Western New York’s best-kept secret athlete
Early Olympian largely unknown, even at home
TUSCARORA INDIAN NATION — He was one of the most gifted athletes to ever come out of Western New York, but chances are few that people have ever heard of Frank Mount Pleasant— one of the area’s first modern-era Olympians.
It’s understandable.
When Mount Pleasant was running the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds flat, leaping higher than 23 feet in the broad jump and throwing 50-yard spiral passes on the football field during his athletic heyday, there weren’t any highlights on ESPN.
The television hadn’t been invented yet, and news of such feats wasn’t as readily available in 1908 as it is today.
Still, a true sign that the early 20th century wasn’t exactly the information age can be found on the reservation where Mount Pleasant was born and lived until his grandfather sent him to the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania in 1904.
“He’s not really well-known here at Tuscarora, and he’s even less known out in Western New York,” said Ed Farnham, Mount Pleasant’s great nephew and general manager of Smokin’ Joe’s. “You can speculate on why exactly he’s not well-known. Who knows why?”
Mount Pleasant is one of just 14 known Native Americans to qualify for the Olympics, according to the United National Indian Tribal Youth Web site ( www.unityinc.org ). He is the only Tuscaroran to ever qualify for the Olympics, participating in the Games of the IV Olympiad in London 100 years ago. He placed sixth in both the broad (long) jump and triple jump events.
“We know very little,” Farnham said. “My grandmother (Mount Pleasant’s sister, Maime) really never talked about him. He was never married, and as far as we know he had no kids.”
Even the circumstances surrounding Mount Pleasant’s death in Buffalo on April 12, 1937, are somewhat mysterious. He died from a skull fracture — an injury his ancestors believe was suffered during a hit-and-run incident with a car.
But a little information is still better than none.
After briefly serving his country during World War I and earning decorations for bravery, Mount Pleasant worked at Pierce Arrow and the Post Office. The former Army lieutenant lived at 350 Reilly St. in Buffalo at the time of his death.
Aside from Olympic participation, the track and field and football standout was posthumously inducted into the American Indian Hall of Fame, the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame and Dickinson College Sports Hall of Fame.
Mount Pleasant coached at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Franklin & Marshall, Wesleyan College in West Virginia and briefly at the University of Buffalo.
He was the first Native American to earn a diploma from Dickinson in 1910.
In an attempt to make his achievements better known, the Tuscarorans set up a display exhibit in their museum within the Smokin’ Joe’s Trading Post complex on Saunders Settlement Road. The exhibit features the Tuscaroran native son’s Olympic participation medal and pin, along with medals from other track and field competitions.
Two authors — Sally Jenkins and Tom Benjey — also are trying to spread the word about Mount Pleasant. Jenkins makes references to Mount Pleasant in her book — “The Real All Americans: The Team that Changed a People, a Game, a Nation,” which details the historical impact the Carlisle Indian School had on the game of football — while Benjey devotes an entire chapter to Mount Pleasant in his soon-to-be- released book “Doctors, Lawyers, Indian Chiefs.”
Benjey’s book is scheduled for release in September.
The best tidbits of information unearthed on Mount Pleasant include his ability to throw the long ball before it became all the rage in football circles and the fact that he lined up in the backfield with a more famous Native American athlete.
Even though Mount Pleasant had a slight body frame (5-foot-8, 135 pounds) not conducive to football success, he had great leg strength and was a quick, elusive runner. The quarterback also had the ability to launch accurate 50-yard passes downfield after being taught how to throw a tight spiral by legendary coach Glenn “Pop” Warner. And for a couple of plays during Mount Pleasant’s final season at Carlisle in 1907, a powerful young future Pro Football Hall of Famer and Olympic champion, Jim Thorpe, lined up at halfback.
“People always asked me did he play with Jim Thorpe. I hadn’t thought he did until Tom [Benjey] found out that Jim Thorpe’s first year he only played very, very little [with Mount Pleasant],” Farnham said.
It was after that football season that Mount Pleasant successfully tried out for the U. S. Olympic Track and Field Team. Teammate Frank Irons won the gold medal in the broad jump but finished 10 spots behind Mount Pleasant in the triple jump, even though Mount Pleasant competed with a ligament injury in his left leg.
“Sixth place is very respectable,” said Farnham, noting his great uncle gained a measure of revenge by beating Irons in the broad jump later that year in the World Games.
Mount Pleasant’s link to the Olympics is the reason watching the Games on television will be more than just a momentary diversion from every-day life for Farnham in the coming days. It’s like a special occasion on which one can’t help but to remember loved ones — even if they’re long gone.
The Games will always be a reminder that his great uncle was a world-class athlete.
“He did us well,” Farnham said. “I think it makes us more appreciate the athletes that do get there. It’s very special to make the Olympics. . . . It just makes us appreciate what the Olympics are all about, and I think for us, it’s a sense of pride, promoting a sense of pride in Tuscarora that we have all these athletes, not just Frank, but a lot of other athletes that have done great accomplishments.”
