Jim Thorpe is one of the most versatile athletes in modern sports history. He won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, played American football collegiately and professionally, and professional baseball. He later lost his Olympic medals for violating the amateur rule by playing two seasons of minor league baseball prior to the competition. They were subsequently reinstated in 1982.
Jim Thorpe Vital Stats
- Career Stats
- Height: 6' 1"
- Weight: 185 lbs
- Rookie Year: 1913
Jim Thorpe Timeline
May 28, 1887: Born
1911-12: All-American
1913-16: New York Giants Baseball
1915-17: Canton Bulldogs Football
1917: Cincinnati Reds Baseball
1917-19: New York Giants Baseball
1919: Boston Braves Baseball
1919-20: Canton Bulldogs Football
1920: First president of the NFL (then known as American Professional Football Association)
1921: Cleveland Indians Football
1923: Oorang Indians Football
1924: Rock Island Independents Football
1925: New York Giants Football
1926: Canton Bulldogs Football
1928: Chicago Cardinals Football
1950: AP Most Outstanding Athlete of the First Half of the 20th Century
1950: AP America's Greatest Football Player of the Half-Century
March 28, 1953: Died
1996-2001: ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Century
1999: US House of Representatives designates Thorpe as "America's Athlete of the Century"
References
Fast Facts
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Date of Birth
May 28, 1887
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Nicknames
Wa-tho-huck, Bright Path, Jim
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Won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon during the [http
//www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY;=1912# 1912 Olympic Games]
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Fact:
One of two men in history who played for the New York Giants in two different sports; in football, as a running back and a baseball outfielder
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Fact:
First president of what is now the National Football League (NFL)
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Date of Death
March 28, 1953
