Medal American
The Versatile Native American Athlete Considered the Greatest of all Time
Many great athletes have been praised and honored for their athletic achievements in a single sport. But Jim Thorpe, a descendant of the last great Sac and Fox chief Black Hawk, was more than a talented athlete; he was considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports. Some would even argue that he may be the greatest athlete of the 20th Century.
Christened Jacobus Franciscus Thorpe in the Catholic Church, Thorpe was born in 1888 in Indian Territory near the town of Prague, Oklahoma to parents of mixed-race ancestry. His athletic achievements lived up to his native name Wa-Tho-Huk, which means “Bright Path.” Thorpe’s abilities were recognized early when he attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
In 1907 he began making his mark in track and field, football, baseball, lacrosse, and even ballroom dancing. He won the 1912 inter-collegiate ballroom dancing championship. Thorpe gained nationwide attention in 1911 as a football player when he led Carlisle to a national collegiate championship. His talents were showcased as a running back, defensive back, placekicker, and punter. He was honored as an All-American in 1911 and 1912.
Although football would always be Thorpe’s favorite sport, track and field would gain him the greatest fame. During the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, Thorpe participated in the pentathlon and decathlon events. He was so versatile that he excelled in the 100-yard dash, running it in 10 seconds flat, as well as the other events like the high hurdles, low hurdles, long jump, high-jump, pole vault, shot put, javelin throw, and discus. Thorpe ended up winning eight of the fifteen individual events of the pentathlon and decathlon, and earned two gold medals and two challenge prizes donated by King Gustav V of Sweden for the decathlon, and Czar Nicholas II of Russia for the pentathlon. His success at the Olympics was rewarded when he got home to a ticker-tape parade on Broadway.
Unfortunately, Thorpe was stripped of his Olympic titles, medals, and awards by the International Olympic Commission in 1913 when his amateur status was challenged and he was considered a professional. Thorpe had played professional baseball in 1909 and 1910, and although his pay had been meager, rules were strict for athletes participating in the Olympics who were required to be amateurs. After he was declared a professional, Thorpe began receiving offers from professional sports clubs.
Thorpe signed with the New York Giants baseball club in 1913 and played sporadically for them, switching teams and playing in the minor leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1916, and then sold to the Cincinnati Reds in 1917. He played again for the Giants in 1918 but was traded to the Boston Braves in 1919. Thorpe also kept playing football with professional teams like the Pine Village Pros, and by 1915 had signed with the Canton Bulldogs who paid him well. The Bulldogs were one of fourteen teams that made up the American Professional Football Association which would later become the National Football League. Although not well documented, Thorpe also had a career in basketball. He was part of a two-year sponsored traveling football, baseball, and basketball teams called “Jim Thorpe and His World-Famous Indians.”
Despite all his athletic achievements, Thorpe struggled to find work in non-sports jobs after he retired from competition. He became an alcoholic later in life and died of heart failure at the age of 64. Thorpe was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963, and also the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. His Olympic awards were reinstated in 1982, and the Jim Thorpe Award is given annually to the best defensive back in college football.
About the Author
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