Jim Thorpe Biography

Often regarded as the greatest athlete of the 20th century, James Francis “Jim” Thorpe was a versatile athlete who excelled in a wide number of sports. He was an Olympic gold medalist in pentathlon and decathlon. In addition, he had played football during his college days and also played baseball and basketball at the professional level. He started playing football while at school and eventually branched out into other sports as well. One of his earliest coaches was the football legend, Glenn “Pop” Warner who helped to mould the youngster into a formidable competitor. After his Olympic win, the King of Sweden congratulated him, calling him the greatest of all athletes in the world. However, his Olympic titles were taken away after it was revealed that he had played professional baseball before competing in the Olympics. This violated the amateurism rules of the Olympic. However, his Olympic achievements were restored to his credit 30 years after his death. The strong and healthy athlete participated in competitive sports until the age of 41. But life was not always kind to him. He struggled to make ends meet during his final years and became a victim to alcoholism which ruined his health and well being.