100 Years Ago Today - 16 July 1912

It was one hundred years ago that The San Francisco Call, dated Tuesday, 16 July 1912, had the following front page headlines: "U.S. Can Boast of Greatest All Round Athlete" as Jim Thorpe won the pentathlon and decathlon from Pick O' World at Stockholm.

As reported about Jim Thorpe, "His victory in the pentathlon last week and yesterday in the decathlon stamps Jim Thorpe, the Carlisle Indian, as the greatest all round athlete the world has ever seen. To win two all round championships of the world within a few days of each other against the very pick of the world is a marvelous performance. Martin Sheridan, considered by many the most wonderful and versatile athlete alive, must take a back seat to Thorpe. It is not only in track and field work that Thorpe excels, but as a footballer, baseball pitcher and swimmer he has won innumerable laurels."

Stockholm, July 15, 1912 -- "It would have rounded out things if the United States could have taken the marathon, but with the wind up of the field and track events of the Olympic games today, there is every reason for rejoicing among the lads who bear Uncle Sam's shield. We have in Jim Thorpe the marvelous Indian, unquestionably the greatest all around athlete in the world. He won both the pentathlon and the decathlon, the two all round contests in hollow style. Besides this, our boys have taken 16 firsts out of 29 events, with an even greater proportion of seconds and thirds. Our total points in the purely Olympic events are 85, with Finland second with 29. Sweden third with 27 and England fourth with 15. The other countries are simply no where." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Add your two-cents (BACK TO FULL ISSUE)