They just keep coming. But that’s what keeps me going.

Jim Thorpe

Jim Thorpe is considered one of the most all-round athletes of modern sports, competing in the Olympics and playing professional football, baseball and basketball. Thorpe was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation and was the first indigenous American to win a gold medal, winning two in the 1912 Olympics in the pentathlon and decathlon.

If not amazing enough, just before he was due to compete, Thorpe’s shoes were stolen and so he found two mismatched shoes (including one from the trash can) and wore them to compete and win the gold medal! Thorpe teaches us to not look for excuses, but instead look for solutions. Never let an obstacle get in your way, instead find a way around it.

Thorpe also competed in Major League Baseball, playing for the New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Braves. He also played professional football and was the first president of the APFA (later NFL). One of the football teams that he played for was the Canton Bulldogs, before his arrival they attracted crowds of 1,200 people but, due to Thorpe’s popularity, 8,000 people turned up to his debut game. Thorpe played 52 NFL games for 6 teams and was a part of the National Football League 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Thorpe succeeded at a time when there was severe racial inequality in America, and as a indigenous person he was a victim of this racism. Thorpe teaches us to never let anything get in the way of success, and that is why he is our Rewire Hero of the Week!

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