After pleading with Superintendent Richard Henry Pratt to be allowed to play football against other schools, the small complement of students old enough competed against college men from coast to coast. Some had never seen a real football before and most were learning English. Located in a small town in Southcentral Pennsylvania, they traveled considerable distances to play all their important games on the road, but still won most of them. Soon, Carlisle players became known nationwide and more teams than they could schedule requested games. Large crowds turned out to see and support them. Their games were covered as much nationally as were the large universities. After hiring Pop Warner as their coach, they were a phenomenon. Carlisle players made All-America lists and seven have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. These include Jim Thorpe , James Johnson, Gus Welch, Ed Rogers, Al Exendine, Joe Guyon and Lone Star Dietz . The only previous attempt at writing Carlisle Indian School 's football team's history was made in 1951, well before modern research tool were available. Dr. Benjey's work includes all the games they played and at the correct locations and on the actual dates. " If there was ever a book that should be a mainstay in collections strong in Native American history, culture, and issues, or early civil rights efforts, it should be Gridiron Gypsies. " Diane DonovanSenior Reviewer Midwest Book Review "Football historian Tom Benjey has written an enjoyable, informative and well-researched book on the history of the Carlisle Indian Football Team. Benjey goes into detail about each football season with great enthusiasm. He gives us a snapshot of the men, especially Jim Thorpe, Pete Calac, Joe Guyon and more, while they played for the great Pop Warner. A must-read for all football fans!" Chris Willis Head Archivist, NFL Films & author of Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe. and the Oorang Indians "...a fascinating, little-known slice of American history with this exhaustive examination of the football team at the Carlisle Indian School, a federally funded Pennsylvania boarding school for Native Americans that opened in 1879.... shocked the nation with its sports teams' athleticism and competitive spirit. ." BookLife " Truly ground breaking! Delves-deeply in most cases-into subjects I've never seen/heard before. Great work! I especially appreciate the diligent digging and exhaustive research done in writing this book." Jim Campbell author of Hell with the Lid Off: Inside the Intense Rivalry between the 1970s Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers " a must read for football aficionados & historians " Robert W. Wheeler author of Jim Thorpe: World's Greatest Athlete After pleading with Superintendent Pratt to be allowed to play football against other schools, the small complement of students old enough competed against college men from coast to coast. Some had never seen a real football before and most were learning English. Located in a small town in Southcentral Pennsylvania, they traveled considerable distances to play all their important games on the road, but still won most of them. Learn why the Carlisle Indians are still talked about today. A statement by the presenter at a talk about the Carlisle Indian School near the end of the last century set Dr. Tom Benjey in motion. When she said that Lone Star Dietz led Washington State to an undefeated season and victory in the first Rose Bowl in 1916, the indignant Michigan alumna sitting next to him said, "Oh no! Michigan won the first Rose Bowl in 1902 over Stanford." When they returned home, Benjey did a little research and found Dietz to be a fascinating character about whom no biography had been written. He was hooked. A couple of decades and several articles and a few books later, he felt confident enough to write a complete and accurate history of the Carlisle football team.