Westerville 250th Murals - Albert A. Exendine - Artist Zach Cardoza
Albert A. Exendine: A Legacy Beyond the Field
This Westerville 250 mural stop honors Albert A. Exendine, a Delaware citizen from Oklahoma whose life connected Otterbein University, athletics, law, and Native American history.
Exendine attended the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, where he ran track and played tight end on the football team. In 1909, at just 25 years old, he came to Otterbein to coach football. Over three seasons, from 1909 through 1911, he led the team to a 17-7-3 record.
His influence reached well beyond Westerville. In 1912, Exendine was called back to Pennsylvania to help train Jim Thorpe, his younger Carlisle classmate, as Thorpe prepared for the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games. Exendine continued coaching after Otterbein, including eight seasons at Georgetown University without a losing record.
He later earned a law degree from Dickinson College and practiced law in Oklahoma, where his work included advocacy on behalf of tribal rights. He eventually went on to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1968, he received the “Indian of the Year” award from the Council of American Indians, and in 1970 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
The mural will be created by Columbus-based artist Zach Cardoza, with digital production support from Brooke Cardoza. Cardoza’s work is grounded in classical fine art training while also exploring nontraditional materials and contemporary processes. The mural will be located on the south wall of Cowan Hall at Otterbein University, 30 S. Grove St., off W. Park St.
As part of the Westerville 250 Mural Project, this stop recognizes a remarkable figure whose story stretches from Otterbein’s campus to the broader history of American athletics, Native leadership, education, and law.
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