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Lot # 281: 1924 John Levi, "American Indian Athlete" Football All American & Yankees Baseball

Category: Football

Starting Bid: $25.00

Bids: 6 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "July Collectors Auction 2021",
which ran from 7/6/2021 1:00 AM to
7/17/2021 8:00 PM



The sports world is filled with stories of unrealized talent and this is one of the best it has to offer. John Levi was one of the greatest football players of his generation and like Jim Thorpe before him, he was a Native American sports pioneer. Jim Thorpe even commented that Levi was the greatest athlete he had ever seen! Playing for the Haskell Indian Nation, Levi was a dominant force and earned All American in 1923. He was also a tremendous baseball player and he was lured away from the gridiron by a large contract from the New York Yankees (signed on the field after a dominant football performance). They assigned him to Harrisburg where he performed exactly like they thought, hitting .346 and catching the attention of the rest of the baseball world. The only problem was that Levi was homesick and he ran away back to the Reservation, quitting baseball. He had contract jumped and was no longer eligible to play college football as a result of his professional baseball play. Without any options he spent the next years of his short life coaching and trying his hardest to hang around the games he loved. John Levi is one of the ultimate stories of "what could have been". The offered photo is in great condition and it pictures Levi at the height of his Football Career in 1924 with Haskell. Reverse has a paper caption describing the photo and a stamp from Underwood and Underwood.

Size: 6.5x8.5
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 5/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Grade: 10/10

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