American Athlete: Jim Thorpe

American Athlete: Jim Thorpe - Jim Thorpe, Jacobus Franciscus “Jim” Thorpe (Sac and Fox (Sauk): Wa-Tho-Huk) (May 28, 1888 – March 28, 1953) [1] was an American athlete of mixed ancestry (mixed white and Indian s America). Considered one of the most versatile athletes in modern sport, he won Olympic gold medals for the pentathlon and decathlon in 1912, played football (college and professional), and also played professional baseball and basketball ball. He lost his Olympic title after it was found he was paid to play two seasons of semi-professional baseball before the Olympics, thus violating the rules of amateurism. Native American and European American ancestry, Thorpe grew up in the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma. He played in several All-American Indian teams throughout his career, “barnstormed” (played mostly in small towns) as a basketball player with a team composed entirely of American Indians.