LOUIS “RABBIT” WELLER
1904 – 1979
Inducted – 1977

One of the great native American athletes of all time, Louis “Rabbit” Weller was a four-sport star at Haskell Institute in Lawrence. He teamed with fellow Kansas Sport Hall of Fame inductee, John Levi, to create an era of athletic glory at Haskell from 1928-1930. Weller, a full-blooded Caddo Indian, was the first three-time captain of the Haskell football team where he scored 13 touchdowns of 60 yards or more. In 1930, he was selected to the Knute Rockne All-American team and the UPI second team. Weller played two years of professional football with the Boston Redskins and Tulsa Oilers, scoring a 60-yard touchdown the first time he touched the ball. A dodging, ducking runner, he had one of his greatest games in 1930 versus undefeated Oklahoma A&M. In that game, the 5-foot, 8-inch, 150-pounder returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and later returned a punt 95 yards for the winning touchdown in a 13-12 victory. Weller once returned seven punts for touchdowns in one high school game for Chilocco Indian School in Oklahoma. Made Ripley’s famous “Believe It of Not” for returning a kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown. Charter inductee of the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. Born March 2, 1904 – Minco, Oklahoma. Died April 17, 1979 – Albuquerque, New Mexico. Graduated Arkansas City (KS) High School, 1927; Haskell (KS) Institute, 1931.