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Who is Jim Thorpe?

Jim Thorpe, a.k.a. Wa-Tho-Huk (meaning Bright Path) was a Native American athlete, actor, and humanitarian who dominated in nearly every sport he played, despite all odds.

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#DYK, that Jim Thorpe, our favorite #GOAT 🐐 🤩 helped establish the @nfl?

The story begins 102 years ago, ...

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Sep 20

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#DYK, that Jim Thorpe, our favorite #GOAT 🐐 🤩 helped establish the @nfl? The story begins 102 years ago, in a late night, semi-clandestine meeting at a Hupmobile car dealership in Canton, Ohio. 🚗 About a dozen professional football team owners, managers and 🍻 top players of the day met around cold beers and on the fenders of cars to finalize their agreement on a new professional sports league - The American Professional Football Association. 🏈 At that time, the sport’s popularity lagged far behind college football, golf ⛳️ and even bowling. 🎳 But that night, Jim Thorpe was unanimously elected president of the league, which would be renamed the #NFL, and the position later renamed “Commissioner.” Jim Thorpe served only one year in the post, but thanks to his status as the first celebrity-athlete in history 🤩 the sport soared in popularity and remains the most watched league in the United States today. And that is the story of how the great Jim Thorpe became one of the founding fathers of the NFL. 🏈 #BrightPathStrong ⚡️ #JimThorpe #SacAndFox #potawatomi #profootballhof #NativeAthlete #NativeAmerican

#DYK, that Jim Thorpe, our favorite #GOAT 🐐 🤩 helped establish the @nfl?

The story begins 102 years ago, in a late night, semi-clandestine meeting at a Hupmobile car dealership in Canton, Ohio. 🚗 About a dozen professional football team owners, managers and 🍻 top players of the day met around cold beers and on the fenders of cars to finalize their agreement on a new professional sports league - The American Professional Football Association. 🏈

At that time, the sport’s popularity lagged far behind college football, golf ⛳️ and even bowling. 🎳 But that night, Jim Thorpe was unanimously elected president of the league, which would be renamed the #NFL, and the position later renamed “Commissioner.”

Jim Thorpe served only one year in the post, but thanks to his status as the first celebrity-athlete in history 🤩 the sport soared in popularity and remains the most watched league in the United States today.

And that is the story of how the great Jim Thorpe became one of the founding fathers of the NFL. 🏈

#BrightPathStrong ⚡️ #JimThorpe #SacAndFox #potawatomi #profootballhof #NativeAthlete #NativeAmerican ...

brightpathstrong

Jim Thorpe is widely known as an Olympian, a standout football player for the Carlisle Indians and Canton Bulldogs, and ...

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Sep 6

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Jim Thorpe is widely known as an Olympian, a standout football player for the Carlisle Indians and Canton Bulldogs, and his MLB career. But you may not know that this year marks 100 years since he founded what's believed to be the first all-Native American football team, the Oorang Indians. 🏈 The Oorang Indians played out of LaRue, Ohio and were comprised of Jim's former Carlisle Indian Industrial School teammates, players from Haskell Institute and Native Americans from as far away as the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. Businessman and dog kennel owner Walter Lingo sponsored the Oorang Indians and tapped Jim Thorpe to be the coach and manager in 1922. Lingo had developed a larger breed of Airedales called King "Oorang" Airedales and felt a football team would help promote and sell what he called "The World's Greatest All-Around Dog.” 🐕 Lingo's dogs performed at halftime of Oorang Indians games, and a giant Airedale was even the team's mascot. While the team lasted only two years, Jim's love for Airedales endured for the rest of his life. They were his favorite dog, and he owned Airedale Terriers until he passed away in 1953. 🐾🦮🧡 #BrightPathStrong ⚡ #BrightPath #JimThorpe #GOAT #NativeAmerican #NativeAthletes #OorangIndians #SacAndFox #potawatomi #OhioHistory #NFL100

Jim Thorpe is widely known as an Olympian, a standout football player for the Carlisle Indians and Canton Bulldogs, and his MLB career. But you may not know that this year marks 100 years since he founded what's believed to be the first all-Native American football team, the Oorang Indians. 🏈

The Oorang Indians played out of LaRue, Ohio and were comprised of Jim's former Carlisle Indian Industrial School teammates, players from Haskell Institute and Native Americans from as far away as the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. Businessman and dog kennel owner Walter Lingo sponsored the Oorang Indians and tapped Jim Thorpe to be the coach and manager in 1922. Lingo had developed a larger breed of Airedales called King "Oorang" Airedales and felt a football team would help promote and sell what he called "The World's Greatest All-Around Dog.” 🐕

Lingo's dogs performed at halftime of Oorang Indians games, and a giant Airedale was even the team's mascot. While the team lasted only two years, Jim's love for Airedales endured for the rest of his life. They were his favorite dog, and he owned Airedale Terriers until he passed away in 1953. 🐾🦮🧡

#BrightPathStrong ⚡ #BrightPath #JimThorpe #GOAT #NativeAmerican #NativeAthletes #OorangIndians #SacAndFox #potawatomi #OhioHistory #NFL100 ...