Wishful thinking?

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Posted By: jamie

I picked up this postcard recently and have desperately trying to identify the team. I've gone through all the Spalding guides that would match the period of this postcard (it's an Azo with four arrows up) and nothing seems to match.

I think the fellow on the right bears a striking similarity to Thorpe but the uniforms don't gel with any of the teams he played for during this period: the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association, Rocky Mount Railroaders, and the Fayettville Highlanders.



Any thoughts as to whether this could be a young Thorpe?

By comparison:







The back offers a few clues but nothing helpful so far. Written in pencil is the following note (spelling errors as written):

Will send you one of the Gios pictures of the ballteam. Wood send you one of the kids but lost the one I had saved for you, but will have some more taken. The boy on the end is the one they sent back from Camp Sears, Sam Neuman is his name

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Posted By: barrysloate

While there is some resemblance to Thorpe he is listed as 6'1" and the player on your postcard is the shortest guy in the back row. It would have to be a team of very tall men. It's probably not him.

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Posted By: jamie

sorry to dredge up an old thread but i think ive finally been able to identify the team pictured in my postcard:


The Falls City Colts of the Mink League. I know this isn't a smoking gun but Thorpe's tribe is from this area- a google search of Jim Thorpe and Falls City turns up a surprising amount.

I also did a digital comparison of the man pictured in my postcard and compared it with a Thorpe picture. It was as close a match as you could have.



Does anyone know what assumed names Thorpe played under as an amateur or have any more information or leads on this piece that might help?

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Posted By: cmoking

can I ask what you mean by "digital comparison"? Sounds hi-tech, like you ran it through some kind of machine that the FBI or CIA would use.

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Posted By: jamie

nothing quite that sophisticated. i simply re-sized and super-imposed several thorpe photos from the same era over mine to see if there was any wide variation in the ears or forehead or distance from nose to lips, etc. very low-tech but it at least eliminated wide discrepencies

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Posted By: Chris Mc

I don't know anything on this subject but from a person on the outside looking in ,the space at the top of his nose in between his eyes looks wide in the baseball picture and thin in the football and track picture. It possible his nose was broken. The hair and the cheekbones look the same though.

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Posted By: cmoking

The height issue that Barry mentioned seems to be the evidence that it is not Jim Thorpe. Maybe the guy is related to Thorpe in some way. Could be a cousin, second-cousin...brother, nephew. But I think you are reaching and grabbing at straws if you want to claim that the short guy in the photo is the same as the 6-1 Jim Thorpe. (I actually don't know Thorpe's real height, but assuming Barry is correct).

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Posted By: jamie

barry is right on the height- but if you look at the man pictured on the postcard, his legs are crossed and he's leaning to the side. if im being ridiculous or way off, please say so- obviously im a little too close to be as objective as i like

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Posted By: cmoking

I'm no expert, but I would guess maybe he gains 2 inches if he straightens up. That would still make him shorter than the two guys around him.

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Posted By: cmoking

I think the only hope you have is if that is a young Jim Thorpe. Is it possible it was him at the age of 15 or so? Maybe you can tell by checking on dates.

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Posted By: Trevor Hocking

Not Thorpe he would have been much taller for more like the guy on the left. Plus I think the chin is way off. As Thorpe had a much wider chin. Just my thoughts.

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Posted By: jamie

the postcard dates from between 1904-1918. falls city didn't come into existence until 1910. thorpe was born in 1887- the youngest he could be is 23 in this pc. the oldest would be 31.

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Posted By: fkw

If that was Thorpe in your photo, then the guy on the left side of picture is 7' tall. I think the guy (Thorpe look alike) in the picture is about 5'8" at best, and the guys around him close to 6', and the big guy on left is 6'5".

The "FG/FC" on uniform is different than the "FC" on the other picture. It is on the other side of uniform and the bottom of the "F" and "G" are different in design. Plus there is another uniform emblem on your picture. I think your picture shows an amature/company team from the 1910-1920 era (notice mix and match uniforms), and the player who looks like Thorpe is another indian, but not Thorpe.