JIM THORPE Overview Family Education College Athletics Olympics

JIM THORPE

Overview � � � Family Education College Athletics Olympics Professional Career � Baseball � Football � Legacy

Background Info � � � Born James Francis Thorpe on May 28, 1887 in Indian territory Prague, Oklahoma Native name: “Wa-Tho-Huk” � Translation – “Bright path”

Family Life � Father � Hiram � Thorpe � Jim Jr, Gale, Charlotte, and Grace � Irish � Mother Vieux � Sac and Fox Indian � � 1 st Wife � Iva Miller Children with Freeda William, Richard, and John � Twin � V. Kirkpatrick � Carl, Siblings brother Charlie � Died at age 9 2 nd Wife � Freeda � Charlotte � Children with Iva � Last Wife � Patricia Askew

� Jim with 2 nd wife Freeda and children Richard, William, and Carl

Education � Sauk and Fox Reservation School � Stroud, � Oklahoma Haskell Institution for Indians � Lawrence, � Kansas Carlisle Industrial Indian School (Age 16) � Carlisle, Pennsylvania Maltby, Marc S. "Thorpe, Jim. " American National Biography Online. Feb. 2000. Web. 06 Oct. 2012. <http: //www. anb. org/articles/19/19 -00218. html>.

College Athletics � Carlise – 1907 � Beat � the schools high jump record 1911 � Nation � wide attention as RB, DB, PK, and P 1912 � Led team to National Championship � 25 TD’s and 125 points � Made All-American team in 1911 and 1912 Jenkins, Sally. "Jim Thorpe - All American. " Jim Thorpe - All American. N. p. , 06 Oct. 2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http: //www. owensvalleyhistory. com/all_american/page 88. html>.

Running track at Carlisle

Olympic Career � 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm � Pentathlon (long-jump, javelin, 200 m dash, discus, and 1500 m run) � Decathlon (100 m, 220 m, 440 m dashes, mile, hurdles, long-jump, pole vault, put shot, javelin discus) � Olympic record of 8, 413 points � Stood � for nearly 2 decades Won GOLD in both events "Jim Thorpe The World's Greatest Athlete. " CMG. Estate of Jim Thorpe. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http: //www. cmgww. com/sports/thorpe/index. html>.

Controversy � � Thorpe admitted to playing professional baseball in Eastern Carolina League In 1913, Thorpe’s Medals and Records were taken away � Corrupted amateur status by playing semi-pro baseball � Gained Professional offers "Jim Thorpe The World's Greatest Athlete. " CMG. Estate of Jim Thorpe. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http: //www. cmgww. com/sports/thorpe/index. html>.

Professional Career

Baseball � Played 5 Professional seasons with 3 different teams (1913 -1919) � New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves � Played 289 games � He continued to play minor league baseball until 1922 Maltby, Marc S. "Thorpe, Jim. " American National Biography Online. Feb. 2000. Web. 06 Oct. 2012. <http: //www. anb. org/articles/19/19 -00218. html>.

Football � � Played for six different teams from 1920 -1928 Canton Bulldogs � Championship � First president of American Professional Football Association (APFA) � Became � in 1916, 1917, 1919 NFL soon after Retired from football at age 41

Life After Sport � Struggled to provide for his family � Could � � not keep non-sports related job Played as an extra in several movies Held various other jobs � Construction worker, Bouncer, Security guard, Ditchdigger, and US Merchant Marine � Ran out of money in 1950 � Patricia, last wife, was forced to beg for money "Jim Thorpe The World's Greatest Athlete. " CMG. Estate of Jim Thorpe. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http: //www. cmgww. com/sports/thorpe/index. html>.

Legacy � Jim Thorpe, PA was dedicated to him and his accomplishments � Thorpe � � Monument Introduced into Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 Associated Press named him “greatest American football player” of the first half of the century

Q and A Justin Eckert joe 5064@psu. edu

Works Cited � "Jim Thorpe The World's Greatest Athlete. " CMG. Estate of Jim Thorpe. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http: //www. cmgww. com/sports/thorpe/index. html>. � Maltby, Marc S. "Thorpe, Jim. " American National Biography Online. Feb. 2000. Web. 06 Oct. 2012. <http: //www. anb. org/articles/19/19 -00218. html>. � Jenkins, Sally. "Jim Thorpe - All American. " Jim Thorpe - All American. N. p. , 06 Oct. 2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http: //www. owensvalleyhistory. com/all_american/page 88. html>.