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The Real All Americans
Sally Jenkins, bestselling co-author of It's Not About the Bike, revives a forgotten piece of history in The Real All Americans. In doing so, she has crafted a truly inspirational story about a Native American football team that is as much about football as Lance Armstrong's book was about a bike.
If you’d guess that Yale or Harvard ruled the college gridiron in 1911 and 1912, you’d be wrong. The most popular team belonged to an institution called the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Its story begins with Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt, a fierce abolitionist who believed that Native Americans deserved a place in American society. In 1879, Pratt made a treacherous journey to the Dakota Territory to recruit Carlisle’s first students.
Years later, three students approached Pratt with the notion of forming a football team. Pratt liked the idea, and in less than twenty years the Carlisle football team was defeating their Ivy League opponents and in the process changing the way the game was played.
Sally Jenkins gives this story of unlikely champions a breathtaking immediacy. We see the legendary Jim Thorpe kicking a winning field goal, watch an injured Dwight D. Eisenhower limping off the field, and follow the glorious rise of Coach Glenn “Pop” Warner as well as his unexpected fall from grace.
The Real All Americans is about the end of a culture and the birth of a game that has thrilled Americans for generations. It is an inspiring reminder of the extraordinary things that can be achieved when we set aside our differences and embrace a common purpose.
If you’d guess that Yale or Harvard ruled the college gridiron in 1911 and 1912, you’d be wrong. The most popular team belonged to an institution called the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Its story begins with Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt, a fierce abolitionist who believed that Native Americans deserved a place in American society. In 1879, Pratt made a treacherous journey to the Dakota Territory to recruit Carlisle’s first students.
Years later, three students approached Pratt with the notion of forming a football team. Pratt liked the idea, and in less than twenty years the Carlisle football team was defeating their Ivy League opponents and in the process changing the way the game was played.
Sally Jenkins gives this story of unlikely champions a breathtaking immediacy. We see the legendary Jim Thorpe kicking a winning field goal, watch an injured Dwight D. Eisenhower limping off the field, and follow the glorious rise of Coach Glenn “Pop” Warner as well as his unexpected fall from grace.
The Real All Americans is about the end of a culture and the birth of a game that has thrilled Americans for generations. It is an inspiring reminder of the extraordinary things that can be achieved when we set aside our differences and embrace a common purpose.
368 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2007
68 people are currently reading
1111 people want to read
About the author
Sally Jenkins
49 books39 followersSally Jenkins is an American sports columnist and feature writer for The Washington Post, and author. She was previously a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. She has won the AP Sports Columnist of the Year Award five times, received the National Press Foundation 2017 chairman citation, and was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize. She is the author of a dozen books. Jenkins is noted for her writing on Pat Summitt, Joe Paterno, Lance Armstrong, and the United States Center for SafeSport.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
August 18, 2015
I LOVED this book, and you should read it even if you've listened to Sally Jenkins on Radiolab.
More review to come!
More review to come!
July 21, 2022
This is absolutely one of the best sports history books I’ve ever read. Sally Jenkins tells the full history of the Carlisle Indian football team, truly an amazing part of football history.
The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was opened by Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt in 1879. Pratt had been the Superintendent of a prison for Indians incarcerated during the various outbreaks of violence on the plains where he taught Indians to read and write and believed they were every bit the equal of white men. When Pratt opened the school, some of the students were sons of the very same men imprisoned by the U.S. government under Pratt, and in fact some of the students were essentially hostages of the U.S. government. Pratt believed that through education, discipline, and adoption of white man’s ways, that Indians could fully succeed in the growing American nation. While horribly paternalistic, it was enlightened for the times, as Pratt firmly believed Native Americans were every bit the equal of white men if given the chance to succeed.
Once the school opened some of the students became enamored of a new game evolving, American football, then dominated by the Ivy League schools, especially Yale and Harvard. Pratt agreed to put together a team called the Carlisle Indians, and eventually hired Glen “Pop” Warner to be its head coach. The school opened its inaugural football season in 1895, when they went 4-4 despite being robbed by the referees in some games. Given a very small recruiting pool and the violence of the game in that era, Pop Warner eventually made an undersized, and often undermanned team competitive with the likes of the dominant Yale, Harvard, and Army teams of the era.
The team soon had one of the most famous athletes in American history, Jim Thorpe. Jenkins does an excellent job of providing a mini-biography of Thorpe in this book and what he meant to the school. Thorpe was a somewhat eccentric, fun loving, even lazy character but his athletic prowess was amazing. Jenkins does an fantastic job of exploring Thorpe and the way Pop Warner got the best out of him, most of the time.
This book succeeds on many, many levels. First, it acts as a history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and the regime of Pratt. It fully places this amazing football team within the context of its times and what it meant for a team, all Native Americans, to be facing and competing equally with the scions of high society, and military teams, on the football field. She also puts the football team into the context and mission of the school itself, which was to instill education and discipline among its students, and how the team gave the school an additional reason to be proud. In fact, the team’s successes, and even its character when being cheated against by referees, was proof of Pratt’s philosophy and a showcasing of the proud, smart, solid character of its students.
Second, it acts as a biography, of sorts, of Glen “Pop” Warner and his unique coach-player relationship with the often recalcitrant Jim Thorpe. Warner was able to get the best out of Thorpe, and is the man who shepherded him to his gold medals in the Olympics. Further, Jenkins brings out how Warner was an innovator in the game, loving trick plays, but also devising strategies to take advantage of the smaller but speedier Indian teams against larger foes in an era when smashing into the line of scrimmage and sheer brawn and violence was the norm.
Third, she brings the team and drama to life in some of its biggest accomplishments and its biggest games. Maybe the most storied game of the Carlisle Indian team was its defeat of Army in 1912, only 22 years removed from the Army massacre of Indians at Wounded Knee. The Carlisle team featured Jim Thorpe, and the Army team included Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Indians won and had a great trick play. Read about it.
Finally, she follows the later careers of the players on this team. Some went on to serve in the U.S. military, including World War I. Others became successful in law or business. Yet others went home and become militant agitators for Indian rights. Not something Pratt had in mind, but their independence and intelligence was also something instilled in them at Carlisle.
This is a fabulous, well researched, and well written history of a forgotten team. It is a piece of history that goes beyond sports and beyond football. I highly recommend it.
The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was opened by Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt in 1879. Pratt had been the Superintendent of a prison for Indians incarcerated during the various outbreaks of violence on the plains where he taught Indians to read and write and believed they were every bit the equal of white men. When Pratt opened the school, some of the students were sons of the very same men imprisoned by the U.S. government under Pratt, and in fact some of the students were essentially hostages of the U.S. government. Pratt believed that through education, discipline, and adoption of white man’s ways, that Indians could fully succeed in the growing American nation. While horribly paternalistic, it was enlightened for the times, as Pratt firmly believed Native Americans were every bit the equal of white men if given the chance to succeed.
Once the school opened some of the students became enamored of a new game evolving, American football, then dominated by the Ivy League schools, especially Yale and Harvard. Pratt agreed to put together a team called the Carlisle Indians, and eventually hired Glen “Pop” Warner to be its head coach. The school opened its inaugural football season in 1895, when they went 4-4 despite being robbed by the referees in some games. Given a very small recruiting pool and the violence of the game in that era, Pop Warner eventually made an undersized, and often undermanned team competitive with the likes of the dominant Yale, Harvard, and Army teams of the era.
The team soon had one of the most famous athletes in American history, Jim Thorpe. Jenkins does an excellent job of providing a mini-biography of Thorpe in this book and what he meant to the school. Thorpe was a somewhat eccentric, fun loving, even lazy character but his athletic prowess was amazing. Jenkins does an fantastic job of exploring Thorpe and the way Pop Warner got the best out of him, most of the time.
This book succeeds on many, many levels. First, it acts as a history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and the regime of Pratt. It fully places this amazing football team within the context of its times and what it meant for a team, all Native Americans, to be facing and competing equally with the scions of high society, and military teams, on the football field. She also puts the football team into the context and mission of the school itself, which was to instill education and discipline among its students, and how the team gave the school an additional reason to be proud. In fact, the team’s successes, and even its character when being cheated against by referees, was proof of Pratt’s philosophy and a showcasing of the proud, smart, solid character of its students.
Second, it acts as a biography, of sorts, of Glen “Pop” Warner and his unique coach-player relationship with the often recalcitrant Jim Thorpe. Warner was able to get the best out of Thorpe, and is the man who shepherded him to his gold medals in the Olympics. Further, Jenkins brings out how Warner was an innovator in the game, loving trick plays, but also devising strategies to take advantage of the smaller but speedier Indian teams against larger foes in an era when smashing into the line of scrimmage and sheer brawn and violence was the norm.
Third, she brings the team and drama to life in some of its biggest accomplishments and its biggest games. Maybe the most storied game of the Carlisle Indian team was its defeat of Army in 1912, only 22 years removed from the Army massacre of Indians at Wounded Knee. The Carlisle team featured Jim Thorpe, and the Army team included Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Indians won and had a great trick play. Read about it.
Finally, she follows the later careers of the players on this team. Some went on to serve in the U.S. military, including World War I. Others became successful in law or business. Yet others went home and become militant agitators for Indian rights. Not something Pratt had in mind, but their independence and intelligence was also something instilled in them at Carlisle.
This is a fabulous, well researched, and well written history of a forgotten team. It is a piece of history that goes beyond sports and beyond football. I highly recommend it.
July 27, 2025
This is an amazing story, beautifully written and backed by documents. I had no idea.
April 2, 2019
Gripping tale of the Carlisle Indian School, the early years of football and the greatest athlete of all time, Jim Thorpe.
August 24, 2025
The success of the Carlisle Indian School on and off the football field is remarkable. This book covers so much but never feels rushed. Jenkins provides a detailed account of the end of the American Indian Wars, origin of Carlisle, and early history of football in America. I learned a lot I didn’t about the greatest sport ever invented. Carlisle played a major role in making the sport what it is today as the first team to regularly utilize the forward pass. Pop Warner truly revolutionized the game. The story of the 1912 team with Jim Thorpe was the perfect way to close the book. I’m ready to watch some college football now!
November 26, 2023
[9.0/10] The Real All Americans is a fascinating story about America’s government-run “Indian schools”, and about the early days of college football. Sally Jenkins finds the interesting places where the two intersect, where the Carlisle Indians became one of the original disruptors of college football, and the sport became a way for Carlisle and its faculty to try to show the country that their project was working.
It is a great book! The subject matter is enthralling, from the earliest days of Carlisle’s founder, Richard Henry Pratt, and his dealings with, respect for, and sympathy for local tribes; to the development of the school which would develop a mixed-at-best legacy; to the early days of college football itself and its rise in popularity at the school; to the arrival of none other than Pop Warner to coach the squad, and the eventual shuttering of both the team and the school.
The way The Real All Americans uses these events to comment on the history of the Indians’ mistreatment in America, the political snarls of the day, the debates about the shape of sport, and the shift from the “frontier” days of the United States to a nation closer in form to what we know today, make it a treat for anyone interested in indigenous history, football in America, and especially both.
Jenkins does well with the material, using figures like Pratt as a spine to tell these stories, while managing to provide broader context and acknowledge larger societal forces, rather than letting this devolve into a “Great Man” history. Her prose is engaging and poetic, even if she does use the occasional obscure and/or five dollar word. (I had to look up “cadged” among others.) One of her deftest choices is to liberally use quotes from original sources of the time, giving unvarnished views from people who were there in their own words. It’s a cliche to say, but hearing those words directly makes the history come alive.
My only complaint is that at some point the book runs out of steam. There’s a strong sense of build from Pratt’s early beginnings to the founding of the school, to its compromised early existence, to its steady successes, to Pratt himself being squeezed out. Likewise, the story of how the Carlisle football team began and, through determination and guile, was steadily able to put a thumb to the eye of the gridiron bluebloods is exciting. But in the last third or so, there’s not the same sense of structure or momentum, just a series of interesting enough but largely disconnected events as the book plays things out to the end.
Even so, it’s easy to be compelled by the figures Jenkins puts at the center of her story: Early figures like American Horse who had mixed feelings about the school, but wanted to give their children and grandchildren a leg-up as best they could, team stars like Bemus Pierce and Delos Lone Wolf who carved a path for the school in the public eye, characters like Pop Warner and Jim Thorpe who spice up an interesting historical survey, and sharp football players and sharper thinkers like Albert Exendine and Gus Welch who have important roles to play. The rush of names can be overwhelming at times, but there’s a handful that are easy to latch onto.
But the most fascinating of them all is Pratt, since he is such a man of contradictions, and the school he founds reflects that. In many ways, he is dramatically progressive for his day, not only sincerely caring about Indian welfare, but believing that we are all “born blank” and that Indians were no less capable than the Europeans who colonized their land. He has a sense of equality and care that is rare. On the other hand, his solution was to try to make them white, by stripping them of their culture, their heritage, even their names, and assimilate them into the society and culture Pratt knew and thought superior.
The tension of those two goals comes through in Carlisle, in the way that Pratt and his faculty seemed to genuinely care about his pupils and believe in their potential, while also patronizing and at times infantilizing them, while attempting to raze their cultural inheritance. Hearing the mixed feelings the Indian students had before, during, and after their time at Carlisle, and Pratt’s own changing views on the school and its place in the American experiment, are one of the best parts of the book.
The best thing I can say about The Real All Americans is that I came to it to learn a little more about the school’s unique football team, and yet at the end of the day, I would have been just as engrossed, and just as pleased with it, if it had never touched on Carlisle’s gridiron escapades.
But those escapades are no less fascinating! On the one hand, it’s interesting to see the development of the sport as we know it today (more or less). The transition from a ground and pound game to an aerial attack, the amusing logic that anything the rulebook doesn’t explicitly prohibit must be fair game, and the synod of football minds working to actively shape the game in its early days, are all engaging topics for the devoted football fan.
On the other, it’s striking, and humbling, to realize how many problems college football coaches, players, and commentators argue over today were just as prevalent in the early days of the game. There are cheating scandals that rock the sporting world! There are pained, vociferous debates over the safety of the game and the danger to its players! Most notably, there is a tremendous tug of war on the issue of amateurism versus paying players, with questions of whether the men who generate the interest and put their bodies on the line ought to get a cut of the proceeds that match the contours of disputes today. The sense that, despite a century of time passing, we’re still having the same basic arguments, is both awing and dispiriting.
So is the sense of football as a means of image management. The catch phrase these days is that your football team is the “front door” of your university. Carlisle meant for football to be the front door for an entire people. The sense in which the Carlisle squad meant for the gridiron to be a proving ground, to show the world they could stand with the champions of Harvard and Yale, and even beat them at their own game, adds a cultural dimension to the sport. The fact that they typically lacked the size of their opponents, but made up for it with nimbleness and cleverness, frames the Carlisle Indians as a true underdog story. And the fact that in those days especially, football was a dirty, gritty game, that the Carlisle squad had to play with total class and thick skin, lest they be considered succumbing to common stereotypes, adds another layer to their journey.
Overall, The Real All Americans is a tremendous work, one that illuminates a fascinating if demoralizing period in this country’s treatment of indigenous people, and uses football as a window into the cultural exchange, idealistic aspirations, and harsh realities that the Indians of Carlisle, and far beyond, dealt with as the game, and the nation, came of age.
It is a great book! The subject matter is enthralling, from the earliest days of Carlisle’s founder, Richard Henry Pratt, and his dealings with, respect for, and sympathy for local tribes; to the development of the school which would develop a mixed-at-best legacy; to the early days of college football itself and its rise in popularity at the school; to the arrival of none other than Pop Warner to coach the squad, and the eventual shuttering of both the team and the school.
The way The Real All Americans uses these events to comment on the history of the Indians’ mistreatment in America, the political snarls of the day, the debates about the shape of sport, and the shift from the “frontier” days of the United States to a nation closer in form to what we know today, make it a treat for anyone interested in indigenous history, football in America, and especially both.
Jenkins does well with the material, using figures like Pratt as a spine to tell these stories, while managing to provide broader context and acknowledge larger societal forces, rather than letting this devolve into a “Great Man” history. Her prose is engaging and poetic, even if she does use the occasional obscure and/or five dollar word. (I had to look up “cadged” among others.) One of her deftest choices is to liberally use quotes from original sources of the time, giving unvarnished views from people who were there in their own words. It’s a cliche to say, but hearing those words directly makes the history come alive.
My only complaint is that at some point the book runs out of steam. There’s a strong sense of build from Pratt’s early beginnings to the founding of the school, to its compromised early existence, to its steady successes, to Pratt himself being squeezed out. Likewise, the story of how the Carlisle football team began and, through determination and guile, was steadily able to put a thumb to the eye of the gridiron bluebloods is exciting. But in the last third or so, there’s not the same sense of structure or momentum, just a series of interesting enough but largely disconnected events as the book plays things out to the end.
Even so, it’s easy to be compelled by the figures Jenkins puts at the center of her story: Early figures like American Horse who had mixed feelings about the school, but wanted to give their children and grandchildren a leg-up as best they could, team stars like Bemus Pierce and Delos Lone Wolf who carved a path for the school in the public eye, characters like Pop Warner and Jim Thorpe who spice up an interesting historical survey, and sharp football players and sharper thinkers like Albert Exendine and Gus Welch who have important roles to play. The rush of names can be overwhelming at times, but there’s a handful that are easy to latch onto.
But the most fascinating of them all is Pratt, since he is such a man of contradictions, and the school he founds reflects that. In many ways, he is dramatically progressive for his day, not only sincerely caring about Indian welfare, but believing that we are all “born blank” and that Indians were no less capable than the Europeans who colonized their land. He has a sense of equality and care that is rare. On the other hand, his solution was to try to make them white, by stripping them of their culture, their heritage, even their names, and assimilate them into the society and culture Pratt knew and thought superior.
The tension of those two goals comes through in Carlisle, in the way that Pratt and his faculty seemed to genuinely care about his pupils and believe in their potential, while also patronizing and at times infantilizing them, while attempting to raze their cultural inheritance. Hearing the mixed feelings the Indian students had before, during, and after their time at Carlisle, and Pratt’s own changing views on the school and its place in the American experiment, are one of the best parts of the book.
The best thing I can say about The Real All Americans is that I came to it to learn a little more about the school’s unique football team, and yet at the end of the day, I would have been just as engrossed, and just as pleased with it, if it had never touched on Carlisle’s gridiron escapades.
But those escapades are no less fascinating! On the one hand, it’s interesting to see the development of the sport as we know it today (more or less). The transition from a ground and pound game to an aerial attack, the amusing logic that anything the rulebook doesn’t explicitly prohibit must be fair game, and the synod of football minds working to actively shape the game in its early days, are all engaging topics for the devoted football fan.
On the other, it’s striking, and humbling, to realize how many problems college football coaches, players, and commentators argue over today were just as prevalent in the early days of the game. There are cheating scandals that rock the sporting world! There are pained, vociferous debates over the safety of the game and the danger to its players! Most notably, there is a tremendous tug of war on the issue of amateurism versus paying players, with questions of whether the men who generate the interest and put their bodies on the line ought to get a cut of the proceeds that match the contours of disputes today. The sense that, despite a century of time passing, we’re still having the same basic arguments, is both awing and dispiriting.
So is the sense of football as a means of image management. The catch phrase these days is that your football team is the “front door” of your university. Carlisle meant for football to be the front door for an entire people. The sense in which the Carlisle squad meant for the gridiron to be a proving ground, to show the world they could stand with the champions of Harvard and Yale, and even beat them at their own game, adds a cultural dimension to the sport. The fact that they typically lacked the size of their opponents, but made up for it with nimbleness and cleverness, frames the Carlisle Indians as a true underdog story. And the fact that in those days especially, football was a dirty, gritty game, that the Carlisle squad had to play with total class and thick skin, lest they be considered succumbing to common stereotypes, adds another layer to their journey.
Overall, The Real All Americans is a tremendous work, one that illuminates a fascinating if demoralizing period in this country’s treatment of indigenous people, and uses football as a window into the cultural exchange, idealistic aspirations, and harsh realities that the Indians of Carlisle, and far beyond, dealt with as the game, and the nation, came of age.
March 28, 2009
This is a book about "cowboys and Indians," from a very unique approach. It describes many of the 19th-century issues and battles that arose as the "white man" pushed the native Americans off their lands and onto reservations. I learned some things in this section that I was not aware of.
But all of that is presented as context for a fascinating experiment - the idea of off-reservation boarding schools to educate the Indians. Particularly, the "Carlisle Indian Industrial School" in Pennsylvania is investigated in great detail, with a particular emphasis on the astonishingly successful football team that was formed there.
This was during the formative years of college football (early 1900s) when the sport was pretty brutal - frequent serious injuries and even regular fatalities. The Carlisle Indians team was trained to be very disciplined and restrained, and then to be very innovative in the game - they "pioneered" the use of trick plays, misdirections, and the downfield passing game; and they dominated over the "ivy league" schools that were the college powerhouses of that era. We're introduced to one of the most remarkable athletes of all time, an Indian named Jim Thorpe.
This is a fascinating look at both some very interesting aspects of American history that I had no idea were related in any way.
But all of that is presented as context for a fascinating experiment - the idea of off-reservation boarding schools to educate the Indians. Particularly, the "Carlisle Indian Industrial School" in Pennsylvania is investigated in great detail, with a particular emphasis on the astonishingly successful football team that was formed there.
This was during the formative years of college football (early 1900s) when the sport was pretty brutal - frequent serious injuries and even regular fatalities. The Carlisle Indians team was trained to be very disciplined and restrained, and then to be very innovative in the game - they "pioneered" the use of trick plays, misdirections, and the downfield passing game; and they dominated over the "ivy league" schools that were the college powerhouses of that era. We're introduced to one of the most remarkable athletes of all time, an Indian named Jim Thorpe.
This is a fascinating look at both some very interesting aspects of American history that I had no idea were related in any way.
January 7, 2009
Finally a book I could finish. This was a decent account of the history of Carlisle Indian College, in particular the Football teams at the college. I found the information about Captain Pratt, the first superintendant of the college, the most vivid parts of the story. The story of the football players, except for Jim Thorpe, seemed too brief, but that is probably due to the limited amount of information available about most of the players. The description of the football seasons could have had more of a ESPN feel to it to make it more entertaining. But overall I enjoyed learning about a brief period in college football history that I knew only through the brief period that Jim Thorpe attended.
August 5, 2017
Great book for college football history, for cultural commentary, for biographical sketches from Pop Warner, to Jim Thorpe " to figures who would.be otherwise forgotten to general history. Also touched on an interest in the acculturation offered and enforced.by education and especially college. With all-Americans in mid-20's and hopscotching between schools for side benefits, your notion of the good old days of college football may die in these pages, as might the search for purple tributes to native nobility. Ti's ok. The dark sarcasm of teens caught between two worlds is more subtle and instructive.
April 28, 2018
Excellent book about a piece of American history that's basically unknown -- and the parts that are "known" are known incorrectly by most people. But the reader should be forewarned that this is more of a history book than it is a sports book. Though there's a great deal of coverage of the development of football in the late 19th century and early 20th, and some general review of the highlight plays of pivotal games in the early days of college football, much more of this book about the the treatment of American Indians. Let's put it this way: this "football book" starts with a short anecdote about Carlisle v. Army in 1912, but then immediately steps back to 1866, when Indians had one of their greatest ambushes of U.S. soldiers, but that led to brutal reprisals that killed thousands.
It's a fascinating and infuriating story, as the white Americans killed or cheated Native Americans again and again and again. The Indians come across as eloquent, brave, arrogant and, eventually, resigned to their fate of being pushed around by a more numerous people.
But yet, a few brave American souls, such as Col. Richard Henry Pratt, tried to fight the tide of prejudice, but there were limits to what they could accomplish. Indians were seen as subhuman, and nobody had the time to think about them when America was all about expansion and getting your own stake on virgin farmland and grazing areas. Pratt is the real hero of the book, even though he's a flawed guy himself. A fearless kid who had to raise himself from about age 13, he was a Civil War hero, an Indian fighter in the most brutal conditions for 8 years, and then had the inspiration that instead of fighting and jailing and abusing Indians, they should be educated in the white man's ways. He pushed his plan by rehabilitating Indians jailed in Florida under his command -- Indians who were basically on death row -- and then leveraged that into use of a Revolutionary War barracks in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, which he turned into the first Indian school. Though that school made a lot of mistakes by our standards, such as the effort to totally erase the Indians' culture, it also gave kids a chance and set many of them on paths to successful lives in either the white world or back in Indian territory. These were kids who knew no English, who had never seen a train or a staircase, and he turned them into English speakers and writers, and marching band members and football players.
Oh, yeah, football. The 2nd half of the book is about how a superintendent at the school about a decade into its existence convinced Pratt that the boys should be allowed to field a team, since they were goofing around with football on their free time. Pratt, in typical style, told them if they were going to do it, they should shoot for beating the best teams in the U.S. -- Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. And within a couple of years they were competing fairly evenly with them and then beat those top teams in some of the most memorable games of the first couple decades of organized football.
This book tells it all. The violence of the game at the time. The racism of America, and the extra racism that came from the elites who played football and the Ivy League schools and their fans. The abuse they threw at Carlisle (as well as having squads of 30-40 players, while Carlisle had maybe 15) was astounding. But Carlisle persisted and gained respect from opponents, then the sports newspapers, then wider media and even from political leaders. An amazing story, with echoes that occur today when we see the sports field bring people together or bring racial issues to the forefront.
It's a fascinating and infuriating story, as the white Americans killed or cheated Native Americans again and again and again. The Indians come across as eloquent, brave, arrogant and, eventually, resigned to their fate of being pushed around by a more numerous people.
But yet, a few brave American souls, such as Col. Richard Henry Pratt, tried to fight the tide of prejudice, but there were limits to what they could accomplish. Indians were seen as subhuman, and nobody had the time to think about them when America was all about expansion and getting your own stake on virgin farmland and grazing areas. Pratt is the real hero of the book, even though he's a flawed guy himself. A fearless kid who had to raise himself from about age 13, he was a Civil War hero, an Indian fighter in the most brutal conditions for 8 years, and then had the inspiration that instead of fighting and jailing and abusing Indians, they should be educated in the white man's ways. He pushed his plan by rehabilitating Indians jailed in Florida under his command -- Indians who were basically on death row -- and then leveraged that into use of a Revolutionary War barracks in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, which he turned into the first Indian school. Though that school made a lot of mistakes by our standards, such as the effort to totally erase the Indians' culture, it also gave kids a chance and set many of them on paths to successful lives in either the white world or back in Indian territory. These were kids who knew no English, who had never seen a train or a staircase, and he turned them into English speakers and writers, and marching band members and football players.
Oh, yeah, football. The 2nd half of the book is about how a superintendent at the school about a decade into its existence convinced Pratt that the boys should be allowed to field a team, since they were goofing around with football on their free time. Pratt, in typical style, told them if they were going to do it, they should shoot for beating the best teams in the U.S. -- Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. And within a couple of years they were competing fairly evenly with them and then beat those top teams in some of the most memorable games of the first couple decades of organized football.
This book tells it all. The violence of the game at the time. The racism of America, and the extra racism that came from the elites who played football and the Ivy League schools and their fans. The abuse they threw at Carlisle (as well as having squads of 30-40 players, while Carlisle had maybe 15) was astounding. But Carlisle persisted and gained respect from opponents, then the sports newspapers, then wider media and even from political leaders. An amazing story, with echoes that occur today when we see the sports field bring people together or bring racial issues to the forefront.
May 21, 2019
I am surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It is a genre I'm not versed in: historical non-fiction.
Aside from the main thread of the native American team at Carlyle College, it was amazing to hear the history of the game. In particular about how 100 years ago when the game was invented it struggled in the same ways it does not in terms of public perception. People thought it was too dangerous and brutal. People also didn't like what it was doing to secondary education, with what they called back then "professionalizing" of the game.
The story of the Carlyle Indians (although mainly Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner) traces the development of football as we know it today. Thorpe and Warner's defeat of Army in 1912 serve as the historical climax of the story and the history, although my favorite year was the 1907 team (I believe it was) that nearly beat the big three ivy-leagers. The team that had a victory over Yale snatched away from them by their own coach who was serving as official.
It was this team that demonstrated America's racism and superiority complex in reports and handling of that game that should have been won by the Indians.
It was fascinating to read about Jim Thorpe and be able to place him in history, as well as Pop Warner. Warner is a classic football coach, the grandfather to us all. To Bill Walsh, to Chip Kelly. He used the rules to maximize his advantage. He utilized tempo! I mean, this guy made the game what it is today. And of course, his players, Gus Welch and Jim Thorpe and such were his collaborators and performers, or executors of a brand new style of play.
Maybe it was because it was a book about football that I loved this genre so much. Maybe it was the author. I will have to read more historical non-fiction to find out.
Aside from the main thread of the native American team at Carlyle College, it was amazing to hear the history of the game. In particular about how 100 years ago when the game was invented it struggled in the same ways it does not in terms of public perception. People thought it was too dangerous and brutal. People also didn't like what it was doing to secondary education, with what they called back then "professionalizing" of the game.
The story of the Carlyle Indians (although mainly Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner) traces the development of football as we know it today. Thorpe and Warner's defeat of Army in 1912 serve as the historical climax of the story and the history, although my favorite year was the 1907 team (I believe it was) that nearly beat the big three ivy-leagers. The team that had a victory over Yale snatched away from them by their own coach who was serving as official.
It was this team that demonstrated America's racism and superiority complex in reports and handling of that game that should have been won by the Indians.
It was fascinating to read about Jim Thorpe and be able to place him in history, as well as Pop Warner. Warner is a classic football coach, the grandfather to us all. To Bill Walsh, to Chip Kelly. He used the rules to maximize his advantage. He utilized tempo! I mean, this guy made the game what it is today. And of course, his players, Gus Welch and Jim Thorpe and such were his collaborators and performers, or executors of a brand new style of play.
Maybe it was because it was a book about football that I loved this genre so much. Maybe it was the author. I will have to read more historical non-fiction to find out.
April 8, 2023
This is a very interesting book, because it takes you down the fine line of finding merit in the Indian education system that moved children from their families so they could be educated in the white ways that were steamrolling over native culture at the end of the nineteenth century. At the time when Indians were being cheated of their lands, some native leaders became convinced that having their children learn English as well as “the white man’s ways” would be a way for tribal peoples to be able to stand up to the onslaught of the changes on the western frontier.
An Army officer, Richard Henry Pratt, set up the Carlisle School in Pennsylvania. No children were forced to go there by the government (though some young people were loath to leave their families) in stark contrast to the Canadian system which came into its deepest and darkest power after Carlisle was long closed. Pratt was very open in wanting to take the Indian out of these children: cutting their hair, losing their traditional lore, no longer conversant in their native tongues. But many of the students and families were grateful for the assimilation offered at the institution. By the time the school closed forty years after its founding, Pratt told its students that he hoped “it will come about that there will be no Indian schools in this country - that every Indian is his own man or woman” ( loc 5373). He had come around to a belief that “public schools were the emblem of American opportunity, and that was where he aspired to see his students “ (loc 5364).
The book is built around the football teams that the school fielded, teams short on brawn and big on speed and trickery. They played against the best college teams in the nation, in some ways anticipating the Pan Indian movement that arose soon afterwards, because students from the school came from so many different tribes, but had all experienced the racism, theft, and cruelty directed against tribal peoples.
What a surprise to learn that a revered icon of American football, Pop Warner, was their coach during their best years! And I learned a lot about the legendary Jim Thorpe who played for Carlisle and who won two Olympics gold medals ( and subsequently had them taken away).
The book is fascinating, but it could have used some editing. There were a lot of digressions, information about minor characters in the bigger story. So a reader has to be determined to get to the goal line of the final pages!
An Army officer, Richard Henry Pratt, set up the Carlisle School in Pennsylvania. No children were forced to go there by the government (though some young people were loath to leave their families) in stark contrast to the Canadian system which came into its deepest and darkest power after Carlisle was long closed. Pratt was very open in wanting to take the Indian out of these children: cutting their hair, losing their traditional lore, no longer conversant in their native tongues. But many of the students and families were grateful for the assimilation offered at the institution. By the time the school closed forty years after its founding, Pratt told its students that he hoped “it will come about that there will be no Indian schools in this country - that every Indian is his own man or woman” ( loc 5373). He had come around to a belief that “public schools were the emblem of American opportunity, and that was where he aspired to see his students “ (loc 5364).
The book is built around the football teams that the school fielded, teams short on brawn and big on speed and trickery. They played against the best college teams in the nation, in some ways anticipating the Pan Indian movement that arose soon afterwards, because students from the school came from so many different tribes, but had all experienced the racism, theft, and cruelty directed against tribal peoples.
What a surprise to learn that a revered icon of American football, Pop Warner, was their coach during their best years! And I learned a lot about the legendary Jim Thorpe who played for Carlisle and who won two Olympics gold medals ( and subsequently had them taken away).
The book is fascinating, but it could have used some editing. There were a lot of digressions, information about minor characters in the bigger story. So a reader has to be determined to get to the goal line of the final pages!
September 24, 2019
If you’d guess that Yale or Harvard ruled the college gridiron in 1911 and 1912, you’d be wrong. The most popular team belonged to an institution called the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Its story begins with Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt, a fierce abolitionist who believed that Native Americans deserved a place in American society. In 1879, Pratt made a treacherous journey to the Dakota Territory to recruit Carlisle’s first students.
Years later, three students approached Pratt with the notion of forming a football team. Pratt liked the idea, and in less than twenty years the Carlisle football team was defeating their Ivy League opponents and in the process changing the way the game was played.
Sally Jenkins gives this story of unlikely champions a breathtaking immediacy. We see the legendary Jim Thorpe kicking a winning field goal, watch an injured Dwight D. Eisenhower limping off the field, and follow the glorious rise of Coach Glenn “Pop” Warner as well as his unexpected fall from grace.
The Real All Americans is about the end of a culture and the birth of a game that has thrilled Americans for generations. It is an inspiring reminder of the extraordinary things that can be achieved when we set aside our differences and embrace a common purpose.
Years later, three students approached Pratt with the notion of forming a football team. Pratt liked the idea, and in less than twenty years the Carlisle football team was defeating their Ivy League opponents and in the process changing the way the game was played.
Sally Jenkins gives this story of unlikely champions a breathtaking immediacy. We see the legendary Jim Thorpe kicking a winning field goal, watch an injured Dwight D. Eisenhower limping off the field, and follow the glorious rise of Coach Glenn “Pop” Warner as well as his unexpected fall from grace.
The Real All Americans is about the end of a culture and the birth of a game that has thrilled Americans for generations. It is an inspiring reminder of the extraordinary things that can be achieved when we set aside our differences and embrace a common purpose.
August 1, 2019
The Carlisle Indian Industrial School seems to have served as a valuable footnote in reminding us how not to assimilate a different culture, that of the American Indian. And that is to take nothing away from the graduates of the school who went on to great things as Americans. I had to look first a bit at the school's history to find that today the area serves as the Army War College campus - seemingly fitting, with the ugly history of the Plains Indians and the U.S. Army.
Add to that the name of "Pop Warner" and his heritage with the football played at Carlisle. I never participated in any sports league that used his name to serve as a draw for youth to take the field of sport. He seems to have inspired his Carlisle charges to do great gridiron things, although the school's founder, Richard Pratt, seemingly had a love-hate relationship with the sport and inspired his charges in whatever way he could - some successful, others not so much.
One might come away from this story with an intense, and probably derserved, dislike for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but that whole story is probably better told elsewhere.
Add to that the name of "Pop Warner" and his heritage with the football played at Carlisle. I never participated in any sports league that used his name to serve as a draw for youth to take the field of sport. He seems to have inspired his Carlisle charges to do great gridiron things, although the school's founder, Richard Pratt, seemingly had a love-hate relationship with the sport and inspired his charges in whatever way he could - some successful, others not so much.
One might come away from this story with an intense, and probably derserved, dislike for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but that whole story is probably better told elsewhere.
October 7, 2017
This book is about a football team made up of American Indians that did amazingly well from 1893-1917. The team contained such stars as Jim Thorpe (player) and Pop Warner (coach).
I liked it because it was also about the fate of American Indians in general. The US government continually didn’t meet agreements made with the natives, taking their land and giving it to white Americans. They took Indian children away from their parents and “educated” them in boarding schools, where they learned only white American ways, in addition to scholarly subjects. I liked reading the personal stories of those to whom this happened.
Before reading this book, I hadn’t realized that Jim Thorpe, one of the greatest athletes in the world was Native American. I had heard about Pop Warner football programs, but I didn’t know anything about who Pop Warner was.
Overall, this was a good history book about Indians and this Carlisle Indian football team. The author was a bit long-winded, so parts of the book were slow; therefore, I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 on Goodreads.
I liked it because it was also about the fate of American Indians in general. The US government continually didn’t meet agreements made with the natives, taking their land and giving it to white Americans. They took Indian children away from their parents and “educated” them in boarding schools, where they learned only white American ways, in addition to scholarly subjects. I liked reading the personal stories of those to whom this happened.
Before reading this book, I hadn’t realized that Jim Thorpe, one of the greatest athletes in the world was Native American. I had heard about Pop Warner football programs, but I didn’t know anything about who Pop Warner was.
Overall, this was a good history book about Indians and this Carlisle Indian football team. The author was a bit long-winded, so parts of the book were slow; therefore, I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 on Goodreads.
May 1, 2020
I heard this author being interviewed on NPR and looked up her book about the Carlisle Indian school, with emphasis on their famous football team. Along the way, she spends time discussing how football was played and the dearth of written rules in the early days and how many people were KILLED on football fields in the early 1900s. Thanks to the clever Carlisle coach, Pop Warner, many rules had to be written to prevent a plethora of trick plays designed to score points and prevent injury at the same time. The chapter on Jim Thorpe was especially interesting, as was the story of the Ivy League vs. Carlisle. The story of the school itself is fascinating reading and encompasses all the years when the near-obliteration of Native Americans took place, that is, early 1870s to 1915. Jenkins did excellent research - the chapter notes are extensive - and ties the Indians' fate to the industrial growth of the nation.
August 9, 2019
I bought this book at the FOL shop to learn more about Jim Thorpe which I did but I also learned a great deal more. The book is about Carlisle Indian School and it's football team in the late 1890's and early 1900's which truly revolutionized football allowing it to become the game it is today. Forward passes, trick plays and backfield shifts are among the things Carlisle and it's coach Pop Warner introduced to football which we take for granted today. Carlisle was thought up by a white man who thought the only chance the Indian had of assimilating was education. A great idea but in the process these Indian students lost their culture and language but many who attended Carlisle went on to become doctors, teachers and especially lawyers. A very interesting book about a school with a decidedly mixed legacy. Recommended for history buffs.
December 19, 2020
Ms. Jenkins completed an incredible amount of research to produce this book. She not only knows football, she also has a knack for presenting history and placing you in the huddle of this 1903 football team.
The early years of the Carlisle Indian School sets the tone for the development of young Native Americans for academics, industrial arts, and athletics.
You will discover reasons for removing these people from their families and reservations, and reasons not to do so! You be the judge. In any case, the school commenced many great Students and young Americans.
The football games themselves placed you in the stadium, you could almost hear the contact and see the plays (without television). A terrific read, it inspired me to further research the school's location and events of that time.
The early years of the Carlisle Indian School sets the tone for the development of young Native Americans for academics, industrial arts, and athletics.
You will discover reasons for removing these people from their families and reservations, and reasons not to do so! You be the judge. In any case, the school commenced many great Students and young Americans.
The football games themselves placed you in the stadium, you could almost hear the contact and see the plays (without television). A terrific read, it inspired me to further research the school's location and events of that time.
February 24, 2021
A great history of early college football with a focus on Carlisle Indian School. A good history of the Indian conflict, the white people response and the formation of Carlisle by Pratt to bring the Indian into the white culture. A well balanced account of both the good and bad of a system that has fallen into disfavor as viewed from today. The focus is the football team and how it elevated the school with its success but also suffered from many of the problems that still is trying to be solved in today's college athletics.
The one draw back is that the book could have actually had more details on the football seasons as I had to look up additional information to get the context of the events.
Overall a good read for the reader interested in early football history, Indian conflict and the politics of the reservation system.
Well written.
The one draw back is that the book could have actually had more details on the football seasons as I had to look up additional information to get the context of the events.
Overall a good read for the reader interested in early football history, Indian conflict and the politics of the reservation system.
Well written.
December 4, 2017
The history of Carlisle School, an Indian boarding school in the Carlisle, Pennsylvania from 1879 through 1918. Young Native Americans were recruited from reservations to be educated in the white mans' language and skills.
They had an early top rated football team! Jim Thorpe, possibly the greatest athlete ever, attended there. He played football against Ike (President Dwight D. Eisenhower) when Carlisle played Army.
A good history that will tear at your heart, and have you clapping for the natural abilities and intelligence of the students.
All of the school property, known as the Carlisle Barracks, is now a part of the U.S. Army War College. Don Andrews, a current neighbor, actually ran track at Carlisle.
They had an early top rated football team! Jim Thorpe, possibly the greatest athlete ever, attended there. He played football against Ike (President Dwight D. Eisenhower) when Carlisle played Army.
A good history that will tear at your heart, and have you clapping for the natural abilities and intelligence of the students.
All of the school property, known as the Carlisle Barracks, is now a part of the U.S. Army War College. Don Andrews, a current neighbor, actually ran track at Carlisle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2017
One of the best compliments I imagine an author can receive is 'Why hasn't this book been written before?' Jenkins has done her research well and the result is a captivating, well written account of the mistreatment of and ultimate assimilation into American society of native Americans. It also chronicles the evolution of American football and tells the story of how an Indian school ultimately changed the game. Outrageous, sad, inspiring, educational and always interesting, this was a fun and educational read and should be on anyone's list who enjoys football and is interested in Native American history. Great read.
February 10, 2020
The end of the Indian Wars to the end of the Carlisle Indian Academy in Pennsylvania--a tale of war and football and of football as war. This documents a little known history of the treatment of Native Americans by the US government as Indian families are split apart in the name of assimilation, done by some as a form of compassion, believe it or not. You'll recognize some of the characters: Pop Warner, Jim Thorpe, Dwight D. Eisenhower. This is a must-read for anyone who loves history, whether or not you love football.
November 22, 2023
An interesting account of an extremely American and very important story. The Carlisle saga remains an extremely important part of football history to this day, but I almost wish that the book focused more on it. I enjoyed the historical context that the first act of the book gives, but it, as well as it’s second and third acts, felt very drawn out and over explained. That isn’t a knock on the researcher and author though, as it was incredibly thorough, but yes to a fault. But an compelling and interesting read for the most part, with many lessons to be learned from Native American traditions
December 3, 2017
This book was fascinating in both the American history and football and sports history it revealed. I would highly recommend it, although some of it is challenging to get through simply because a lot of the Native American history is tragically unfair. However, this book was thoroughly researched and written in an engaging way so that you feel educated on both sports history and americAn history. I highly recommend this book to lovers of nonfiction and sports writing.
December 2, 2018
I did not know that much of the history of football is the history of Indian Boarding schools, specifically Carlisle in Pennsylvania, where Pop Warner coached and Jim Thorpe played. I did assume that it started out as a type of war game, and in fact, there were seasons in which players died, as many as twenty-one in one season. For the most part, it was just a slugfest, which had few rules and most players got injured. It isn't much better now, even with more rules and better equipment.
June 26, 2020
This book is well written and tells a compelling part of football history that I knew nothing about. However, I felt the author was far too sympathetic to Pratt who began the practice of government boarding schools which aimed to "civilize" Native Americans, leaving entire generations removed from their culture and families. If you're unfamiliar with the era of government boarding schools this could be a good primer, but read with a critical eye.
July 18, 2020
A good read. The author did a good job of intertwining stories from different people into one coherent narrative. The chapters go back and forth between Army and Navy and the author uses this to compare and contrast the cadets for both schools. It then follows the graduates into their roles in WWII. Overall, an easy to understand read with interesting insights to some of the soldiers who fought to stop Germany and Japan.
March 24, 2022
A well researched and written book. The narrator of the audiobook is a bit dull in places. I found myself having to play back many passages throughout the book, especially in the first half, either due to odd pacing by the narrator or lack of attention during the initial play through. Several others in my book club who chose the audio version expressed having to do the same. If you have the time, it's probably best if you read this one rather than listen to it.
September 29, 2023
This is an excellent book and I learned a lot about the Carlisle Indian School from a historical context. Jim Thorpe is also featured prominently in this story. It’s not a history that is easy to read as the Indians, and particularly their children, were not treated well. However, the football team at Carlisle changed the game with the introduction of the forward pass, and more importantly, helped change the perception of Native Americans in this country in the early 1900’s.
January 30, 2024
A splendid book! To think I saw it at Salvation Army for several weeks before plucking down the 49 cents to get it. Learned a lot about: 1) the provenance of Indian boarding schools, 2) the beginnings of American football and 3) Jim Thorpe. Never realized that all through the 1890's football was already drawing tens of thousands of fans to its games; it had such beauty, violence, and uniqueness. An enjoyable read.
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