I could write so much about the legendary Jim Thorpe, but I'll keep it as short as I can. He was American Indian named Bright Hope (he changed his name later), and he grew up in Oklahoma. He was bright and athletic and got the opportunity to attend Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, PA. While there he blew everyone away immediately in track and field and the track and field plus football coach was the famous "Pop" Warner. Amazingly, he convinced Army to let them play against them in a football classic.
Pop had an ace up his sleeve as one day Thorpe convinced him to let him tryout for football. Initially Pop didn't want him to do it because the track team was winning track meets because of Thorpe so he didn't want him to get injured, but when he put Thorpe on the practice field, he was unstoppable. So if anything, he wanted to see how someone like Thorpe could compete against a strong football program like Army's.
And guess who was on Army's team....wait for it...Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was a huge event as sports were the primary entertainment back then, so thousands of people showed up with very little cheering for Carlisle and of course they were expecting a blowout by Army.
When the crowd saw Jim Thorpe run over people and then couldn't be caught for a 92 yard touchdown, they knew they were in trouble. Not only was he running the ball, he was also punting and kicking field goals. Carlisle Indian College shocked the world that day and beat Army 27 to 6.
Thorpe went on to compete in the Olympics where he won a few Gold Medals; one in the decathlon where he had to compete in a variety of events. What's even more amazing is that he had his shoes stolen before a race and he borrowed some shoes that didn't quite fit but he ran with them anyway and won the Gold.
Thorpe could play any sport and the New York Giants baseball team got him to sign a contract. Professional football hadn't taken off yet but there were some professional leagues with teams that have been long forgotten, but Thorpe was so good that he was paid $250 a game which is over $6,000 in today's dollars. This was enough to make any man rich back then.
When his athletic career was over, he didn't have a purpose any longer. He did odd jobs and even played an Indian in various western movies and television shows. Apart from his career in films, he also worked as a construction worker, a doorman (bouncer), a security guard, a ditchdigger, and he was a Merchant Marine. He married three times and had eight children. Unfortunately he became an alcoholic and he and his wife were destitute upon his death at the age of 65. A sad ending to one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Pop had an ace up his sleeve as one day Thorpe convinced him to let him tryout for football. Initially Pop didn't want him to do it because the track team was winning track meets because of Thorpe so he didn't want him to get injured, but when he put Thorpe on the practice field, he was unstoppable. So if anything, he wanted to see how someone like Thorpe could compete against a strong football program like Army's.
And guess who was on Army's team....wait for it...Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was a huge event as sports were the primary entertainment back then, so thousands of people showed up with very little cheering for Carlisle and of course they were expecting a blowout by Army.
When the crowd saw Jim Thorpe run over people and then couldn't be caught for a 92 yard touchdown, they knew they were in trouble. Not only was he running the ball, he was also punting and kicking field goals. Carlisle Indian College shocked the world that day and beat Army 27 to 6.
Thorpe went on to compete in the Olympics where he won a few Gold Medals; one in the decathlon where he had to compete in a variety of events. What's even more amazing is that he had his shoes stolen before a race and he borrowed some shoes that didn't quite fit but he ran with them anyway and won the Gold.
Thorpe could play any sport and the New York Giants baseball team got him to sign a contract. Professional football hadn't taken off yet but there were some professional leagues with teams that have been long forgotten, but Thorpe was so good that he was paid $250 a game which is over $6,000 in today's dollars. This was enough to make any man rich back then.
When his athletic career was over, he didn't have a purpose any longer. He did odd jobs and even played an Indian in various western movies and television shows. Apart from his career in films, he also worked as a construction worker, a doorman (bouncer), a security guard, a ditchdigger, and he was a Merchant Marine. He married three times and had eight children. Unfortunately he became an alcoholic and he and his wife were destitute upon his death at the age of 65. A sad ending to one of the greatest athletes of all time.
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