In 1950, sportswriters selected him as the greatest athlete of the first half of the twentieth century. He was a star in the National Football League, perfecting the dropkick as an effective scoring weapon, and played professional baseball for seven years. He was a star in basketball, track and field, swimming, and lacrosse. Jim Thorpe, a true All-American athlete, was the best there was. His recognition for a lifetime achievement in sports did not come, however, without help.

Thorpe was born in 1886 in the Indian territory, now the state of Oklahoma. He lived with his family in relative obscurity. No one cared about him, his family, or his people. He was a Native American, an Indian; by this fact alone he was labeled as one who would not produce anything good. Through some good fortune, …