Jim Thorpe
World's Greatest Athlete
Jim Thorpe’s daughter, Grace Thorpe, Coach Gayle Hatch (American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame) and Anna McKibben (National Miss Indian USA) initiated a campaign to get Jim Thorpe, ABC Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Century, on the Wheaties Box.
Jim Thorpe was born in a one-room cabin in Prague, Oklahoma in 1887 to parents of Sac and Fox Indian heritage. His American Indian name, Wa-tho-Huk, translates to “Bright Path”. He won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Thorpe was the only athlete in history to win gold in both events during the same Olympic year. That year he also led his Carlisle Indian School Football Team to a National College Football title while scoring twenty-eight touchdowns.
As a collegiate athlete Thorpe achieved All-American status in football, track, lacrosse and baseball. Football is where Thorpe truly left his mark. He led the Canton Bulldogs to three World Championships and became the first president of what is now the NFL. The NFL Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio in honor of Jim Thorpe. He was the first to be inducted in to the Hall.
Jim Thorpe played major league baseball for seven years, batting .327 in his final season. Jim Thorpe was a true multi-sports star and voted the Greatest All-Around Athlete in history.