- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJames Francis Thorpe
- Height6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
- Jim Thorpe is an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. Thorpe became the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, and played American football (collegiate and professional), baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals.
Jim Thorpe grew up in Oklahoma, and attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time All-American for the school's football team. After his Olympic success in 1912, which included a record score in the decathlon, he added a victory in the All-Around Championship of the Amateur Athletic Union. In 1913, Thorpe signed with The New York Giants Baseball Team, and he played six seasons in Major League Baseball between 1913 and 1919. Thorpe joined the Canton Bulldogs American football team in 1915, helping them win three professional championships; he later played for six teams in the National Football League (NFL). He played as part of several all-American Indian teams throughout his career, and barnstormed as a professional basketball player with a team composed entirely of American Indians.
From 1920 to 1921, Thorpe was nominally the first president of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which became the NFL in 1922. He played professional sports until age 41. He struggled to earn a living after that, working several odd jobs. He was married three times and had eight children, before suffering from heart failure and dying in 1953.
Thorpe has received various accolades for his athletic accomplishments. The Associated Press named him the "greatest athlete" from the first 50 years of the 20th century, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him as part of its inaugural class in 1963. A Pennsylvania town was named in his honor and a monument site there is the site of his remains. Thorpe appeared in several films and was portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the film Jim Thorpe -- All-American (1951).- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tango Papa
- SpousesPatricia Gladys Evelyn Woodbury(June 2, 1945 - March 28, 1953) (his death)Freeda Verona Kirkpatrick(November 23, 1925 - 1943) (divorced, 4 children)Iva Margaret Miller(October 13, 1913 - 1925) (divorced, 4 children)
- Thorpe played baseball for the Rocky Mount club in North Carolina in 1909 and 1910, receiving small payments for each appearance. After he won 2 gold medals at the 1912 Olympic Games, the payments were reported in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. Thorpe was stripped of his Olympic titles because he had broken the rules regarding amateurism. On 18 January 1983, the International Olympic Committee officially reinstated Thorpe's medals.
- In addition to his many athletic accomplishments, he also won the 1912 Intercollegiate Ballroom Dancing Championship.
- He died in his trailer home in Lomita, CA. Thorpe was eating dinner with his wife, Patricia, when he suffered a heart attack. Patricia's screams attracted a neighbor, Colby Bradshaw, who administered artificial respiration for nearly half an hour. A county fire rescue squad took over and was momentarily successful. He revived, recognized persons around him and spoke to them. Thorpe was conscious for only a brief time before he suffered a relapse and died.
- Named America's greatest athlete of the first half of the twentieth century.
- Charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.
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