4 minute read

Jim Thorpe

The 1912 Olympics



Thorpe's fame had followed him to the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, where he would compete against the best athletes of the time in both the pentathlon-introduced that year by the Swedes-and the decathlon, a grueling ten-event competition. During the pentathlon, he placed first in the running broad jump, with a leap of 23' 2.7". Although he had thrown a javelin for the first time only two months earlier, Thorpe placed fourth in this event. He finished first in the 200-meter dash, with a time of 22.9 seconds. His discus throw distance measured 116' 8.4", almost three feet ahead of the second place winner. In the 1,500-meter run, Thorpe paced himself, staying behind until the middle of the second lap, when he picked up speed. He had passed all other runners by the beginning of the fourth lap and easily finished first, with a time of 4 minutes 44.8 seconds. With a total score of 7, compared to 21 received by the second place winner, Thorpe won the gold.



Five days later, the long-anticipated decathlon began. The athletes competed in the pouring rain on the first day of the three-day event. Thorpe placed third in the 100-meter dash, second in the running broad jump, and then threw the shot put 42' 5 9/20", more than 2.5 feet further than the second place winner. On a beautiful second day, he placed first in the high jump, fourth in the 400-meter run, and first in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.6 seconds, a time that would not be approached until the 1948 Olympics, when Bob Mathias completed the hurdles in 15.7 seconds. On the third day, Thorpe placed second in discus, third in pole vault, third in the javelin throw, and then beat his pentathlon time in the 1,500-meter run, finishing in 4 minutes 40.1 seconds. He won the decathlon and the gold medal with a total of 8,412.95 points out of a possible 10,000. He finished almost 700 points ahead of Hugo Wieslander of Sweden, the silver medalist.

One of the most famous stories about Thorpe revolves around his acceptance of his second gold medal from King Gustav V of Sweden. As the king presented the medal and a bejeweled chalice as a gift, he grabbed Thorpe's hand and said, "Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world." Thorpe answered simply, "Thanks, King."

By the time Thorpe and his fellow Olympians returned home, he was an international hero and celebrity, treated to ticker-tape parades in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, and honored with banquets and parties. Bob Bernotas reported that the 24-year-old Indian was overwhelmed. "I heard people yelling my name, and I couldn't realize how one fellow could have so many friends," he said.

Chronology

1888 Born May 28 near Prague, Oklahoma; mother names him Wa-thohuck, Sauk and Fox for "Bright Path"
1896 Twin brother, Charles, dies
1898 Is enrolled in Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas
1901 Mother dies of blood poisoning
1904 Enrolls in Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
1904 Father dies of blood poisoning
1907 Joins the Carlisle varsity track and football teams
1909-10 Takes time away from Carlisle to go back to Oklahoma; plays minor-league baseball at Rocky Mount and Fayetteville, North Carolina
1911 Reenrolls at Carlisle; is named first-team All-American by Walter Camp for season with Carlisle Indians football team
1912 Wins gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon at Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden
1912 Named first-team All-American in football for second consecutive year
1913 Stripped of Olympic titles when news story breaks that he played baseball for pay in 1909-1910; gives back Olympic gold medals
1913 Leaves Carlisle and signs three-year contract with New York Giants pro baseball team
1913 Marries Carlisle sweetheart, Iva Miller; they will have a son and three daughters
1916-20 Plays halfback and serves as head coach for Canton Bulldogs pro football career ends
1918 Son James, Jr., dies at age 3 after a sudden illness
1919 Leaves New York Giants baseball team after run-in with manager John McGraw
1920 American Professional Football Association is formed; Thorpe is Named Greatest Football Player of the Half-Century and Greatest
1922-23 Organizes and plays for traveling Oorang Indians football team
1923 Marriage to Iva Miller ends
1925 Marries Freeda Kirkpatrick; they will have four sons
1926 Plays final season with Canton Bulldogs
1928 Plays token game with Chicago Cardinals on Thanksgiving Day; football career end
1929-45 Works as laborer, movie extra, and lecturer
1932 After former fans raise money so he can attend, Thorpe takes seat next to Vice President Charles Curtis at Olympic Games in Los Angeles to a standing ovation by crowd of 105,000
1941 Marriage to Freeda Kirkpatrick ends
1945 Serves briefly in U.S. merchant marine; marries Patricia Gladys Askew
1948 Joins recreation staff of Chicago Park District and teaches trackfundamentals to young people; is hired to prepare Israel's National Soccer Team for match against U.S. Olympic Soccer Team in New York
1950 Named greatest Football Player of the Half-century and greatest Male Athlete of the Half-Century
1951 Movie about his life, Jim Thorpe-All-American, premieres in Oklahoma City and Carlisle
1953 Dies of massive heart attack on March 28 in Lomita, California; is buried in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, which changes its name to Jim Thorpe
1963 Inducted as charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio
1973 Amateur Athletic Union restores Thorpe's status as amateur for 1909-1912
1982-83 International Olympic Committee restores Thorpe's Olympic records and returns gold medals to his family
1999 U.S. Congress passes resolution naming Thorpe America's Athlete of the Century

Additional topics

Famous Sports StarsFootballJim Thorpe Biography - Beginning On The Bright Path, Carlisle Indian, The 1912 Olympics, Chronology, Greatest Football Season - SELECTED WRITINGS BY THORPE: