The Washington herald., 1922-02-24

Jim Thorpe Is now thtrty-seven
years old and playing football with
the Cleveland Tigers. He plans to
play one season more, and then
retire to ranching in California,
like Chance, Overall, Meyers.
Papke, Jeffries. Morris and many
other noted professional athletes.
Thorpe's retirement isn't COM
ing about because of any falling
of in his amazing athletic ability.
He Is still as great a football
player as when he starred on the
Carlisle Indian team, but he is
weary of professional sport
The Indian has long been the
greatest all-around athlete ever
developed in America, which Is to
say he is the greatest athlete OF
modern times.
He could do anything in the ath-
letic line.
Before government" economy
deprived the Indians Of Carlisle.
the great Indian school, Carlisle
had a fine football team. For years
the Indians met the best of the big
colleges, and usual they won.
They were fast. shifty. headlong.
tricky. and always fought their
gridiron battles out to 1.-THE last
minute OF play. The old style of
football was in vogue then. all
line bucking and end running.
In the present day open play the
Indians would have been almost
unbeatable because of their speed
and sureness of foot and their ac-
curacy in kicking and handling the
ball. Among the Indian players
whose names will still be remem-
bered by old-time fans were Hud-
son. Belanti. Mont Pleasant.
Welsh, Johnson. Seneca. Houser.
Guyon, Metoxen, Wheelock and
Bemis Pierce. Glenn Warner was
coach, and became famous with his
Indian teams.
But greatest and most famous of
all was Jim Thorpe, half back cap
tain in 1912. and unanimously Sc
lected as All-American.
Thorpe was the most sensational
football player in the country
when on the Carlisle team. Six
feet tall. powerfully but lightly
built and weighing about 1SO
pounds, Thorpe combined speed and
quick brain with great aggressive
ness and a natural knack of hand
ling himself and the ball. He was
versatile. As a drop kicker and a
placement kicker he had no equal.
In one attempt against an Eastern
college he kicked four field goals
in four attempts.
Playing against West Point.
Thorpe scored all the Carlisle
points himself. making touch
down. field goals, placement kicks,
goal kicks. and scoring by every
known method except by a safety"
He was a strong and fast runner
and is still.
When Thorpe had won all pos
sible football honors he gave part
of his time to other sports. As a
track athlete he put over q number
of very fine performances. Going to
Sweden to the Olympic games of
1912 he won the Decathlon, 500
points ahead of his nearest COM
petitor. H. Weislander, of Swe-
Gen. 1t was after these games that
Thorpe was declared profess
sional because he had played
"semi-pro" baseball under an as
sumed name in some of the South
ern States His prizes were given
to weislander.
Thorpe also won the American
all-around championship. At this
time Martin Sheridan, one OF our
greatest all-around champions. told
me that in his estimation Thorpe
was the best all-around athlete in
the world, bar none. There was
some Question whether Thorpe or
Sheridan was supreme on track
and field, but they never met, be-
cause of Thorpe's retirement into
the professional class.
Thorpe could clear feet IL
inches in the running high jump
run 100 yar& in 10 seconds fiat.
pole vault over IL feet, put the
shot A feet . inches cover % feet
in the running broad jump, and 155
feet with the javelin, and run
fairly fast mile.
They told many stories about the
big Indian on that Olympic trip to
Stockholm. The King of Sweden.
cuious to see a real Indian at close
quarters. sent Thorpe an invitation
to dine with him at the palace.
Thorpe declined the invitation.
saying that he wanted to go to bed
early.
On leaving sweden. Jim said the
Swedes were fine sportsmen. and
he had enjoyed the trip. but ne vas
anxious to get back to an. American
bathtub.
Like many Indian athletes. and
other athletes for that matter, Jim
had a wild streak that came our
now and them This was in the
days when firewater wasn't quite
so scarce in the land. Glenn War
ner. the coach. was the only man
on earth Thorpe held In awe. On
one occasion. when Carlisle and W.
* j. had played no-score game,
Thorpe disappeared. Glenn Warner
hunted for him until he was found
in a cafe, and then bumped .Jinrs
head on the marble floor until he
promised TO go back into strict
training.