Native American athlete Jim Thorpe was the greatest athlete of the 20th century.

In the 1912 Olympics, Thorpe won both the pentathlon and decathlon. His score in the decathlon was 700 points more than the nearest competitor.

Thorpe was forced to forfeit his status as an amateur athlete and was stripped of his gold medals due to his playing for a semi-professional baseball team.

In 1982, the Olympic committee re-entered Thorpe into their records and restored his medals, which were given to his children.

The controversy is said to have not been because of Thorpe’s involvement in professional baseball, but his Native American Sac and Fox heritage.

Oddly enough, the sport that took away his medals, baseball, was the one sport in which he didn’t excel.

His .252 career average (1913-1919) is deemed mediocre. Thorpe’s nationality should not be a factor in determining his fame, as he truly was the greatest American athlete to ever grace Earth.

Track and Field was not Thorpe’s only sport of fame. Thorpe was a star runningback for several football teams.

In the same year that he won the Olympic events (1912), Thorpe lead the Carlisle Indian School football team the national collegiate championships.

In that year, Thorpe amassed amazing stats; 25 touchdowns and 198 points.

After college, Thorpe played for the Canton Bulldogs, a professional football team coached by Glenn “Pop” Warner.

In 1916, 1917,and 1919, Thorpe guided the Bulldogs to unofficial world championships.

Over those years, Thorpe racked up 53 touchdowns, 17 field goals and 70 extra points.

If Thorpe had the press and media attention that Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali had, every sports fan would know that he had accomplished more than any other athlete in history.

Jim Thorpe was a true athlete and should be remembered as the greatest of the 20th century.

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Jim Thorpe’s feats of greatness;

-In 1912, Thorpe won the national collegiate championships in ballroom dancing.

-Thorpe is one of only two men to have played for both the NY Giants baseball and football teams.

-Thorpe’s city of birth, Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania changed its name to Jim Thorpe in his honor.

-Thorpe was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963