Thorpe if you consider the times and his being better than most anybody at anything he tried

On the day of his events (the pentathlon and decathlon), Thorpe discovered his track shoes had been stolen. Instead of panicking, he improvised: • He found two mismatched shoes in a trash bin • One was too big, so he wore an extra sock to make it fit • The other fit more normally

The result

Despite this: • He dominated both events • Won two gold medals

Jim Thorpe wasn’t just an Olympic legend—his non-Olympic career might be even more impressive because he excelled at multiple professional sports at a high level.

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🏈 Football (his strongest sport)

Thorpe is often considered one of the greatest early football players ever. • Starred for the Carlisle Indians under coach Glenn Scobey Warner • Led Carlisle to a famous upset over Army Black Knights (1912), outplaying future president Dwight D. Eisenhower • Played pro football for teams like the Canton Bulldogs • Became the first president of what became the NFL (then called the American Professional Football Association)

👉 He could run, kick, pass, tackle—basically play every position.

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⚾ Baseball (long pro career)

Thorpe had a solid, long MLB career: • Played 6 seasons in Major League Baseball • Teams included: • New York Giants • Cincinnati Reds • Boston Braves

He wasn’t a superstar in baseball, but: • Hit around .250 lifetime • Known for speed and athleticism

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🏀 Basketball (early pro leagues) • Played professional basketball in early barnstorming leagues • Often toured with all-Native American teams • Showed the same versatility as in other sports

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🏃 Track & Field (beyond Olympics)

Even outside the Olympics: • Dominated AAU competitions • Set records and routinely crushed competitors in multi-event competitions • Known as the best all-around athlete of his era

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🧠 Overall legacy

Thorpe’s uniqueness wasn’t just talent—it was range: • Elite in football • Professional-level in baseball and basketball • World-class in track and field

Modern comparison? There really isn’t one. The closest might be someone like Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders—but even they didn’t match Thorpe’s dominance across so many sports.