How the contributions of Jim Thorpe continue to shape the world today.
Jim Thorpe, a Sac and Fox Nation citizen, was a versatile American athlete renowned for his accomplishments in multiple sports. He achieved international fame by winning two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics, marking him as the first Native American to win Olympic gold for the United States. Beyond the Olympics, Thorpe also excelled in professional football, baseball, and basketball, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest and most adaptable athletes in sports history.
In 1951, Jim Thorpe was portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the film "Jim Thorpe – All-American", which was about his life and athletic career.
In 1961, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who played against Jim Thorpe in 1912, recalled his impressions of Thorpe in a speech.
In 1963, Jim Thorpe was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class, recognizing his accomplishments in the sport.
On April 16, 1973, President Richard Nixon proclaimed "Jim Thorpe Day" to promote nationwide recognition of Thorpe's life.
In 1911, Jim Thorpe lead his team to an 11-1 record. In 1975, Jim Thorpe's team was retroactively named national collegiate champions in a book titled "Champions of College Football", written by Bill Libby.
In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals with replicas. This decision came after ruling that the initial decision to strip him of the medals fell outside of the required 30 days.
In 1986, the Jim Thorpe Association established the Jim Thorpe Award, an annual award given to the best defensive back in college football.
On February 3, 1998, the United States Postal Service issued a 32¢ stamp commemorating Jim Thorpe as part of the Celebrate the Century stamp sheet series.
In 2000, Jim Thorpe was voted the Greatest Athlete of the Twentieth Century in a poll of sports fans published by ABC Sports.
In 2015, the proposed designs were released for the Native American dollar coin that would commemorate Jim Thorpe.
In 2018, Jim Thorpe received the AAU Gussie Crawford Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to amateur sports, and he was commemorated on the Native American dollar coin.
In 2018, Jim Thorpe was inducted into the National Native American Hall of Fame during the organization's inaugural induction ceremony.
In 2019, the Jim Thorpe Area Running Festival, featuring a marathon and other races, was inaugurated in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.
In 2022, the IOC decided to restore Jim Thorpe as the sole champion in both decathlon and pentathlon events, after previously listing him as co-champion.
In 2024, President Joe Biden announced that Jim Thorpe would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
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