From the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), Jim Thorpe was from the Sac and Fox Nation, and the versatility of his athletic skills was staggering. Competing collegiately at Carlisle, Thorpe starred in track, football, baseball, lacrosse, and even the intercollegiate ballroom dancing champion in 1912. Thorpe made his mark when he took his school in 1912 to a 12-1-1 record, including an upset over Harvard.

By that point, Thorpe was already a national treasure, winning the inaugural decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics, but as he was moving into pro football, tragedy struck. It was discovered that he played semi-pro football, which meant he was not an "amateur," and he was stripped of his gold medals.

Thorpe went on to keep playing football, where he was a member of the 1920s All-Decade Team, and he also made it to the Major Leagues in baseball.

Sadly, Thorpe was a victim of racism, and he became an alcoholic, leading to a penniless death in 1952. Thirty years after he died, his Olympic Gold Medals were reinstated, rectifying one of the grand thefts in sports.

We are proud to nominate Jim Thorpe for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.