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Date of Birth
Jim Thorpe was born on May 28th 1888 in Pattawatomie County, Oklahoma. His father's name was Hiram who was a very good athlete in his time and his mother's name was Charlotte. He also had a twin brother named Charlie, but he died at a young age. -
Sauk and Fox
Jim Thorpe grew up living in an American tribe called Sauk and Fox with his family. He learned to farm and ride ponies with his brother. -
Discovering his talent
While Thorpe was a student at Carlisle he joined the track and field practice sessions where he soon broke the school record for high jump which was 5'9''. He was later successful in baseball, hockey, lacrosse, and ball room dancing as well. -
Wins gold
Wins a gold medal in the pentathlon and another gold medal in the decathlon at the Olympic games which took place in Stockholm, Sweeden. -
Occupation
He was a football player, track and field athlete, and baseball player. He played professional sports until age 41. He could of kept playing, but the Great Depression was the reason it came to an end. -
New York Giants
Thorpe is one of two men to play for the New York Giants on two different sports, baseball and football. He was an outfielder for baseball and a running back for football. -
Thorpe for President
Thorpe was the first president of the American Professional Football Association or APFA which later became known as the NFL or National Football League. -
Date of death
After Thorpe retired from his athletic jobs, he struggled to earn aenough money to live. He later struggled with alcoholism and lived the end of his life in bad health. He died at the age of 64 due to a sudden heart attack. -
Relevance Today
Jim Thorpe is still relevant today because he has a town in the Poconos named after him. It has a small section dedicated to him with a statue of him throwing a disk and a memorial with a little bit written about his life.
