The Associated Press named him “The Greatest Athlete of the First Half of the Century.” In this 1909 photograph, Jim Thorpe is wearing his Carlisle Indian School Football Uniform. He led the team to victory over Army in a game that pitted him against future President Eisenhower. Thorpe competed in the Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. He won gold in the decathlon and pentathlon team. Unfortunately, Thorpe was stripped of his medals when it was discovered that he had played amateur baseball, violating the strict Olympics rules. His status was not reinstated until 1983, more than three decades after death. After the Olympics, Thorpe went on to play baseball with the New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds, play football, and even played basketball. He was the first president of the American Professional Football Association, now the NFL.
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The Associated Press named him “The Greatest Athlete of the First Half of the Century.” In this 1909 photograph, Jim Thorpe is wearing his Carlisle Indian School Football Uniform. He led the team to victory over Army in a game that pitted him against future President Eisenhower.

Thorpe competed in the Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. He won gold in the decathlon and pentathlon team.

Unfortunately, Thorpe was stripped of his medals when it was discovered that he had played amateur baseball, violating the strict Olympics rules. His status was not reinstated until 1983, more than three decades after death.

After the Olympics, Thorpe went on to play baseball with the New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds, play football, and even played basketball. He was the first president of the American Professional Football Association, now the NFL.

Source: research.archives.gov