:05:28.860 --> 00:05:31.279 borders on the absurd. I want you to just try 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:33.339 and imagine the sheer cardiovascular exhaustion 00:05:33.339 --> 00:05:35.459 of sprinting the length of a football field for 00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:37.959 a touchdown, evading tackles the entire way and 00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:39.600 then having to go back out and do it six more 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:42.000 times before the final whistle blows. It sounds 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:43.959 impossible. It really paints a picture of an 00:05:43.959 --> 00:05:46.139 athlete who was simply untouchable by the peers 00:05:46.139 --> 00:05:49.019 of his era. And he didn't slow down after that. 00:05:49.550 --> 00:05:52.310 From Chilocco, Weller's journey takes him to 00:05:52.310 --> 00:05:54.889 the Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas. Another 00:05:54.889 --> 00:05:58.290 legendary program. Yes. Haskell is another profoundly 00:05:58.290 --> 00:06:01.269 important institution in this era. It was originally 00:06:01.269 --> 00:06:03.430 established as a boarding school, but evolved 00:06:03.430 --> 00:06:06.589 into a premier athletic powerhouse that recruited 00:06:06.589 --> 00:06:09.129 and showcased elite Native American talent from 00:06:09.129 --> 00:06:12.689 across the country. And Weller thrived there. 00:06:12.889 --> 00:06:15.370 He really did. He became a four -sport athlete 00:06:15.370 --> 00:06:18.699 at Haskell. Beyond that... The source notes he 00:06:18.699 --> 00:06:21.120 made history by becoming the school's first ever 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:24.120 three -time captain of the football team. And 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:27.000 the staggering statistics just continue. During 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:30.019 his tenure in Haskell, he scored 13 touchdowns 00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:32.240 that were 60 yards or longer. Which provides 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:35.120 the perfect explanation for the nickname Rabbit. 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:37.839 Yeah, makes total sense. He wasn't a power back 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:40.139 grinding out the tough interior yards. He was 00:06:40.139 --> 00:06:42.600 a constant looming threat to break the game wide 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:45.000 open from anywhere on the field. When you are 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:47.420 scoring 13 different times from beyond the 60 00:06:47.420 --> 00:06:49.980 -yard line, it means you are consistently outrunning 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:52.540 the pursuit angles of the entire opposing defense. 00:06:52.819 --> 00:06:55.240 You just can't catch him. If he found even a 00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:57.519 momentary sliver of daylight, he accelerated 00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:00.279 past the secondary, and nobody had the foot speed 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:02.319 to catch him from behind. Which brings us to 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:05.100 a specific game in his legendary 1930 season 00:07:05.100 --> 00:07:07.759 that proves he wasn't just compiling these numbers 00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:12.199 against inferior regional teams. In 1930, Haskell 00:07:12.199 --> 00:07:14.980 schedules a game against the Oklahoma A &M Cowboys. 00:07:15.879 --> 00:07:18.480 Massive. At the time of this matchup, Oklahoma 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:21.579 A &M was an undefeated college program. This 00:07:21.579 --> 00:07:23.319 was a high -stakes game against a formidable 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:26.379 opponent, and Weller completely takes over. He 00:07:26.379 --> 00:07:28.920 returns a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. Wow. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:31.740 Later in the same game, he returns a punt 95 00:07:31.740 --> 00:07:34.160 yards for what becomes the game -winning touchdown. 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:36.800 Haskell defeats the undefeated Cowboys by a score 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:40.519 of 13 -12. He essentially toppled a perfect college 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:43.000 team through two massive special teams plays. 00:07:43.339 --> 00:07:45.720 It is a stunning display of individual impact 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:48.600 on a team sport. In a game decided by a single 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:50.519 point against an undefeated, highly organized 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:53.019 opponent, the margin for error is absolutely 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:55.420 zero. Every single possession matters. It really 00:07:55.420 --> 00:07:58.079 does. For Weller to take both a kickoff and a 00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:00.319 punt back for near... the entire length of the 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:03.079 field demonstrates an extraordinary clutch factor. 00:08:03.319 --> 00:08:06.019 He didn't just accumulate statistics in blowout 00:08:06.019 --> 00:08:08.259 games when the pressure was off. He delivered 00:08:08.259 --> 00:08:10.939 historically significant game -breaking performances 00:08:10.939 --> 00:08:14.339 exactly when his team needed them the most to 00:08:14.339 --> 00:08:17.019 secure a critical victory against elite competition. 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:19.680 And the source provides a really unique anecdote 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:22.839 from that same 1930 season that highlights just 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:25.860 how much of a spectacle he had become. Weller 00:08:25.860 --> 00:08:27.939 participated in a charity football game that 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:30.550 year. But because he was so highly regarded by 00:08:30.550 --> 00:08:32.570 the local communities and his past institutions, 00:08:32.950 --> 00:08:35.350 the organizers arranged something highly unusual. 00:08:35.690 --> 00:08:38.149 I love this story. It's so good. Weller played 00:08:38.149 --> 00:08:40.049 the entire first half of the game representing 00:08:40.049 --> 00:08:44.049 Arkansas City Junior College. Then, at halftime, 00:08:44.090 --> 00:08:46.529 he literally swapped uniforms and played the 00:08:46.529 --> 00:08:48.370 second half of the game for the Chiloco Indian 00:08:48.370 --> 00:08:51.929 School. He competed for both opposing teams in 00:08:51.929 --> 00:08:54.250 the exact same game. If we connect this to the 00:08:54.250 --> 00:08:57.250 bigger picture, that charity game anecdote perfectly 00:08:57.250 --> 00:08:59.690 illustrates his unique cultural and athletic 00:08:59.690 --> 00:09:02.409 status at the time. He was an immense draw at 00:09:02.409 --> 00:09:04.350 the gate. People bought tickets just for him. 00:09:04.450 --> 00:09:07.250 Exactly. He was a highly entertaining, singularly 00:09:07.250 --> 00:09:10.210 talented figure and both institutions wanted 00:09:10.210 --> 00:09:13.019 to claim his legacy. The organizers understood 00:09:13.019 --> 00:09:15.399 that the fans in the stands were primarily there 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:17.919 to see Louie Weller run with the football, and 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:20.360 they wanted to maximize his time on the field 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:22.659 regardless of which sideline he was standing 00:09:22.659 --> 00:09:25.500 on. Makes sense. And this regional dominance 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:28.600 absolutely forced the national sports media to 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:31.320 pay attention. You simply couldn't ignore the 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:34.809 sheer volume of his achievements. In that 1930 00:09:34.809 --> 00:09:37.210 season, Weller was selected to the Newt Rockne 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:40.289 All -American team, and he was also named a United 00:09:40.289 --> 00:09:43.730 Press Second Team All -American. He was receiving 00:09:43.730 --> 00:09:46.450 formal validation at the absolute highest levels 00:09:46.450 --> 00:09:48.549 of collegiate sports. Here's where it gets really 00:09:48.549 --> 00:09:50.669 interesting. Up until this point in the deep 00:09:50.669 --> 00:09:53.389 dive, we have been focused entirely on his football 00:09:53.389 --> 00:09:55.769 career. We are talking about a man who returns 00:09:55.769 --> 00:09:58.809 seven punts for a touchdown in an afternoon and 00:09:58.809 --> 00:10:01.169 beats undefeated teams with 90 -yard returns. 00:10:01.669 --> 00:10:03.850 But the source material makes a point to emphasize 00:10:03.850 --> 00:10:07.470 that he was a true multi -sport athlete. The 00:10:07.470 --> 00:10:10.490 article notes he excelled in track, which makes 00:10:10.490 --> 00:10:12.450 logical sense when you consider the breakaway 00:10:12.450 --> 00:10:14.450 speed required for those long touchdown runs. 00:10:14.870 --> 00:10:17.929 The sprinting mechanics translate directly. He 00:10:17.929 --> 00:10:20.669 also excelled in baseball, utilizing that same 00:10:20.669 --> 00:10:23.919 hand -eye coordination and agility. But it is 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:26.340 his connection to the sport of basketball that 00:10:26.340 --> 00:10:28.500 introduces one of the most surprising details 00:10:28.500 --> 00:10:31.620 in the entire text. It is arguably the most compelling 00:10:31.620 --> 00:10:33.779 piece of historical documentation in the article 00:10:33.779 --> 00:10:36.320 because it comes from the ultimate primary source. 00:10:36.620 --> 00:10:38.720 It really does. The article provides a direct 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:41.600 quote from James Naismith. The inventor himself. 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:44.379 Yes. James Naismith is the physical educator 00:10:44.379 --> 00:10:46.559 who literally invented the sport of basketball 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:50.340 in 1891, hanging the original peach baskets in 00:10:50.340 --> 00:10:53.600 a gymnasium in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:56.320 his 1941 book, which detailed the origin and 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:58.720 development of the game he created, Naismith 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:01.240 specifically wrote about Louis Weller. It's incredible. 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:03.539 The creator of the sport called Weller, and I 00:11:03.539 --> 00:11:06.360 quote, the most expert dribbler I have ever seen. 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:09.039 I really want you to consider the immense weight 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:12.379 of that specific endorsement. James Naismith 00:11:12.379 --> 00:11:15.480 invented basketball in 1891. The quote we are 00:11:15.480 --> 00:11:18.639 discussing was published in his 1941 book. That 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.200 means by the time Naismith observed Weller playing 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:23.759 basketball, Naismith had been watching the sport 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:27.220 evolve for decades. 50 years of basketball. Yes. 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:29.519 He had seen the rules change. He had seen the 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:32.720 ball evolve. And he had watched the best collegiate 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:35.139 and early professional players in the world refine 00:11:35.139 --> 00:11:38.240 the mechanics of the game. And out of... Every 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:40.500 single basketball player he had evaluated in 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:43.679 his entire life, the literal inventor of the 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:46.820 sport points to a football halfback and declares 00:11:46.820 --> 00:11:49.220 him the most expert dribbler he has ever witnessed. 00:11:49.500 --> 00:11:51.639 It suggests a level of physical mastery that 00:11:51.639 --> 00:11:54.559 goes way beyond just being fast. It tells us 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:57.580 that Weller possessed a supreme, almost instinctual 00:11:57.580 --> 00:12:00.820 athletic grace. Dribbling a basketball, especially 00:12:00.820 --> 00:12:03.279 with the heavy laced leather basketballs used 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:06.100 in that era, requires exceptional spatial awareness, 00:12:06.299 --> 00:12:08.559 rhythm, and hand -eye coordination. It's totally 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:10.860 different from football. Right. It requires the 00:12:10.860 --> 00:12:13.360 ability to manipulate an object while maintaining 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:16.860 visual awareness of the defense, all while moving 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:19.840 at high speeds. That is a completely different 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:22.480 biomechanical skill set than breaking tackles 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:25.240 on a gridiron. It proves that Weller wasn't just 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:27.139 a football player who occasionally stepped onto 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:29.700 a basketball court. He was a pure foundational 00:12:29.700 --> 00:12:33.220 athlete who could manifest excellence in whatever 00:12:33.220 --> 00:12:35.419 physical environment he was placed in. It is 00:12:35.419 --> 00:12:38.159 the highest possible praise from the highest 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:41.909 possible authority. So after this incredible 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:43.730 collegiate career across all these different 00:12:43.730 --> 00:12:46.289 sports, Weller does eventually transition into 00:12:46.289 --> 00:12:48.909 professional football. The source outlines that 00:12:48.909 --> 00:12:50.690 he played two years in the professional ranks. 00:12:50.929 --> 00:12:54.169 In 1933, he joined the Boston Redskins of the 00:12:54.169 --> 00:12:56.230 National Football League. playing the halfback 00:12:56.230 --> 00:12:58.250 position, and his time in Boston brought about 00:12:58.250 --> 00:13:00.490 a significant reunion. A very cool connection. 00:13:00.730 --> 00:13:02.570 He ended up playing under his former coach from 00:13:02.570 --> 00:13:05.470 the Haskell Institute, William Henry Lone Star 00:13:05.470 --> 00:13:08.590 Dietz. The article also notes he played alongside 00:13:08.590 --> 00:13:10.950 two other Native American players on that Boston 00:13:10.950 --> 00:13:13.870 roster, a man named Chief Larry Johnson and John 00:13:13.870 --> 00:13:18.129 Oreen Crow. After his season in the NFL, Weller 00:13:18.129 --> 00:13:20.350 moved over to the American Football League, playing 00:13:20.350 --> 00:13:24.179 the 1934 season for the Tulsa Oilers. It is a 00:13:24.179 --> 00:13:26.679 relatively brief professional career by modern 00:13:26.679 --> 00:13:28.700 standards, but we have to view that through the 00:13:28.700 --> 00:13:31.679 lens of the 1930s. Professional football during 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:33.820 the Great Depression was not the multi -billion 00:13:33.820 --> 00:13:36.200 dollar, highly glamorous industry it is today. 00:13:36.379 --> 00:13:38.639 Not at all. The financial incentives were minimal, 00:13:38.820 --> 00:13:41.120 the travel was grueling, and the physical toll 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:44.240 remained incredibly high. Many elite college 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:46.480 athletes of that era played a year or two of 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:48.360 professional sports before transitioning into 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:51.919 more stable, long -term civilian careers. But 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:53.779 the connections Weller made during those professional 00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:56.019 years, particularly his time with the Boston 00:13:56.019 --> 00:13:58.519 Redskins, proved to be incredibly significant 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:00.840 for the rest of his life. That transition to 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:03.080 civilian life is the next major chapter in the 00:14:03.080 --> 00:14:05.620 article. After his football career concludes, 00:14:05.899 --> 00:14:09.480 Weller enters civil service. He spent his post 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:11.539 -athletic career working for the Bureau of Indian 00:14:11.539 --> 00:14:14.480 Affairs. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, or the 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:17.639 BIA, is the federal agency responsible for the 00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:20.299 administration and management of land held in 00:14:20.299 --> 00:14:22.779 trust by the United States for Native Americans, 00:14:23.080 --> 00:14:26.500 Indian tribes, and Alaska Natives. Transitioning 00:14:26.500 --> 00:14:28.360 from the gridiron to federal administration was 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:31.019 a major shift, but it allowed him to work directly 00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:34.519 within and for his community. And this phase 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:36.519 of his life Brings us to the end of his story, 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:38.919 which the article details the deeply poignant 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:41.639 final note. It is a detail that grounds his entire 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:44.940 story in a profound shared humanity. Louis Rabbit 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:48.860 Weller passed away on April 17th, 1979. He was 00:14:48.860 --> 00:14:51.360 75 years old, living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:53.840 The source notes that he suffered a fatal heart 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:55.519 attack while he was out playing a round of golf. 00:14:55.580 --> 00:14:58.100 Yeah. But the crucial detail is who he was playing 00:14:58.100 --> 00:15:00.279 golf with. He was sharing that round with John 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:02.519 Orion Crowe. That is the exact same John Orion 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:04.960 Crowe, who was his teammate on the Boston Redskins 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:08.600 back in 1933. 46 years earlier. Exactly. And 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:11.379 notably, Crowe had also gone on to serve as the 00:15:11.379 --> 00:15:12.919 commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 00:15:13.139 --> 00:15:15.779 It is a beautifully moving conclusion to his 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:18.360 life. We spend so much of our time in these discussions 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:22.379 analyzing the raw statistics, the 28 touchdowns, 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:25.700 the 90 -yard punt returns, the glowing endorsements 00:15:25.700 --> 00:15:28.019 from historical figures like James Naismith. 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:30.759 Yeah, the numbers. Right. It is very easy to 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:33.620 turn an athlete of this caliber into a two -dimensional 00:15:33.620 --> 00:15:36.559 myth on a page. But the fact that Weller's life 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:39.440 ended on a quiet golf course, walking alongside 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:42.200 a man he had shared a professional football backfield 00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:45.519 with 46 years prior, it speaks volumes about 00:15:45.519 --> 00:16:08.659 his It really does. So what does this all mean? 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:11.019 When you step back and look at the totality of 00:16:11.019 --> 00:16:13.620 Lewis Weller's life, his legacy is officially 00:16:13.620 --> 00:16:16.000 cemented in the historical record. record, even 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:18.019 if he isn't a name that gets brought up on modern 00:16:18.019 --> 00:16:21.539 sports television networks. Very true. The Wikipedia 00:16:21.539 --> 00:16:24.799 article concludes by outlining his formal institutional 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:29.600 recognition. In 1972, he was a charter inductee 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:31.879 into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. 00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:36.179 A few years later, in 1977, he was inducted into 00:16:36.179 --> 00:16:38.960 the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. And later, in 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:41.679 2001, he was enshrined in the Cowley College 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:44.200 Hall of Fame. The institutions that witnessed 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:46.200 his greatness made certain that his extraordinary 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:48.480 athletic and professional achievements would 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:50.580 be permanently preserved. And this raises an 00:16:50.580 --> 00:16:52.279 important question, one that I really want you 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:54.700 to mull over after we wrap up today. We have 00:16:54.700 --> 00:16:56.779 just walked through the life of an athlete who 00:16:56.779 --> 00:16:58.860 achieved things that sound physically impossible. 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:02.360 An athlete who returned seven punts for a touchdown 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:05.369 in a single afternoon. An athlete who single 00:17:05.369 --> 00:17:07.849 -handedly defeated an undefeated college football 00:17:07.849 --> 00:17:10.970 team with two massive returns. An athlete whose 00:17:10.970 --> 00:17:13.769 coordination was so profound that the inventor 00:17:13.769 --> 00:17:15.950 of basketball called him the greatest driggler 00:17:15.950 --> 00:17:17.950 he had ever witnessed. It's an unbelievable resume. 00:17:18.509 --> 00:17:20.430 If someone with a resume that's spectacular, 00:17:20.730 --> 00:17:23.269 a resume that fundamentally alters our understanding 00:17:23.269 --> 00:17:25.710 of athletic history, isn't a household name today, 00:17:25.890 --> 00:17:28.990 how many other incredible mythical figures are 00:17:28.990 --> 00:17:31.750 out there? How many other brilliant, world -changing 00:17:31.750 --> 00:17:33.990 lives are sitting quietly in a library archive 00:17:33.990 --> 00:17:36.930 or buried in a server database, just waiting 00:17:36.930 --> 00:17:39.390 for curious learners like you to rediscover them 00:17:39.390 --> 00:17:41.150 and bring their stories back to the surface? 00:17:41.450 --> 00:17:43.670 That is a phenomenal thought to carry with us. 00:17:43.730 --> 00:17:45.769 There's an endless depth of history out there 00:17:45.769 --> 00:17:48.279 just waiting to be explored. I want to thank 00:17:48.279 --> 00:17:50.000 you for taking the time to join us on this deep 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:52.599 dive today. It has been a true privilege to sift 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:54.640 through the archives and unpack the incredible, 00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:58.279 multifaceted legacy of Louis Rabbit Weller with 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:01.019 you. Keep your curiosity sharp, keep digging 00:18:01.019 --> 00:18:03.420 into those forgotten corners of the past, and 00:18:03.420 --> 00:18:04.460 we will see you next time.