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James Francis "Jim" Thorpe
May 22 (or 28), 1887 - May 28, 1953
Posted by Jeff Smith

Jim Thorpe was born in Indian Territory near the town of Prague, OK. near and south of Bellemont – Pottawatomie County – along the banks of the North Fork River.  His father was Hiram Thorpe & his mother was Charlotte Vieux,

Jim attended the Sac and Fox Indian Agency school in Stroud, Oklahoma, with his twin brother, Charlie. At the age of 16, he started attending the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, PA. There his athletic ability was recognized and he was coached by Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner, one of the most influential coaches of early American football history.

He competed in track & field, as well as football, baseball, lacrosse and even ballroom dancing, winning the 1912 intercollegiate ballroom dancing championship.

He was awarded All-American honors in both 1911 and 1912

In 1926, Jim married Freeda Verona Kirkpatrick. She was working for the manager of the baseball team for which he was playing at the time. She divorced him in 1941.

Lastly, Jim married Patricia Gladys Askew on June 2, 1945, she was with him when he died.

He worked as a construction worker, a doorman (bouncer), a security guard and a ditch digger, and briefly joined the United States Merchant Marine in 1945

Jim went into heart failure for the third time while dining with Patricia in their home in Lomita, CA. He was briefly revived by artificial respiration and spoke to those around him, but lost consciousness shortly afterward and died on March 28 at the age of 65.

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