The son of a Sac and Fox Indian father and a
Potawatami Indian mother, Jim Wa-Tho-Huk Thorpe was born in
Oklahoma in 1888. A natural athlete, he overcame family tragedies and personal
hardships to become a star in not one, but three sports, and to win two Olympic
gold medals.
He first gained recognition at the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania,
where he gave outstanding performances on the track and field and football
teams. His coach there, Pop Warner, was instrumental in getting Jim to the 1912
Olympics in Sweden, where he stunned the crowd...