Jim Thorpe was born in 1888 to very modest beginnings. He was born half American Indian and was raised in the “Sac and Fox” tradition. He was bestowed the name Wa-Tho-Huk which is translated as “Bright Path”. It was under this name that he later went on to achieve greatness.

Jim started attending Carlisle Industrial School in 1904. It was at Carlisle where he met Glenn “Pop” Warner. Running track at the time, “Pop” Warner blended Thorpe into the football program there. In 1912 Jim Thorpe attended the Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. He captured the gold in the pentathlon and the decathlon. While on the medal podium receiving his medals, King Gustav V regarded him as “the greatest athlete in the world”. His medals were later stripped from him by the Olympic committee when it was learned that he was paid to play sports at the same time as the Games.

Thorpe later went on to become one of the most versatile athletes in the world. He competed in Basketball, Baseball, and Football professionally. He also formed the American Professional Football Association which later developed into what is now the National Football League (N.F.L). In 1950 he was regarded by The Associated Press as the greatest American Football Player of the first half of the 20th century. He was also acclaimed as the Greatest Overall Male Athlete.

At the time of his death in 1953, Jim Thorpe was still plagued by the removal of his Olympic medals. It was not until 30 years later that these medals were permanently restored. The Associated Press later honored him in 1999 by ranking him as the 3rd greatest athlete of the 20th century.