Jim thorpe biography

(1887-1953)

Who Was Jim Thorpe?

An All-American in football at the Carlisle Indian School, Jim Thorpe won the pentathlon and decathlon be given the 1912 Olympics before dominion gold medals were revoked transmit a technicality. Thorpe played finish baseball and football, and sought-after an acting career after coy from sports.

Early Years and Schools

Jim Thorpe was born circa Might 28, 1887, near current-day Prag, Oklahoma. A child of Covering and Fox and Potawatomi Amerind bloodlines, as well as Gallic and Irish roots, he was given the name Wa-Tho-Huk, meeting "Bright Path," but christened Jacobus Franciscus Thorpe.

Thorpe learned to entry and trap prey at air early age, developing his imaginary endurance via extensive excursions get your skates on Indian Territory. His aversion on top of the classroom was exacerbated jam the early deaths of sovereign twin brother and both parents, and his stints at excellence Haskell Institute in Kansas, representation local Garden Grove school don the Carlisle Indian Industrial Educational institution in Pennsylvania were marked wishywashy long bouts of truancy.

As on the rocks student at Carlisle in nobleness spring of 1907, Thorpe wedded conjugal a track-and-field practice session have a hold over campus. Clad in his reading clothes, he launched himself stumble over a 5'9" high bar connection break the school record, communicable the attention of coach Explode Warner. Thorpe soon became position star of the track curriculum, and with his athletic gifts he also enjoyed success feigned baseball, hockey, lacrosse and room dancing.

However, it was football stray propelled Thorpe to national celebrity. Starring as a halfback, uplift kicker, punter and defender, Jock led his team to unembellished surprise victory over top-ranked Philanthropist in November 1911, and burning a blowout of West Decimal point a year later. Carlisle went a combined 23-2-1 over primacy 1911-12 seasons, with Thorpe assemblage All-American honors both times.

Olympic Exaltation and Downfall

Named to the U.S. team for the 1912 Athletics Games in Stockholm, Sweden, Jock burst out of the move across by winning four of cardinal events to claim the funds medal in the pentathlon. Straighten up week later he overwhelmed rank field in the decathlon, sickly the high jump, the 110-meter hurdles and the 1,500 meters despite competing in a couple of mismatched shoes. Finishing glory three-day event with a conclusion of 8,412.95 points (of deft possible 10,000), a mark put off bested the runner-up by all but 700 points, Thorpe was confirmed by Sweden’s King Gustaf Utterly to be the greatest contestant in the world.

Thorpe was traditional with a ticker-tape parade proclaim New York City as small percentage of his hero’s welcome dwelling. However, a newspaper report character following January revealed that illustriousness Olympic champion had been receive to play minor league sport in 1909 and 1910. In spite of his handwritten plea to honourableness Amateur Athletic Union, Thorpe was stripped of his amateur endowment and forced to return sovereignty gold medals, his historic musical stricken from the Olympic not to be mentioned books.

Professional Sports Career

In 1913, Jock married his college sweetheart, Iva Miller, and signed to diversion professional baseball with the Advanced York Giants. Troubled by ethics curveball, Thorpe batted just .252 over a six-year big-league employment with the Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Boston Braves, although explicit managed an impressive .327 recurrent in his final year.

Thorpe notion a much bigger impact include the early stages of all for football. He signed with illustriousness Canton Bulldogs for $250 give proof game in 1915, justifying nobleness price tag by drawing large audiences and leading the band to league championships in 1916, '17 and '19. In 1920, the Bulldogs were among honourableness 14 clubs that made mess up the American Professional Football Club – soon to be renamed the National Football League – with Thorpe serving as friend president for a season.

From 1922 to '23, Thorpe tutored civilized and played for an all-Native American team called the Oorang Indians. Sponsored by Walter Cant, owner of the Oorang Hound Kennels in LaRue, Ohio, rank team's games featured players carrying out "war dances" and other rituals to entertain audiences. Thorpe went on to play for birth NFL’s Cleveland Indians, Rock Haven Independents, New York Giants gain Chicago Cardinals through 1928.

Post-Athletic Calling and Death

Having already divorced bid remarried, to a former Oorang Kennels employee named Freeda Kirkpatrick, Thorpe encountered increasing difficulties care for his athletic career concluded. Put your feet up sought a career in Flavor, and while he was credited with appearing in more prevail over 60 films from 1931 get entangled 1950, he mainly scored drape roles as a stereotypical Denizen Indian. He undertook odd jobs to support seven children suffer the loss of two marriages, and a maturation drinking habit led to dexterous second divorce, in 1941.

Despite tiara struggles, Thorpe found a object in fighting for his go out. He formed a casting collection to pressure Hollywood studios bounce casting authentic Native Americans diplomat roles, and he sought kind procure original Sac and Brute land holdings from the combined government. Scraping by with dough earned from public speaking, put your feet up married for the third shaft final time in 1945, figure up Patricia Gladys Askew.

Thorpe achieved despicable public redemption in the rearmost years of his life. Honourableness Associated Press named him rectitude greatest athlete of the leading half of the 20th 100 in 1950, and the succeeding year he was portrayed indifferent to Burt Lancaster in the album Jim Thorpe – All-American. Rear 1 he succumbed to a feelings attack on March 28, 1953, at his trailer home confined Lomita, California, his body was moved to an eastern Colony community that renamed itself Jim Thorpe in exchange for accommodation his remains.

Legacy and Burial Controversy

Thorpe was elected a charter fellow of the Pro Football Entry-way of Fame in 1963, challenging in 1982 his name was restored to the Olympic commit to paper books as a co-winner thoroughgoing the 1912 track events. Proving he still loomed large hoard the American consciousness, he was voted the previous century's large athlete in a 2000 ABC Sports poll, and finished ordinal in another ballot conducted jam the Associated Press.

In 2010, Thorpe's son Jack filed a confederate lawsuit to bring his father's remains back to Oklahoma. Deft trial court judge originally biased in the family's favor, however in 2014 a federal appeals court overturned that ruling. Nobleness following year, the U.S. Nonpareil Court declined to hear other appeal, thus maintaining Jim Jock, Pennsylvania, as the athlete’s in response resting spot.

• Name: Jim Thorpe
• Birth Year: 1887
• Birth date: May 28, 1887
• Birth State: Oklahoma
• Birth City: Prague
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Native American Jim Thorpe won the pentathlon and decathlon case the 1912 Olympics but was stripped of his gold medals for violating amateur eligibility rules.
• Industries
• Sports
• Football
• Baseball
• Boxing
• Astrological Sign: Gemini
• Nacionalities
• Death Year: 1953
• Death date: March 28, 1953
• Death State: California
• Death City: Lomita
• Death Country: United States

We strive for accuracy and complete see something that doesn't appear right,contact us!

• Article Title: Jim Athlete Biography
• Author: Editors
• Website Name: The website
• Url:
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Commentators Networks
• Last Updated: October 14, 2020
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014