
Jim Thorpe in track meet running event Save

Description: This black and white glass plate negative depicts Jim Thorpe running in a pack of runners at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Stands of the college appear in the background. Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_1
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_1
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe Lacrosse game, Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle Pennsylvania Save

Description: This photograph shows a lacrosse game played at Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. One of the players is could be Jim Thorpe. Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_2
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_2
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe clearing hurdle Save

Description: This is a glass plate negative depicting Jim Thorpe clearing a hurdle as a member of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School track team. Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_10
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_10
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe silver Viking ship Save

Description: This photograph shows the silver viking ship presented to Jim Thorpe by the Emperor of Russia for winning the Decathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_11
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_11
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe avoiding would-be tackler Save

Description: Jim Thorpe avoiding would-be tackler during a football game. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_12
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_12
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe clearing high jump Save

Description: This photograph shows Jim Thorpe at track practice clearing high jump bar. Jim Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_14
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_14
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe running track Save

Description: This photograph shows Jim Thorpe in his Carlisle Indian Industrial School uniform running track. Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_15
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_15
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe and teammate Save

Description: This photograph shows Jim Thorpe and a Carlisle Indian Industrial School football teammate. Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_16
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_16
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe playing lacrosse Save

Description: In this photograph, Jim Thorpe is shown playing lacrosse with fellow students at Carlisle Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_18
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_18
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe with the Carlisle Industrial School Track Team Save

Description: This photograph shows Jim Thorpe with his teammates from the track team at Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_19
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_19
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe's wedding to Iva Miller Save

Description: This photograph is the wedding party for the marriage of Jim Thorpe and Iva Miller in 1913. Jim and Iva had four children; Jim Jr (died at age 2), Gale, Charlotte and Grace. Jim and Iva divorced in 1925. Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_20
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_20
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Jim Thorpe kicking a football Save

Description: This photograph shows Jim Thorpe kicking a football. Jim Thorpe attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School as a young man. Jim (James Francis) Thorpe was born in 1888 in Oklahoma to Hiram P. and Charlotte Thorpe. Both Hiram and Charlotte were of European and American Indian heritage and Jim was raised in the Sac and Fox tribes. In 1904 he was sent to a boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for American Indian children. While at Carlisle he played multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track. He left Carlisle in 1909 and 1910 to play professional baseball with teams in Eastern Carolina League in North Carolina. He returned to Carlisle in 1911 for two successful football seasons. In both 1911 and 1912 he was an All-American halfback for football. In 1912 he became the only person to win gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. His Olympic celebrity propelled him a three year contract playing professional baseball for the New York Giants. He also played baseball with the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. However, it was as a professional football player that Thorpe was more successful and strongly tied to Ohio. He was associated with four professional or semi-professional football teams in Ohio as a player and coach: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Oorang Indians based in LaRue, and the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels. His greatest success was with the Canton Bulldogs, which he led to win national championships in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1919. From 1922-1923 he was a player and coach for the Oorang Indians, a National Football League team comprised of all native players. The majority of the Oorang Indians team members, like Thorpe, had played at Carlisle. The team owner, Robert Lingo, used the team and Thorpes celebrity to advertise his Oorang Kennels Company, particularly his Airedale terriers. Thorpe played another season with the Bulldogs in 1926 and then went to Portsmouth as a player-coach for the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoe-Steels in 1927. This was Thorpes last athletic job. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked a variety of jobs until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV235_1_21
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)
Image ID: AV235_1_21
Subjects: Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--History--20th century--Pictoral works; Jim Thorpe (Pa.)--Social Life and customs--Pictorial works; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; School sports
Places: Carlisle (Pennsylvania); Cumberland County (Pennsylvania)