FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Jim Thorpe AllAmerican
Quiz about Jim Thorpe AllAmerican

Jim Thorpe: All-American Trivia Quiz


An All-American football player, Olympic decathlon champion, and Major League baseball player, Jim Thorpe has been called the greatest athlete ever. How much do you know about this legendary figure?

A multiple-choice quiz by stuthehistoryguy. Estimated time: 6 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Sports Trivia
  6. »
  7. USA
  8. »
  9. USA by Player

Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
212,013
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
391
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Jim Thorpe was born on May 28, 1888, in United States Indian Territory, later the state of Oklahoma. Though of mixed ancestry like most Americans, Thorpe was usually identified as an American- Indian and was a descendant of the well-known chief Black Hawk, leader of an insurrection in Illinois in the 1830s. To which nation did Black Hawk belong? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In 1907, after a limited prep school education at Haskell Indian School in Kansas, Thorpe matriculated at Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. There he worked under the track and football coach who would be most often identified as his mentor. Who was this legendary leader of young men? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Thorpe first came to national attention in 1908 when he received an honorable mention on the most prestigious All-American team in college football at the team. Which hall-of-fame coach gave Thorpe this honor? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In 1909, Thorpe performed one of the most storied feats in the history of American track and field: in one dual meet, he entered every event and won six first place medals, securing a victory for Carlisle by himself. Against whose track team did Thorpe have this incredible day? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. After the 1909 track season, Thorpe took a two-year hiatus from Carlisle, returning in time for the 1911 football season, which saw him win All-American honors as a halfback. The following year, Thorpe enjoyed perhaps his greatest moment, winning two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. One of these medals was for the decathlon, a collection of ten track and field events that, in its Olympic context, is said to determine "the world's greatest athlete". In what other event did Thorpe win Olympic gold? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Thorpe returned to Carlisle for the 1912 football season, repeating as All-American halfback while scoring 25 touchdowns and 198 total points in an eight-game schedule. Among his storied feats that year was a memorable sequence of kick returns in the Carlisle-Army game: Thorpe ran back a 90-yard kick for a touchdown, only to have it called back on a penalty. He then proceded to run back the 95-yard rekick for another touchdown, which counted. His counterpart on the Army team, unfortunately, was not so lucky. What Army halfback (and future five-star general) left the game with a knee injury that eventually ended his athletic career? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Following the 1912 football season, Thorpe was involved in a scandal which eventually led to his Olympic medals being revoked. What was the nature of this disgrace? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. After ignominiously losing his prized medals, Thorpe went on to have a lackluster career in professional baseball, playing in both the major and minor leagues from 1913 to 1919. For which of these major league teams did Thorpe not play during this period? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Though he had played loosely-organized professional football in the baseball offseason since 1915, Thorpe and several other players and football enthusiasts took the pro game to a new level in 1920, founding the American Professional Football Association, which would later become the National Football League. Who was the president of this seminal organization? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Jim Thorpe died in 1953 after a post-sports career that included marginal work in Hollywood films and World War II service in the Merchant Marine. In 1982, following an extensive inquiry, Thorpe's Olympic medals were posthumously reinstated.



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Jim Thorpe was born on May 28, 1888, in United States Indian Territory, later the state of Oklahoma. Though of mixed ancestry like most Americans, Thorpe was usually identified as an American- Indian and was a descendant of the well-known chief Black Hawk, leader of an insurrection in Illinois in the 1830s. To which nation did Black Hawk belong?

Answer: Sac and Fox

The "Black Hawk War" is perhaps best known today for the service of Illinois Milita Captain Abraham Lincoln, whose regiment did not arrive until all conflict had ended. Though Thorpe was "5/8s Indian" by his own reckoning, he was most widely identified as a Sac and Fox Indian for most of his public life.
2. In 1907, after a limited prep school education at Haskell Indian School in Kansas, Thorpe matriculated at Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. There he worked under the track and football coach who would be most often identified as his mentor. Who was this legendary leader of young men?

Answer: Pop Warner

Thorpe first attracted Warner's attention when the coach saw the untrained boy defeat varsity track athletes at the high jump while dressed in his street clothes. Warner was further impressed when Thorpe evaded the entire Carlisle football team in a tackling drill. Pop kept the then undersized Thorpe away from football in 1907, focusing him on track and field while he filled out physically. Though the great coach made his name largely as the coach of both Thorpe and fellow football immortal Ernie Nevers (with whom Thorpe played on the 1928 Chicago Cardinals squad), Warner is probably best known today for the children's football league which bears his name.
3. Thorpe first came to national attention in 1908 when he received an honorable mention on the most prestigious All-American team in college football at the team. Which hall-of-fame coach gave Thorpe this honor?

Answer: Walter Camp

One of the most influential figures in college football history, Camp is at least partially responsible for many of the core rules that govern the game today, including the play from scrimmage, the 11-man team, and the first system of "downs". He was instrumental in the development of the NCAA, and was a prominent figure in the regulation of the game until his death in 1925.

His All-America teams, named annually from 1898 to 1924, were the first recognized standard of their nature.
4. In 1909, Thorpe performed one of the most storied feats in the history of American track and field: in one dual meet, he entered every event and won six first place medals, securing a victory for Carlisle by himself. Against whose track team did Thorpe have this incredible day?

Answer: Lafayette College

Thorpe's versatility at Carlisle was legendary. He was an All-American in four sports (football, track, basketball, and lacrosse) and won varsity letters in seven more.
5. After the 1909 track season, Thorpe took a two-year hiatus from Carlisle, returning in time for the 1911 football season, which saw him win All-American honors as a halfback. The following year, Thorpe enjoyed perhaps his greatest moment, winning two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. One of these medals was for the decathlon, a collection of ten track and field events that, in its Olympic context, is said to determine "the world's greatest athlete". In what other event did Thorpe win Olympic gold?

Answer: Pentathlon

The now-defunct pentathlon was a five-event relative of the decathlon; Thorpe won four of the five events, scoring twice as many points as his nearest competitor. Meanwhile, his performance in the decathlon was so strong that it would have won him a medal in the event as late as 1948. Thorpe did compete in the high jump and long jump, but finished out of the running, placing fourth and seventh, respectively. For the record, the United States' entry in the 1912 modern pentathlon (which features horse riding, fencing, pistol shooting, swimming, and distance running) was none other than future World War II general George S. Patton.
6. Thorpe returned to Carlisle for the 1912 football season, repeating as All-American halfback while scoring 25 touchdowns and 198 total points in an eight-game schedule. Among his storied feats that year was a memorable sequence of kick returns in the Carlisle-Army game: Thorpe ran back a 90-yard kick for a touchdown, only to have it called back on a penalty. He then proceded to run back the 95-yard rekick for another touchdown, which counted. His counterpart on the Army team, unfortunately, was not so lucky. What Army halfback (and future five-star general) left the game with a knee injury that eventually ended his athletic career?

Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Contrary to popular belief, Eisenhower did not injure his knee trying to tackle Thorpe, nor was this his last game. "Ike" played one more game against Tufts, injured his knee again, and finally gave up on football after injuring the knee a third time in a riding accident.

He would later try his hand at boxing; this, predictably enough, led to yet another knee injury! Thankfully, Eisenhower would go on to make his contribution to society in myriad of other ways, but that is another quiz.
7. Following the 1912 football season, Thorpe was involved in a scandal which eventually led to his Olympic medals being revoked. What was the nature of this disgrace?

Answer: He had played minor league baseball during his hiatus from Carlisle, violating the strict rules against professional athletes then in force for Olympic competition

Thorpe had played for the Rocky Mount, North Carolina team in a low Mid-Atlantic league. This was actually a common practice for amateur athletes in the off-season, but most of Thorpe's peers played under assumed names, a nuance lost on the naïve young competitor. It is worth noting that the runners-up in both the decathlon and pentathlon would reject their "new" medals on principle.
8. After ignominiously losing his prized medals, Thorpe went on to have a lackluster career in professional baseball, playing in both the major and minor leagues from 1913 to 1919. For which of these major league teams did Thorpe not play during this period?

Answer: Los Angeles Dodgers

Though Thorpe was no Bo Jackson as a baseball player, he was no Michael Jordan, either. In his last year, he hit .327 for the Braves in 60 games after a midseason trade. Thorpe's failure to shine before then may be attributed to his strained relationship with Giants manager John McGraw, who, prior to the trade with Boston, controlled Thorpe's baseball rights under the strict reserve clause then in effect. McGraw thought little of Thorpe's seemingly lax training habits, and Thorpe, who had gotten used to Pop Warner's diplomatic style, chafed under McGraw's legendary high pressure tactics. Still, when viewed analytically, Thorpe's major league performance was not bad: he sported a lifetime OPS+ of 99, just under the normative league average of 100.
9. Though he had played loosely-organized professional football in the baseball offseason since 1915, Thorpe and several other players and football enthusiasts took the pro game to a new level in 1920, founding the American Professional Football Association, which would later become the National Football League. Who was the president of this seminal organization?

Answer: Jim Thorpe

The presidency was largely a ceremonial post, and Thorpe was certainly past his prime by 1920, but he still showed his athletic prowess to great effect in his professional career, including (allegedly) once kicking a 76-yard field goal. In 1963, he was named a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
10. Jim Thorpe died in 1953 after a post-sports career that included marginal work in Hollywood films and World War II service in the Merchant Marine. In 1982, following an extensive inquiry, Thorpe's Olympic medals were posthumously reinstated.

Answer: True

Just as Jim Thorpe was a "professional" in 1912 in only the most technical sense of the word, so too were Thorpe's medals restored on a technicality. The 1912 International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules stated that all challenges to competitors' amateur status must be made within 30 days of the games' end; Thorpe's status was not challenged for almost six months. Faced with this evidence (presented with zeal by Thorpe fans Robert Wheeler and Florence Ridlon), the 1982 version of the IOC voted to recognize Thorpe as co-champion of the 1912 decathlon and pentathlon.

Thanks for playing! If you have any questions or comments, please send me a message.
Source: Author stuthehistoryguy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
3/28/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us