| Elmer Busch | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | June 1, 1889 |
| Place of birth | Potter Valley, California, United States |
| Date of death | Unknown |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 200 pounds (91 kg) |
| Position(s) | Tackle |
| College | Carlisle Indian School |
| Jersey Number | 20 |
| Career highlights | |
| Awards | 2nd team All-American Tackle (1913) All-Time Carlisle Indian team |
| Honors | Captain Carlisle Indian School Football Team (1914) |
| Statistics | |
| Teams | |
| 1922 | Oorang Indians (NFL) |
Elmer Eugene "Pete" Busch was a professional football player with the Oorang Indians of National Football League in 1922. He was a Native-American as a member of the Pomo tribe. He played his college football at the Carlisle Indian School. In 1973, Busch was inducted into the American Indian Hall of Fame.
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Busch was born in 1890 to Jack and Maggie Busch, who lived in Potter Valley, California. Elmer had two brothers and a sister. Busch had been schooled at the Potter Valley Indian School, from 1897 until 1902, and the Sherman Institute in Riverside, California, from 1907 until 1910. While there, he was selected to attend the Carlisle Indian School.
Busch, a Pomo, entered the Carlisle Indian School on October 10, 1910 at the age of 20. While attending Carlisle he became interested in football. He joined the school's football team and played there from 1911 until 1914 as an offensive tackle. In 1911 Carlisle won 11 and lost 1 game. The 1912 Carlisle team averaged less than 170 lbs. Busch who was 22 years old, the heaviest, weighing 186 pounds and standing 5’10” tall. However that year, Carlisle compiled a total of 504 points as against their opponent’s 114 points. Their record was 12 wins, 1 loss, 1 tie. As a linemen Busch consistently beat his heavier defensive opponents, allowing the backs to gain good yardage on their runs. In 1913 Carlisle won 10, lost 1, and tied 1 game.[1] he was elected as the team's captain in 1914, however he lost the title to Pete Calac after he was forced to resign.[2][3] After leaving the Carlisle School in April 1915 at age 25, he worked in the boiler department of the Santa Fe Railroad in San Bernardino from 1915 - 1917. He also coached football at Riverside from 1916-1917.[4]
Busch played the 1922 NFL season with the Oorang Indians. The Indians were a team comprised completely of Native Americans. It was the idea of Walter Lingo, an Airedale breeder from LaRue, Ohio, with the sole intention of promoting his kennel. Busch left the team after the 1922 season.