Top 100 Pro Football Books of All-Time By Chris Willis, NFL Films

[Bored5000]

John, thanks for the kind words. I dug out my copy of "Native American Son" to see what it had to see about Thorpe's time in Portsmouth. The book is largely chronological, so there are a couple pages about Portsmouth. Here is a passage about Thorpe's time in Portsmouth that you may find interesting. The passage is referring to Thorpe's contract with City of Portsmouth director of public relations Jack Creasy:

"When Creasy set up a final, eleventh game of the season, Jim said he would neither coach nor play. His contract was for ten games, he said, not more. Though Creasy offered him a salary increase, he refused. Once again, he felt he was being used unfairly, though the Portsmouth manager and backers had clearly thrown themselves enthusiastically into building a winning team and were proud of their famous coach. Once he got a grudge in his head, he was too proud or too stubborn to act rationally. "

The book talks about Thorpe, even decades later, getting emotional and weeping about his lost medals when he would get intoxicated. Giants catcher Chief Meyers, who roomed with Thorpe during Thorpe's baseball career, told of Thorpe crying when talking about being stripped of his medals and even having trophies given to him by the King of Sweden confiscated by Carlisle coach "Pop" Warner. Meyers told of Thorpe weeping while saying, "Those trophies were given to me by the King of Sweden."

Pop Warner's cut of Thorpe's salary with the New York Giants would even make boxing promoter Don King blush. Thorpe received a $6,000 a year contract upon signing with the Giants, as well as a $500 signing bonus, Meanwhile, Warner received $2,500 for guiding Thorpe to the Giants. That kickback from the Giants was half as much as Warner made for the year at Carlisle in salary.

The book also touched on Thorpe never recovering emotionally from the death of his son (James) in 1919 at the age of 16 months. Thorpe was said to become more bitter upon the death of his young son.

I also remember a story in the book about Thorpe having to be restrained from attacking Giants manager John McGraw after McGraw called him a "dumb Indian" for making a baserunning blunder.

I live 45 minutes from Jim Thorpe, Pa., and the "Thanks, King" story is so pervasive and ingrained that even Thorpe's monument in the town where he is buried tells the apocryphal story of Thorpe's reply to King Gustav V.