The true story of Jim Thorpe and his stolen shoes. A perfect example of never giving up and maintaining a positive attitude even in the face of adversity.Â
Jim Thorpe is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He is counted among the fewer than 70 athletes that are known to have played in both major league baseball and the national football league. Thorpe had amazing athletic abilities and was well-known during his lifetime yet that did not make Thorpe a stranger to adversity.
Thorpe was an American Indian from Oklahoma who developed his phenomenal athletic skills in his youth through hard labor. It was also in his youth that he learned to endure hardship brought upon by racial prejudice. Many would say his childhood was not easy. He grew up poor and at age 9 his twin brother passed away and a few years later he lost both of his parents.
But that did not stop him from doing what he loved and pursuing his dreams. Nothing seemed to stop him, not even stolen shoes.
Stolen Shoes
Just hours before Thorpe was going to compete in the 1912 Olympics, somebody stole his shoes. Thorpe improvised by retrieving shoes out of the trash bin. The shoes were two different sizes. He wore an extra pair of socks on one foot to even them out.
He still went on to win two Gold medals – winning each event he competed in except for one, the javelin. The javelin was the only event he didn’t win, probably because he had never competed in that event before.Â
It is interesting to note that Thorpe had tried to throw the javelin once before in the Olympic trials. At the time, he didn’t know that he could throw it with a running start. He threw it standing still and placed second.
At the Olympics, he also took part in the decathlon. He finished first in two events, third in four events, and fourth in two more. Thorpe ended up finishing third in the world. He was undoubtedly a dominating force that couldn’t be stopped and just kept on going.Â
I think Paul Dughi said it best:
“It’s hard to imagine now that pro athletes get paid millions of dollars just to wear a particular brand of shoes. For Jim Thorpe, it didn’t matter what kind he wore.”
After the Olympics, Thorpe continued on by breaking the Amateur Athletic Union’s All-Around Championship record by winning seven of ten events and finishing second in the other three.
Stripped of His Medals
Unfortunately, in 1913 the Olympic Committee stripped Thorpe of his medals on a 
technicality. A newspaper reported that Thorpe had earned a modest income playing minor league baseball during his summer breaks. That classified him as a professional athlete, rendering him ineligible for the Olympics. His historical performance was erased from the Olympic record books.
Thorpe understood why the medals were taken. In an apology letter he wrote to the United States Olympic authorities he said: “I was not very wise in the ways of the world and did not realize this was wrong.”
Although the world no longer considered him a champion according to the Olympic record books, it did not change what Thorpe knew to be true of himself. “I won ‘em, and I know I won ‘em,” he said.
That also did not stop him from continuing on and making a name for himself. He accomplished much during his career as a professional athlete including playing baseball with the National League championship NY Giants in 1913, playing professional football and winning championships in 1916, 1917, and 1919. He also played professional basketball. In 1920, he helped found the American Professional Football Association which evolved into the NFL.
In 1982, after his family and numerous others fought to restore Thorpe’s medals and amateur status, the International Olympic Committee did agree to award replica Gold medals posthumously.
Jim Thorpe is a perfect example of not letting hardships hold you down. On the playing field and in life, Thorpe was a dominating force that could not be stopped. With each adversity, he would pick himself up and keep moving forward. He didn’t make excuses. He faced each adversity head on never letting anything stand in his way.
Next time life throws you a curveball, remember Jim Thorpe and pick yourself, don’t make excuses, and keep moving forward! When you do, great things will happen!
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To read more about Jim Thorpe’s life, check out one of these books:
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