He played offense, defense, and kicker in football.
He swung a tennis racket and waved a lacrosse stick.
He shot basketballs, landed boxing punches, and raced to the finish line.
This is Jim Thorpe. He was a Native American athlete. Some people say he is the greatest American athlete ever.
Thorpe was born in 1887 or 1888 in what is now the state of Oklahoma. He grew up as part of the Sac and Fox Nation, and his Native name was Wa-Tho-Huk, which means “Bright Path.” As a kid, Thorpe went out on long hunts with his father. These treks went for many miles through the wilderness.
Thorpe became a talented athlete. While at school, he first showed his star power in the high jump. Thorpe could jump higher than he was tall — 6 feet, 1 inch. Thorpe later started playing football, and he was a natural. He played multiple roles on the field.
Thorpe didn’t stop there. He was skilled at nearly every sport he tried. Thorpe racked up wins in basketball, boxing, lacrosse, and even competitive ballroom dancing. Thorpe wanted to be a pro athlete, so he left school to play baseball in the minor leagues.
At the 1912 Olympics, it was time for Thorpe to prove his talents on the world stage. In Stockholm, Sweden, Thorpe won gold in two track and field events — the pentathlon and the decathlon. Those events test an athlete’s speed, strength, and . Sweden’s King Gustav V gave Thorpe his medals. The royal told the athlete: “You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world.” Thorpe was the first Native American to win Olympic gold.
Later, there was a problem. People found out that Thorpe had been paid money for playing baseball. Back then, the rules said that Olympic athletes couldn’t be professionals. So, Thorpe had to give back his gold medals.
Thorpe continued to show off his athletic talents, though. He went on to play baseball in the major leagues and football in the NFL. He was a star in both sports, and even served as the NFL’s first president.
After his sports career, Thorpe became an actor. He was in dozens of movies, usually playing Native roles. Thorpe also started a company that worked to cast Native Americans in films.
After Thorpe died in 1953, people wanted his Olympic achievements to be remembered. In 2020, thousands of people signed a petition for Thorpe. They wanted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reinstate Thorpe as the winner of his events. The petition was a success! Today, Thorpe is listed as the 1912 champion of the pentathlon and decathlon.
Dennis Hendricks is one of the leaders of Bright Path Strong, a group that fought for Thorpe’s Olympic wins. “Jim’s and stands as a to our youth,” Hendricks said. Thorpe’s story “shows them anything is possible.”
Updated November 20, 2023, 5:03 P.M. (ET)
By Ryan Cramer
