Jim Thorpe was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame a full ten years after his death
as part of the original class of 1963. Thorpe was the first president of the NFL (then
called the American Professional Football Association) in 1920, and was the gold medalist
in decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics.
Jim Thorpe
Charter Enshrinee, 1963
(Carlisle)
HALFBACK 6-1, 190
1915-1920, 1926 Canton Bulldogs
1921 Cleveland Indians
1922-1923 Oorang Indians
1924 Rock Island Independent
1925 New York Gaints
1928 Chicago Cardinals
All-America halfback at Carlisle, 1912 Olympic decathlon champion. . .First big-name
athlete to play pro football, signing with pre-NFL Canton Bulldogs in 1915. . .Named
"The Legend" on the all-time NFL team. . .Voted top American athlete of first
half of 20th century. . .First president of the American Professional Football
Association, 1920. . . Born May 28, 1888 in Prague, Oklahoma. . .Died March 28, 1953, at
age of 64.
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