Jim Thorpe: World’s Greatest Athlete

By: Robert W. Wheeler

Narrated by: Chaz Allen

Born in 1888 in what would soon be Oklahoma Territory, Jim Thorpe was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation. After attending the Sac and Fox agency school and Haskell Indian Junior College in Lawrence, Kansas, he transferred to Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. At Carlisle he led the football team to victories over some of the nation's best college teams—Army, Navy, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska. In 1912 he participated in the Olympic Games in Stockholm, winning both the decathlon and pentathlon. It was then that King Gustav V of Sweden dubbed him the world's greatest athlete.

Between 1913 and 1919, Thorpe played professional baseball for the New York Giants, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Boston Braves. In 1915 he began playing professional football with the Canton (Ohio) Bulldogs. When the top teams were organized into the American Professional Football Association in 1920, Thorpe was named the first president of the organization, renamed the National Football League in 1922. Throughout his career he excelled in every sport he played, earning King Gustav's accolade many times over.

The book is published by University of Oklahoma Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©1979, 2023 University of Oklahoma Press (P)2024 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"This is the gold standard!" (Tom Benjey, author of Gridiron Gypsies)

"The finest biography I have ever read on any athlete." (Bill Mallon, author of Historical Dictionary of Golf)

"Undoubtedly the best-documented account of Thorpe's life." (Jim Campbell, co-author of Hell with the Lid Off)

Separating facts from fiction

Robert Wheeler does a fantastic job of clearing up misconceptions and false reports filed on the world's greatest athlete, Jim Thorpe. The author also brilliantly demonstrates how Thorpe was unfairly treated, which resulted in him being stripped of the gold metals he rightfully earned in the 1912 Olympics in Sweden. Clearly, Thorpe was a victim of racism. Wheeler utilizes interviews with Thorpe's children to tell the full story of his life and career.

In 1909 and 1910, Thorpe competed in minor league baseball, thus he was stripped of his amateur status. While others played under alias names, Thorpe used his real name, not realizing he was violating any rules. How could an athlete be considered ineligible the decathlon by playing minor league baseball?

Thorpe was such a stand athlete in track and field at Carlisle, legendary football coach Pop Warner didn't even want him to play the gridiron sport. But of course, Thorpe was a natural, leading his school by scoring touchdowns, kicking field goals, and winning the field position battle with his dazzling punting abilities. Unquestionably, Thorpe was a game changer, and has often been called the greatest football player to even play the sport.

Why is Thorpe considered the greatest athlete of all time? Besides football and track, he also excelled at lacrosse, basketball, golf, bowling, and played professional football and baseball. He was signed by John McGraw's New York Giants in 1913, and then focus on professional football with the Canton Bulldogs and played the sport until age 41. There was apparently nothing Thorpe couldn't do athletically, even received offers to become a boxer.

"Jim Thorpe: World’s Greatest Athlete" writes the wrongs, and properly establishes Thorpe's unmatched legacy. Chaz Allen also does a fantastic job narrating.

Too much play by play

Too much detail play by play. More on his stats and relative greatness. Great human though