Contents
Jim Thorpe
Excelling in Olympic combined events and professional team sports.
Two Olympic titles · Football leadership
- Born
- May 1887
- Birthplace
- Indian Territory, United States
- Died
- 28 March 1953
More people
Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe was a Sac and Fox athlete whose career encompassed athletics, American football and baseball.
Early life
Sac and Fox Nation
Grew up in Indian Territory.
Carlisle
Attended the federal Indian boarding school and competed on its teams.
Career
- 1900s
School sport
Excelled in football and track at Carlisle.
- 1912
Olympics
Won the pentathlon and decathlon.
- 1910s–1920s
Professional sport
Played baseball and helped develop professional football.
Achievements
Two Olympic titles
Won both combined-events competitions.
Football leadership
Became the first president of the league that became the NFL.
Olympic restoration
Was recognised as sole winner of his 1912 events.
Beyond sport
Disqualification
Lost his original medals over paid baseball under amateur rules.
Legacy
His treatment remains central to discussions of fairness and Indigenous sport history.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗IOC: restored Olympic titles ↗Photo: Underwood & Underwood. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
