Portal:Baseball/Selected biography/Week 12, 2007

Jim Thorpe (May 28, 1888 – March 28, 1953) was one of the most versatile and accomplished athletes in modern sports. He won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, starred in college and professional football, played Major League Baseball and also had a career in basketball. He subsequently lost his Olympic titles when it was found he had played two seasons of minor league baseball prior to competing in the games (thus violating the amateur status rules). In 1983, thirty years after his death, his medals were restored.

Thorpe signed with the New York Giants in 1913 and played sporadically as an outfielder for three seasons. After missing the 1916 season, he again played for the Giants in 1917, but was sold to the Cincinnati Reds early in the season. In the "double no-hitter" between Fred Toney of the Reds and Hippo Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs, Thorpe drove in the winning run in the 10th inning. Late in the season, he was sold back to the Giants. In 1919, Thorpe was traded to the Boston Braves for Pat Ragan. In his career, he amassed 91 runs scored, 82 runs batted in and a .252 batting average over 289 games. He continued to play baseball with teams in minor leagues until 1922.(more...) - Archive - Nominations -