“ JIM THORPE IS THE WORLD’ S GREATEST ATHLETE. AND COMING FROM OKLAHOMA, IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT YOUNG AND OLD KNOW THE STORY ABOUT JIM THORPE,” ANITA SAID.“... FOR THOSE LOYAL TO THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA IT’ S VERY IMPORTANT, AND THE HOME ITSELF IN YALE, IT’ S A SENSE OF PRIDE FOR THOSE FROM YALE.”
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 39
“ JIM THORPE IS THE WORLD’ S GREATEST ATHLETE. AND COMING FROM OKLAHOMA, IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT YOUNG AND OLD KNOW THE STORY ABOUT JIM THORPE,” ANITA SAID.“... FOR THOSE LOYAL TO THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA IT’ S VERY IMPORTANT, AND THE HOME ITSELF IN YALE, IT’ S A SENSE OF PRIDE FOR THOSE FROM YALE.”
it is so important that young and old know the story about Jim Thorpe,” Anita said.“... For those loyal to the state of Oklahoma it’ s very important, and the home itself in Yale, it’ s a sense of pride for those from Yale.”
Anita, a member of the team at the Jim Thorpe Memorial Foundation, is the daughter of Ricahrd Thorpe, one of Jim Thorpe’ s sons. Richard Thorpe died in 2020 and was the last remaining of Jim Thorpe’ s eight children. Now, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren are tasked with preserving Jim Thorpe’ s legacy, and his home is one of the ways they do that.
“ It’ s very significant that Jim Thorpe slept there. The world’ s greatest athlete slept there, ate there, laughed with his children, played with his children, danced with his wife,” Anita said.“ And you can just get that sense, there’ s a certain kind of feeling when you go into the home of a famous person. Sometimes people think,‘ Oh, it should have been a mansion or something for a millionaire.’ So, some people are surprised of its modesty.
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“ He was the greatest athlete who ever lived,” said 1912 Olympic silver medalist Abel Kiviat.“… What he had was natural ability. There wasn’ t anything he couldn’ t do. All he had to see is someone doin’ something and he tried it … and he’ d do it better.”
It was an unmatched career, but another tragedy hung over him.
In 1913, the International Olympic Committee stripped Jim Thorpe of his gold medals and wins after
ut that’ s who Jim Thorpe was. He was a modest man.” Jim Thorpe’ s legacy spans far beyond sports. He dealt with the death of his twin, Charlie, at age 9, then the death of both of his parents by the time he was 16. Thorpe overcame those tragedies and became a top collegiate track runner and All-American football player for the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania( and a champion ballroom dancer) before going on to dominate at the Olympics.
“ You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world. I would consider it an honor to shake your hand,” said King Gustav V at the 1912 Olympics.
Thorpe then went on to play Major League Baseball and professional football, and he served as the inaugural president of the American Professional Football Association – which later became the NFL.
JIM THORPE’ S LEGACY SPANS FAR BEYOND SPORTS. HE DEALT WITH THE DEATH OF HIS TWIN, CHARLIE, AT AGE 9, THEN THE DEATH OF BOTH OF HIS PARENTS BY THE TIME HE WAS 16.
it was discovered he briefly played minor league baseball, which the IOC said went against its amateurism rules. When he died in 1953, he was still not recognized as the true winner of his events.
Anita Thorpe was born 13 years later, so she never met her grandfather. But she, the rest of the family and others fought for him.
Bright Path Strong, a nonprofit organization that pays honor
Exhibits are displayed inside the Jim Thorpe home
This Jim Thorpe commemorative stamp was issued in 1998
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