Jim Thorpe

:This article refers to the football & baseball player. To see the city in Pennsylvania see Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.

A rising star

Legend has it that Thorpe began his athletic career at Carlisle in 1907 when he walked past the track and beat the school's high jumpers with an impromptu 5'9" jump, still wearing plain clothes. Whether this is true or not, Thorpe's earliest recorded track and field results are indeed from 1907. But track and field were certainly not the only events in which Thorpe engaged at Carlisle—he also participated in football, baseball, lacrosse and even ballroom dancing.

Related Topics:
1907 - High jump - Track and field - Lacrosse - Ballroom dancing

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He gained nationwide attention for the first time in 1911. As a running back, defensive back, place-kicker, and punter for his school's football team, Thorpe scored all of his team's points in an 18-13 upset against Harvard, 4 field goals and a touchdown. His team finished the season 11-1. The following year, he led Carlisle to the national collegiate championship, scoring 25 touchdowns and 198 points (over 12 games). Carlisle's 1912 record includes an impressive 27-6 victory over Army. In that game, Thorpe scored a 92-yard touchdown which was annulled because of a penalty incurred by a teammate. Thorpe then scored a 97-yard touchdown on the next play. Thorpe won All-American honors in both 1911 and 1912.

Related Topics:
1911 - Running back - Harvard - Touchdown - 1912 - Army - All-America

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Football was—and would remain—Thorpe's favorite sport, and he only sporadically competed in track and field. Nevertheless, track and field would become the sport in which Thorpe would gain the most fame.

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