Editing Jim Thorpe (section)

==Legacy==

=== Olympic awards reinstated ===
[[File:2018 Native American Dollar Reverse.jpg|thumb|alt=One dollar coin depicting a headshot and two body shots of Thorpe competing. The text reads "Jim Thorpe / Wa-Tho-Huk" on top and "United States of America" on the bottom.|Thorpe is featured on the reverse of the 2018 [[Sacagawea dollar]].]]

Over the years, supporters of Thorpe attempted to have his Olympic titles reinstated.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Dave |date=June 22, 1975 |title=Jim Thorpe's Medals |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/22/archives/dave-anderson-jim-thorpes-medals.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=June 19, 2016 |work=The New York Times |page=S5}}</ref> American Olympic officials, including former teammate and later president of the IOC [[Avery Brundage]], rebuffed several attempts. Brundage once said, "Ignorance is no excuse."<ref name="SI2004" /> Most persistent were the author Robert Wheeler and his wife, Florence Ridlon. They succeeded in having the AAU and [[United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee|United States Olympic Committee]] overturn its decision and restore Thorpe's amateur status before 1913.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Wethe |first1=David |last2=Whiteley |first2=Michael |date=July 21, 2002 |title=Legends lunches begin this fall with Bob Lilly |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2002/07/22/newscolumn1.html |access-date=September 8, 2024 |website=www.bizjournals.com}}</ref>

In 1982, Wheeler and Ridlon established the Jim Thorpe Foundation and gained support from the [[United States Congress|U.S.&nbsp;Congress]]. Armed with this support and evidence from 1912 proving that Thorpe's disqualification had occurred after the 30-day time period allowed by Olympics rules, they succeeded in making the case to the IOC. In October 1982, the IOC Executive Committee approved Thorpe's reinstatement.<ref name="Anderson" /> In an unusual ruling, they declared that Thorpe was co-champion with [[Ferdinand Bie]] and [[Hugo Wieslander]], although both of these athletes had always said they considered Thorpe to be the only champion. In a ceremony on January 18, 1983, the IOC presented two of Thorpe's children, Gale and Bill, with commemorative medals.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mather |first1=Victor |last2=Panja |first2=Tariq |date=July 15, 2022 |title=Jim Thorpe Is Restored as Sole Winner of 1912 Olympic Gold Medals |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/sports/olympics/jim-thorpe-olympics-medal-restored.html |access-date=May 30, 2024 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name="Anderson">{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Anderson (sportswriter) |date=February 7, 1983 |title=Jim Thorpe's Family Feud |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/07/sports/jim-thorpe-s-family-feud.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 23, 2007 |work=The New York Times |page=C4}}</ref> Thorpe's original medals had been held in museums, but they were stolen and have never been recovered.{{Sfn|O'Hanlon-Lincoln|2004|p=132}} The IOC listed Thorpe as a co-gold medalist.<ref name="recognized" />

In July 2020, a petition from Bright Path Strong<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bengel |first=Chris |date=July 16, 2020 |title=Petition filed to restore Jim Thorpe's status as sole gold medalist |url=https://www.cbssports.com/olympics/news/petition-filed-to-restore-jim-thorpes-status-as-sole-gold-medalist/ |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=CBS Sports}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 15, 2022 |title=Jim Thorpe is reinstated as the sole winner of two events in the 1912 Olympics |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/07/15/1111739166/jim-thorpe-reinstated-1912-olympics |access-date=August 8, 2022 |publisher=NPR |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> began circulating that called upon the IOC to reinstate Thorpe as the sole winner in his events in the 1912 Olympics. It was backed by Pictureworks Entertainment, which is making a film about Thorpe. The petition was supported by Olympian [[Billy Mills]], who won a gold medal in the 10,000&nbsp;meters at the [[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo Games]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carlson |first=Jenni |date=July 15, 2020 |title=Jim Thorpe petition drive starts to restore his status as sole winner of 1912 Olympic gold medals |url=https://oklahoman.com/article/5666861/jim-thorpe-petition-drive-starts-to-restore-his-status-as-sole-winner-of-1912-olympic-gold-medals |access-date=July 17, 2020 |website=The Oklahoman}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Barker |first=Philip |date=July 15, 2020 |title=Campaign launched to recognise Thorpe as sole champion from Stockholm 1912 |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1096326/stockholm-campaign-thorpe-golds |access-date=July 17, 2020 |publisher=Inside the Games}}</ref> The IOC voted to reinstate Thorpe as the sole winner of both events on July 14, 2022, after the National Olympic Committees of Norway and Sweden, representing Bie and Wieslander, had given their approval.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Schaap |first=Jeremy |date=July 15, 2022 |title=IOC reinstates Jim Thorpe as sole winner of 1912 Olympic decathlon and pentathlon |url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/34245374/ioc-reinstates-jim-thorpe-sole-winner-1912-olympic-decathlon-pentathlon |access-date=July 15, 2022 |website=[[ESPN.com]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 15, 2022 |title=IOC to display the name of Jim Thorpe as sole Stockholm 1912 pentathlon and decathlon gold medallist |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-to-display-the-name-of-jim-thorpe-as-sole-stockholm-1912-pentathlon-and-decathlon-gold-medallist |access-date=October 2, 2023 |publisher=[[International Olympic Committee]]}}</ref>

===Honors===
[[File:JimThorpeGoudeycard.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Sports card of Jim Thorpe. In the center, he is shown from the torso up wearing his jersey.|1933 [[Goudey]] Sport Kings card of Thorpe]]
Thorpe's tribe, the Sac and Fox Nation, added Olympic rings to their official flag to honor him.<ref name=ohs/>

Thorpe's monument, featuring the quote from Gustav&nbsp;V ("You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world."), still stands near the town named for him, [[Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania]].{{Sfn|Hoxie|1996|p=628}} The grave rests on mounds of soil from Thorpe's native Oklahoma and from the stadium in which he won his Olympic medals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Thorpe, PA - Jim Thorpe's Tourist Attraction Grave |url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/3583 |access-date=September 8, 2024 |website=www.roadsideamerica.com |language=en}}</ref>

Thorpe's achievements received great acclaim from sports journalists, both during his lifetime and since his death. In 1950, an [[Associated Press]] poll of almost 400&nbsp;sportswriters and broadcasters voted Thorpe the "greatest athlete" of the first half of the 20th&nbsp;century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Thorpe |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761574686/Jim_Thorpe.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070908004723/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761574686/Jim_Thorpe.html |archive-date=September 8, 2007 |website=encarta.msn.com}}</ref> That same year, the [[Associated Press]] ranked Thorpe as the "greatest American football player" of the first half of the century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography - The Official Licensing Website of Jim Thorpe |url=http://www.cmgww.com/sports/thorpe/biography/ |access-date=September 8, 2024 |website=Jim Thorpe |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] voters selected him for the [[National Football League 50th Anniversary All-Time Team|NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team]] in 1967.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 7, 1969 |title=Unitas QBs NFL Team |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48315094/nfl-50th-anniversary-team/ |access-date=May 1, 2020 |work=The Tampa Tribune |page=5-F |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> In 1999, the Associated Press placed him third on its list of the top athletes of the century, following [[Babe Ruth]] and [[Michael Jordan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top 100 athletes of the 20th century |url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ssat2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312070523/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ssat2.htm |archive-date=March 12, 2009 |website=USA Today |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> [[ESPN]] ranked Thorpe seventh on their list of best North American athletes of the century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top N. American athletes of the century |url=https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/athletes.html |access-date=September 8, 2024 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref>

Thorpe was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 1963, one of seventeen players in the charter class.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hall of Famers by Year of Enshrinement |url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/years.aspx |access-date=September 6, 2012 |publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame}}</ref> Thorpe is memorialized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame rotunda with a larger-than-life statue. He was also inducted into halls of fame for college football, American Olympic teams, and the national track and field competition.<ref name="CNN" />

In 2018, Thorpe became one of the inductees in the first induction ceremony held by the [[National Native American Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 22, 2018 |title=National Native American Hall of Fame names first twelve historic inductees |url=https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/news/national-native-american-hall-of-fame-names-first-twelve-historic-inductees-e-Uu9NZBh0K9TPrv992tyQ/ |access-date=October 22, 2018 |publisher=IndianCountryToday.com}}</ref> The fitness center and a hall at [[Haskell Indian Nations University]] are named in honor of Thorpe.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 10, 2016 |title=Haskell Indian Nations University Directory |url=https://www.haskell.edu/info/directory/ |access-date=January 10, 2018 |publisher=[[Haskell Indian Nations University]]}}</ref>

President [[Richard Nixon]], as authorized by U.S.&nbsp;Senate Joint Resolution&nbsp;73, proclaimed Monday, April 16, 1973, as "Jim Thorpe Day" to promote nationwide recognition of Thorpe's life.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Proclamation 4209—Jim Thorpe Day |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-4209-jim-thorpe-day |access-date=September 8, 2024 |website=The American Presidency Project}}</ref> In 1986, the Jim Thorpe Association established an award with Thorpe's name. The [[Jim Thorpe Award]] is given annually to the best [[defensive back]] in [[college football]]. The annual [[Thorpe Cup]] athletics meeting is named in his honor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=16 Jahre "Thorpe Cup" |url=http://www.zehnkampfteam.de/statistiken/thorpe-cup/historie/geschichte.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405053554/http://www.zehnkampfteam.de/statistiken/thorpe-cup/historie/geschichte.html |archive-date=April 5, 2010 |access-date=August 10, 2010 |website=Zehnkampf.de |language=de}}</ref> The [[United States Postal Service]] issued a 32¢ stamp on February 3, 1998, as part of the [[Celebrate the Century]] stamp sheet series.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 2011 |title=American Indian Subjects on United States Postage Stamps |url=http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/american-indian-stamp-subjects-2011.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330072458/http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/american-indian-stamp-subjects-2011.pdf |archive-date=March 30, 2013 |access-date=July 28, 2013 |publisher=United States Postal Service}}</ref>

In a poll of sports fans published in 2000 by [[ESPN on ABC|ABC&nbsp;Sports]], Thorpe was voted the Greatest Athlete of the Twentieth Century; the pool of 15 other top athletes included [[Muhammad Ali]], [[Pelé]], Babe Ruth, [[Jesse Owens]], [[Wayne Gretzky]], [[Jack Nicklaus]], and Michael Jordan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 14, 2000 |title=Wide World of Sports athlete of the century |url=https://www.espn.com/endofcentury/s/century/wwos.html |access-date=February 6, 2012 |publisher=ESPN Network}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Thorpe: All-Around Athlete and American Indian Advocate |url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/sports/exhibit/champions/thorpe/index.cfm |access-date=February 6, 2012 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>

In 2018, Thorpe was honored with the [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] Gussie Crawford Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to amateur sports.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AAU Crawford Award {{!}} AAU |url=https://www.aausports.org/aau-crawford-award/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.aausports.org |language=en}}</ref> That same year, he was also commemorated on the [[Sacagawea dollar|Native American dollar]] coin;<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 8, 2018 |title=United States Mint to Release 2018 Native American $1 Coin Products on February 15 |url=https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-to-release-2018-native-american-1-coin-products-on-february-15 |access-date=April 26, 2019 |publisher=United States Mint}}</ref> proposed designs were released in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Unser |first=Mike |date=November 6, 2015 |title=2018 Native American 2018 Native American $1 Coin Designs Depict Jim Thorpe Coin Designs Depict Jim Thorpe |url=https://www.coinnews.net/2015/11/06/2018-native-american-1-coin-designs-depict-jim-thorpe/ |access-date=September 8, 2024 |website=CoinNews |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2024, President [[Joe Biden]] announced that Thorpe would be awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the highest civilian honor given in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schad |first=Tom |date=May 3, 2024 |title=Katie Ledecky, Jim Thorpe among 2024 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients by Joe Biden |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2024/05/03/katie-ledecky-jim-thorpe-awarded-presidential-medal-of-freedom/73549309007/ |access-date=May 30, 2024 |work=[[USA Today]]}}</ref>

===Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania===
[[File:Jim Thorpe Statue.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Statue of Jim Thorpe dashing while carrying a football in front of a group of trees|One of the two statues of Thorpe located in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania]]

After Thorpe's funeral was held at St. Benedict's Catholic Church in Shawnee, Oklahoma,<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 13, 1953 |title=Jim Thorpe Body Arrives Home For Burial Rite |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19530413&id=1G9gAAAAIBAJ&pg=5892,2267660&hl=en |access-date=July 14, 2016 |work=The Wilmington News |page=9 |agency=United Press}}</ref> his body lay in state at Fairview Cemetery. Residents had paid to have it returned to Shawnee by train from California.{{Sfn|Buford|2012|pp=367–369}} The people began a fund-raising effort to erect a memorial for Thorpe at the town's athletic park. Local officials had asked state legislators for funding, but a bill that included $25,000 for their proposal was vetoed by Governor [[Johnston Murray]].{{Sfn|Wheeler|1979|pp=228–229}}

Meanwhile, Thorpe's third wife, unbeknownst to the rest of his family, took Thorpe's body and had it shipped to Pennsylvania when she heard that the small Pennsylvania towns of [[Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania|Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk]] were seeking to attract business.<ref name="wsj">{{Cite news |last=Hagerty |first=James R. |date=July 21, 2010 |title=Is There Life After Jim Thorpe For Jim Thorpe, Pa.? |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |page=A14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zucchino |first=David |date=October 18, 2013 |title=Jim Thorpe, Pa., fights to keep its namesake |url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-jim-thorpe-body-20131018-dto-htmlstory.html |access-date=September 8, 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> She made a deal with officials which, according to Thorpe's son Jack, was made by the widowed Patricia for monetary considerations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 17, 2010 |title=Frank Deford of ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel'' interviews Jack Thorpe |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXogaDT5Zm0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/iXogaDT5Zm0 |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |access-date=July 9, 2012 |publisher=HBO (official channel on YouTube)}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The towns "bought" Thorpe's remains, erected a monument to him at the grave, merged, and renamed the newly united town in his honor as [[Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania]]. Thorpe had never been there.{{Sfn|O'Hanlon-Lincoln|2004|p=148}} The monument site contains his tomb,<ref name="body" /> two statues of him in athletic poses,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hedes |first=Jarrad |date=May 19, 2017 |title=Jim Thorpe plans to add third Olympian statue |url=https://www.tnonline.com/2017/may/19/jim-thorpe-plans-add-third-olympian-statue |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119120949/https://www.tnonline.com/2017/may/19/jim-thorpe-plans-add-third-olympian-statue |archive-date=January 19, 2018 |website=Lehighton Times News}}</ref> and historical markers recounting his life story.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Loverro |first=Thom |author-link=Thom Loverro |date=August 2, 2013 |title=Jim Thorpe sleeps on – for now – in town where everyone knows his name |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/aug/02/jim-thorpe-pennsylvania-football-hall-fame |access-date=September 8, 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In June 2010, Jack Thorpe filed a federal lawsuit against the borough of Jim Thorpe, seeking to have his father's remains returned to his homeland and re-interred near other family members in Oklahoma. Citing the [[Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act]], Jack was arguing to bring his father's remains to the reservation in Oklahoma, to be buried near those of his father, sisters and brother, a mile from the place he was born. He claimed that the agreement between his stepmother and Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, borough officials was made against the wishes of other family members, who want him buried in Native American land.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee, Peggy |date=June 24, 2010 |title=Son Of Jim Thorpe Sues for His Remains |url=http://www.wnep.com/wnep-carb-son-sues-jim-thorpe-body,0,1168347.story |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301142403/http://www.wnep.com/wnep-carb-son-sues-jim-thorpe-body%2C0%2C1168347.story |archive-date=March 1, 2012 |access-date=June 25, 2010 |work=wnep.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=June 25, 2010 |title=Jim Thorpe's son sues town of Jim Thorpe over location of athlete's remains |url=https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2010/06/jim_thorpes_son_sues_town_of_j.html |access-date=September 8, 2024 |website=Patriot News |language=en |agency=The Associated Press}}</ref> Jack Thorpe died at 73 on February 22, 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zagofsky |first=Al |date=February 24, 2011 |title=Jim Thorpe's son Jack dies |url=http://www.tnonline.com/2011/feb/24/jim-thorpes-son-jack-dies |access-date=July 9, 2012 |website=Lehighton Times News}}</ref>

In April 2013, U.S. District Judge Richard Caputo ruled that Jim Thorpe borough amounts to a museum under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act ("NAGPRA"), and therefore is bound by that law. A lawyer for Bill and Richard Thorpe said the men would pursue the legal process to have their father's remains returned to Sac and Fox land in central Oklahoma.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 21, 2013 |title=Judge Sides With Sons About Legendary Athlete Jim Thorpe's Remains |url=http://www.newson6.com/story/22028957/judge-orders-legendary-athlete-jim-thorpes-remains |access-date=April 21, 2013 |publisher=[[KOTV-DT]]}}</ref> On October 23, 2014, the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]] reversed Judge Caputo's ruling. The appeals court held that Jim Thorpe borough is not a "museum", as that term is used in NAGPRA, and that the plaintiffs therefore could not invoke that federal statute to seek reinterment of Thorpe's remains.<ref name="body">{{Cite news |date=October 23, 2014 |title=Pennsylvania town named for Jim Thorpe can keep athlete's body |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pennsylvania-town-named-for-jim-thorpe-can-keep-athletes-body/ |access-date=October 24, 2014 |publisher=[[CBS News]]}}</ref> In NAGPRA language, "'museum' means any institution or State or local government agency (including any institution of higher learning) that receives Federal funds and has possession of, or control over, Native American cultural items."<ref>{{Cite web |title=25 USC Ch. 32: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation |url=http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title25-chapter32&edition=prelim |access-date=September 8, 2024 |website=Office of the Law Revision Counsel}}</ref> The Court of Appeals directed the trial court to enter a judgment in favor of the borough.<ref name="body" /> The appeals court said Pennsylvania law allows the plaintiffs to ask a state court to order reburial of Thorpe's remains, but noted, "once a body is interred there is great reluctance in permitting same to be moved, absent clear and compelling reasons for such a move."<ref>{{cite court |litigants=John Thorpe (et al) v. Borough of Jim Thorpe |opinion=No. 13-2446 |court=3d Cir. |url= http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/132446p.pdf |access-date=September 9, 2016}}</ref> On October 5, 2015, the [[United States Supreme Court]] refused to hear the matter, effectively bringing the legal process to an end.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hall |first=Peter |date=October 6, 2015 |title=U.S. Supreme Court: Jim Thorpe's body to remain in town that bears his name |url=http://www.poconorecord.com/article/20151006/NEWS/151009689 |access-date=October 13, 2015 |work=Pocono Record}}</ref>

===Jim Thorpe Marathon===
The Jim Thorpe Area Running Festival is a series of races started in 2019 in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. It includes a marathon, a 26.2 mile footrace that features a steady elevation drop from start to finish.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 22, 2020 |title=Jim Thorpe running festival benefits Turn To Us |url=https://www.tnonline.com/20201022/jim-thorpe-running-festival-benefits-turn-to-us/ |access-date=June 21, 2021 |website=Times News}}</ref>