The family of a Blackfoot chief who served as the face of the Washington Redskins for 48 years wants to bring his image back onto an NFL field, a relative told Fox News Digital.
John Two Guns White Calf's descendants also want his remarkable life story to be told to a new generation of Americans who seek unity and value multiculturalism.
The Whitecalf family has received support from one of Montana's senators in Washington, D.C., and the NFL team itself, now known as the Washington Commanders, is making new efforts to honor the team's traditions.
Cancellation of tribal leader White Calf, face of the Redskins, garners new support across the country
“The fans want him back and we want him back,” Thomas White Calf, the late nephew of the early 20th century baseball legend, said by phone this week, hours after the family met with Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines.
Two Guns White Calf's proud likeness appeared on Redskins helmets, T-shirts, stadiums and marketing materials from 1972 to 2020.
At left is Blackfoot Chief John “Two Guns” White Calf, who was the inspiration for the Washington Redskins logo that symbolized the NFL team on the field from 1972 to 2020. (Getty Images)
“Our ancestors were some of the most famous and most photographed Native people in history,” said White Calf, who was joined on the call by her mother, Delphine White Calf, niece of a late Blackfoot chief.
“Two Guns was even featured on the Indian head nickel. I'm proud of him. The Blackfoot are proud of him.”
“I'm proud of him. The Blackfoot are proud of him.” – Thomas White Calf
Whitecalf's likeness and the Redskins name were removed from the NFL in 2020 after years of growing public pressure from groups including the George Soros-funded cancel culture group, the National Congress of American Indians.
Despite polls showing that 90 percent of Native Americans support the team name and portrait of White Calf, the famous Blackfoot chief and his life story were canceled.
A Washington Redskins helmet rests on the turf during a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at FedExField on August 18, 2014 in Landover, Maryland. (TJ Root/Getty Images)
Thomas White Calf, who lives on the Blackfoot Reservation in Montana, said his family was never consulted or supported removing Two Guns White Calf's image from the NFL.
“This is about righting a wrong,” Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said in an email to Fox News Digital.
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“It is a source of pride and a symbol of the rich Native American history that has contributed to the greatness of our nation and should be celebrated with enthusiasm across our culture.”
The Washington Commanders were purchased by a group of investors led by Josh Harris in 2023. They inherited a controversy over the team name and image.
Senator Steve Daines speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 18, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
“We are working with Senator Daines to honor our team's traditions and the heritage of our Native American community,” a Commanders spokesperson said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.
“This is about righting a wrong.” – Senator Steve Daines
“With the Senator's suggestion, we have had a great relationship with Ryan Wetzel, grandson of Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, who designed the logo, and we look forward to honoring that legacy.”
The late Blackfoot leader Blackie Wetzel is credited with creating the Two Guns White Calf portrait in 1971, which garnered widespread support from Native American groups, and was adopted by the team in 1972.
But the team said it has no plans to reinstate Wetzel's “White Calf” portrait, which was removed in 2020.
Blackfoot Chief John “Two Guns” White Calf is famous for his efforts in supporting Native Americans in the early 20th century. He was the face of both the U.S. Mint's Indian Head nickel coin and the NFL's Washington Redskins team. (Courtesy of Thomas White Calf/White Calf Family)
White Calf was born in Montana in 1872 and gained international recognition for his fight to protect Native American culture.
He advocated for Native American issues in Washington, D.C. President Calvin Coolidge And it seems to have bridged cultures that have long been at odds.
Native American groups calling for the removal of the “Redskins” are funded by the Soros Foundation and other left-wing groups
According to multiple sources, Whitecalf was the inspiration for the portrait on the U.S. Mint's famous 1913 Indian Head nickel, and was so well-known in the United States that he received an obituary in The New York Times when he died in 1934.
The eulogy noted that he worked hard to make Coolidge an “honorary chief of his fellow Blackfoot tribe.”
In 2013, the prominent Blackfoot leader was floored by the release of a questionable report by the National Congress of American Indians titled, “Ending a Legacy of Racism in Sports and an Era of Harmful 'Indian' Sports Mascots.”
Donald Wetzel Sr. holds a Washington autographed football in Great Falls, Montana, on June 27, 2014, because his father, Walter, designed the Redskins logo. (Larry Beckner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The 29-page paper included a scathing 3,650-word history of the Redskins and their “legacy of racism,” but critics said it contained a major omission: The report never mentioned Chief Two-Guns White Calf, even though he was the face of the Redskins franchise for 48 years.
“Two Guns White Calf was a real person, not a mascot, but he was canceled,” historian Andre Biraudeau, author of “How the Redskins Got Their Name,” told Fox News Digital earlier this year.
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The Redskins name remains extremely toxic politically, a person familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.
Sources said the team had removed the image of White Calf along with the name because it had “gotten too far.”
“The Blackfoot's legendary logo, promoted by Blackie Wetzel and based on the likeness of Chief Two Guns White Calf, must be restored to its honorary status,” Daines said.
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While the Wetzel family has been recognized by NFL teams for their role in honoring Two Guns White Calf, the Blackfoot chief's family says NFL teams have ignored them for decades.
“We want a seat at the table,” Thomas White Calf said.
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