2018 Native American $1 Coin: Jim Thorpe

The 2018 Native American $1 coin features Olympian and all-around athlete Jim Thorpe. James Francis “Jim” Thorpe (1888-1953), was born near Prague, Oklahoma, in what was then Indian Territory. Raised in the Sac and Fox tribe, he was given the native name Wa-Tho-Huk, meaning “Bright Path.” Jim Thorpe became possibly the most versatile natural athlete of the early 20th century. After a difficult youth, Thorpe came into his own at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he excelled in football and track. He played football in college, and went on to win a national collegiate championship.

In 1912, Thorpe represented the U. S. at the Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, competing in the new Pentathlon and Decathlon as well as two field events. He easily won both multi-event medals. His point record stood for two decades.

Thorpe then embarked on an incredibly varied career with the public flocking to his professional appearances in football, baseball, and basketball. He played for six teams in what later became the National Football League. In baseball, he played for the New York Giants, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Boston Braves. He also organized an all-Indian football team. Today, sports writers rank him at the top of their lists of greatest athletes of the 20th Century.