James Francis Thorpe (Sac and Fox (Sauk): Wa-Tho-Huk, translated as
"Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887 â€" March 28, 1953) was an American
athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation,
Thorpe became the first Native American to win a gold medal for the
United States. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern
sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and
decathlon, and played American football (collegiate and professional),
professional baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles
after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of
semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus
violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30
years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
restored his Olympic medals.Thorpe grew up in the Sac and Fox Nation
in Oklahoma, and attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time All-American for the
school's football team. After his Olympic success in 1912, which
included a record score in the decathlon, he added a victory in the
All-Around Championship of the Amateur Athletic Union. In 1913, Thorpe
signed with the New York Giants, and he played six seasons in Major
League Baseball between 1913 and 1919. Thorpe joined the Canton
Bulldogs American football team in 1915, helping them win three
professional championships; he later played for six teams in the
National Football League (NFL). He played as part of several
all-American Indian teams throughout his career, and barnstormed as a
professional basketball player with a team composed entirely of
American Indians.From 1920 to 1921, Thorpe was nominally the first
president of the American Professional Football Association (APFA),
which became the NFL in 1922. He played professional sports until age
41, the end of his sports career coinciding with the start of the
Great Depression. He struggled to earn a living after that, working
several odd jobs. He suffered from alcoholism, and lived his last
years in failing health and poverty. He was married three times and
had eight children, before suffering from heart failure and dying in
1953.
"Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887 â€" March 28, 1953) was an American
athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation,
Thorpe became the first Native American to win a gold medal for the
United States. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern
sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and
decathlon, and played American football (collegiate and professional),
professional baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles
after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of
semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus
violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30
years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
restored his Olympic medals.Thorpe grew up in the Sac and Fox Nation
in Oklahoma, and attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time All-American for the
school's football team. After his Olympic success in 1912, which
included a record score in the decathlon, he added a victory in the
All-Around Championship of the Amateur Athletic Union. In 1913, Thorpe
signed with the New York Giants, and he played six seasons in Major
League Baseball between 1913 and 1919. Thorpe joined the Canton
Bulldogs American football team in 1915, helping them win three
professional championships; he later played for six teams in the
National Football League (NFL). He played as part of several
all-American Indian teams throughout his career, and barnstormed as a
professional basketball player with a team composed entirely of
American Indians.From 1920 to 1921, Thorpe was nominally the first
president of the American Professional Football Association (APFA),
which became the NFL in 1922. He played professional sports until age
41, the end of his sports career coinciding with the start of the
Great Depression. He struggled to earn a living after that, working
several odd jobs. He suffered from alcoholism, and lived his last
years in failing health and poverty. He was married three times and
had eight children, before suffering from heart failure and dying in
1953.
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