| Bill Winneshiek NahiSonwahika |
|
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1894 |
| Place of birth | North Carolina, United States |
| Date of death | Unknown |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 180 pounds (82 kg) |
| Position(s) | Offensive Lineman |
| College | Carlisle Indian School |
| Jersey Number | 8 |
| Statistics | |
| Teams | |
| 1922 | Oorang Indians |
William Phineus Winneshiek, also spelled Winneshick and referred to as NahiSonwahika, was a professional football player who played in the National Football League during the 1922 season, at age 37. That season he joined the NFL's Oorang Indians. The Indians were a team based in LaRue, Ohio, composed only of Native Americans, and coached by Jim Thorpe. Bill was a member of the Ho-Chunk or Winnebago tribe.[1]
He attended Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania where he befriended Jim Thorpe. In addition to playing with the NFL, Bill was an Assistant Football Coach at Lebanon Valley College and a professional musician in Chief Winneshiek's All Indian Band. He later married Marie Marguerite Zerbe, an elementary school teacher. The two had a son, named William Sherwood Winneshiek, who would later fly in more than 25 B-17 missions over Germany during World War II.[2]