Jim Thorpe Research Paper

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Jim Thorpe was born on May 28, 1887 in Oklahoma. He was a Native American of Sac and Fox and Potawatomi heritage. Thorpe was known for his endurance. As a young child, he learned to hunt and trap through Indian territory. He lost his twin brother and parents at an early age. He attended the Haskell Institute in Kansas, Garden Grove School, and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. He was often in trouble in school for truancy. In 1907 in Carlisle, Thorpe joined a track-and-field practice session on campus. He jumped over a 5'9'' high bar to break the school record. He was wearing work clothes and caught the attention of coach Pop Warner. Thorpe became the star of the track program. He was also successful in baseball, hockey, …show more content…

Thorpe received All-American honors both times. He was known for his dedication and hard training. Thorpe was named to the U.S. Team for the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. He won four of five events to claim the gold medal in the pentathlon. He also won the decathlon by winning the high jump, the 110-meter hurdles, and the 1,500 meters. He competed in a pair of mismatched shoes. He finished the three-day event with a total of 8,412.95 points. Sweden's King Gustaf V named Thorpe to be the greatest athlete in the world. New York City honored him with a ticker-tape parade as a hero's welcome home. In January, a newspaper report stated that Thorpe had been paid to play minor league baseball in 1909 and 1910. He wrote a plea to the Amateur Athletic Union. It was denied. Thorpe was stripped of his amateur elegibility and forced to return his gold medals. He was also taken out of the Olympic record books. In 1913, he signed to play professional baseball with the New York Giants. He played for the Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Braves. In 1915, he signed to play pro football with the Canton Bulldogs for $250 per game. He lead the team to league championships in 1916, 1917, and

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