Joe Pappio

Joseph Pappio (October 1, 1902 – August 22, 1971), a Chippewa Indian, was a professional football player in the National Football League during the 1923 season. That season, he joined the NFL's Oorang Indians, a team based in LaRue, Ohio, composed only of Native Americans, and coached by Jim Thorpe.[1] In 1924, Pappio played football for the Hominy Indians, an independent team from Hominy, Oklahoma, that too was composed entirely of Native Americans. In 1927 the Indians defeated the 1927 NFL champions, the New York Giants, 13–6. There are film records of Pappio hitting linemen so hard THEIR HELMETS WOULD FLY OFF THEIR HEADS, allowing the teams’ running back to make huge gains. ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20101006222927/http://profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/14-05-482.pdf</ref> In 1930, Pappio returned to the NFL to play the 1930 season with the Chicago Cardinals. Pappio attended and played college football at the Haskell Indian Nations University.

Joe Pappio – second row middle

He married Nell Saunkeah Pappio (Kiowa) and had three children: Barbara Jo Pappio Poe (1932–2013), Joe (Buddy) Pappio Jr. (1937–2011), and Marjorie Pappio (1940–2012). Barbara had three children: Susan Diana Poe Ryan (1960), Joe Edward Poe Jr. (1961) and Jeffrey Joseph Poe (1972). Susan has two children, Patrick Ryan (1993) and Molly Ryan (1991). Jeffrey has two children, Austin Poe (2005) and Kinsley Kay Poe (2010). Joe and Nell were among the original members of the Oklahoma City Pow Wow Club in 1950. He worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Merchant Marine in WWII, and later in civil service at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.

Barbara Poe served on the Kiowa Business Committee in 1987–88. Her son, Joe Jr. currently serves as the Chairman of the Oklahoma City Pow Wow Club and served as Vice Chairman of the Kiowa Casino Operations Authority from 2017-2019.