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114-535: The legendary athlete Jim Thorpe played for the 1922 Fitchburg Boosters. In 1877 , minor league baseball began in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The Fitchburg team was a charter member of the eight–team New England Association . The Fitchburg team's 1877 final record, roster and statistics are unknown, as the team folded during the season. The 1895 "Fitchburg" team became members of the reformed six–team New England Association. On June 20, 1895, Fitchburg had compiled

228-577: A minor league baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire . From 1926 to 1930, the Blue Sox played as members of the Class B level New England League , winning the 1926 and 1929 league championships. The Manchester Blue Sox teams were preceded New England League play by several Manchester teams. The Manchester teams played under numerous nicknames in the seasons of play beginning in 1877 through

342-526: A running back , defensive back , placekicker and punter , Thorpe scored all of his team's four field goals in an 18–15 upset of Harvard , a top-ranked team in the early days of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). His team finished the season 11–1. In 1912, Carlisle won the national collegiate championship largely as a result of Thorpe's efforts: he scored 25 touchdowns and 198 points during

456-523: A 12–25 record, playing under managers William Dwyer and William Laverty, when the team folded. The New England Association permanently folded on July 8, 1895. "Fitchburg" resumed minor league play as members of the 1899 New England League but relocated during the season. On May 24, 1899, Fitchburg had a record of 3–7 when the team moved to Lawrence . Playing under manager Ed Norton, the Fitchburg/Lawrence team had an overall record of 3–14 when

570-648: A 42–30 record, in third place in the eight–team league. Playing the season under manager Louis Bacon, Manchester ended the season 7.0 games behind the first place Worcester team in the final standings. Jim Connor of Manchester led the New England League with 80 runs scored. The "Amoskeags" nickname corresponds with the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company , which was located in Manchester in the era. In 1892, Manchester played

684-408: A 46–47 record in the regular season, finishing 15.0 games behind the first place Lynn Papooses. Manchester Blue Sox player Len Dugan won the New England League batting title, hitting .364, while pitcher Chuck Wolfe won 15 games to tie for the league lead. The 1928 Manchester Blue Sox were managed by Henry LaVallie and finished in second place in the New England League standings. The Blue Sox had

798-544: A 51–43 final regular season record, finishing 2.0 games behind the New England League champion Lynn Papooses . Manchester did not qualify for the playoff final, won by Lynn over the Attleboro Burros . August Snyder of Manchester had a New England League leading 75 RBI, while teammate Billy Jurges had 127 total hits to lead the league. In July 1932, Billy Jurges was playing for the Chicago Cubs , when he

912-634: A 57–56 record the Textiles finished 15.5 games behind the first place Worcester Busters in the final standings. Manchester player Simmy Murch hit 4 home runs, which tied for the league lead and pitcher Marty O'Toole had 26 complete games to lead the New England League. Manchester was replaced by the Brockton Tigers franchise in the 1907 New England League, as Stephen Flanagan managed the Tigers. The Manchester team briefly played as members of

1026-467: A batters eye on the 1914 outfield fence, as the rest of the fence had advertisements. It was noted the ballpark was also known as the "Summer Street Grounds." Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Meskwaki : Wa-Tho-Huk , translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887 – March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation , Thorpe

1140-917: A brief time in 1913, he was considering going into professional hockey for the Tecumseh Hockey Club in Toronto , Ontario, Canada. Thorpe married three times and had a total of eight children. In 1913, Thorpe married Iva M. Miller, whom he had met at Carlisle. In 1917, Iva and Thorpe bought a house now known as the Jim Thorpe House in Yale, Oklahoma , and lived there until 1923. They had four children: James F., Gale, Charlotte, and Grace Frances , an environmentalist and Native rights activist. Miller filed for divorce from Thorpe in 1925, claiming desertion. In 1926, Thorpe married Freeda Verona Kirkpatrick (September 19, 1905 – March 2, 2007). She

1254-405: A final playoff, with Manchester and Lynn advancing. In the playoff, the Blue Sox defeated Lynn 4 games to 1 and captured the New England League championship. Manchester pitcher Johnny Miller won 23 games to lead the New England League, while teammate Walter Hayes had a league best 2.30 ERA. The Manchester Blue Sox played their final season in 1930, as the six-team New England League folded during

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1368-531: A gambling controversy in the decade. Blue Sox player Henry LaVallie led the New England League with 138 total hits. In 1920, Manchester manager Jean Dubuc had been investigated for his role in the 1919 Chicago Black Sox Scandal . During the 1920 investigation into the Black Sox Scandal, evidence was discovered showing that Sleepy Bill Burns had advised Dubuc through a telegraph that the 1919 World Series had been fixed and that Dubuc should bet on

1482-624: A great man. I never expect to look upon a finer athlete." He told a reporter from New York World , "Thorpe is the greatest athlete that ever lived. He has me beaten fifty ways. Even when I was in my prime, I could not do what he did today." In 1912, strict rules regarding amateurism were in effect for athletes participating in the Olympics. Athletes who received money prizes for competitions, were sports teachers, or had competed previously against professionals, were not considered amateurs. They were barred from competition. In late January 1913,

1596-641: A kicking coach teaching young football players to drop-kick . He played the captain of the guard in 1935's She , an umpire in the 1940 film Knute Rockne, All American , and a member of the Navajo Nation in the 1950 film Wagon Master . An American Indian Magazine article states Thorpe appeared in over 70 films. In 1931, during the Great Depression, Thorpe sold the film rights to his life story to MGM for $ 1,500 (equivalent to $ 30,000 in 2023). Warner Bros. eventually acquired

1710-504: A member of the New England League. Minor league baseball began in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1877. The Manchester Reds played as members of the newly formed New England League, also known as the New England Association. The league began play on May 3, 1877, as an eight–team league and ended the season reduced to four teams. The Lowell Ladies Men , with a 33–7 record won the championship, finishing 4.0 games ahead of

1824-533: A non-sports-related job and never held a job for an extended period of time. During the Great Depression in particular, he had various jobs, among others as a movie actor, mostly as an extra , usually playing an American Indian in Westerns , starting with the 1931 serial Battling with Buffalo Bill . In the 1932 comedy Always Kickin ' , Thorpe was prominently cast in a speaking part as himself,

1938-456: A partial season, as the team relocated and folded during the New England League season. On July 2, 1892, Manchester relocated to Lawrence . The team then disbanded before the conclusion of the regular season. The Manchester/Lawrence team had a 26–45 record when the team folded in Lawrence. The 1892 managers were Jim Cudworth and W.J. Freeman. The Lowell Lowells began the 1893 season in

2052-449: A physical game as football. Thorpe, however, convinced Warner to let him try some rushing plays in practice against the school team's defense; Warner assumed he would be tackled easily and give up the idea. Thorpe "ran around past and through them not once, but twice". He walked over to Warner and said, "Nobody is going to tackle Jim", while flipping him the ball. Thorpe first gained nationwide notice in 1911 for his athletic ability. As

2166-454: A record of 55–41 as John Irwin served as the Manchester manager. Manchester attempted to win the second half title on the last day of the season by playing six games with Portland. Manchester won all six games, but the results were thrown out by the league. Manchester ended the season 4.0 games behind the first place Portland Phenoms , managed by their namesake and future Manchester manager Phenomenal Smith . The Manchester team returned to

2280-762: A record score in the decathlon, he added a victory in the All-Around Championship of the Amateur Athletic Union . Later in 1913, Thorpe signed with the New York Giants , and he played six seasons in Major League Baseball between 1913 and 1919. Thorpe joined the Canton Bulldogs American football team in 1915, helping them win three professional championships. He later played for six teams in

2394-678: A short appearance as members of the Class B New England League. On July 28, 1929, the Haverhill Hillies moved to Fitchburg with a record of 11–10. After compiling a record of 5–20 while based in Fitchburg, the team relocated to become the Gloucester Hillies on August 25, 1929. the Haverhill/Fitchburg/Gloucester team ended the regular season with an overall record of 39–79. The team placed eighth in

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2508-564: A similar competition known as the all-around championship had been part of American track meets since the 1880s. A men's version had been featured on the program of the 1904 St. Louis Olympics . The events of the new decathlon differed slightly from the American version. Thorpe was so versatile that he served as Carlisle's one-man team in several track meets. According to his obituary in The New York Times , he could run

2622-500: A ticket that documented his time in professional basketball was discovered in an old book in 2005. By 1926, he was the main feature of the World Famous Indians of LaRue, Ohio , a traveling basketball team. The team barnstormed for at least two years (1927–28) in multiple states. Although stories about Thorpe's team were published in some local newspapers at the time, his basketball career is not well-documented. For

2736-704: The Worcester Telegram reported that Thorpe had played semi-professional baseball before the Olympics, and other U.S. newspapers followed up the story. Thorpe had played semi-professional baseball in the Eastern Carolina League for Rocky Mount, North Carolina , in 1909 and 1910, receiving meager pay; reportedly as little as US$ 2 ($ 65 today) per game and as much as US$ 35 ($ 1,145 today) per week. College players, in fact, regularly spent summers playing professionally in order to earn some money, but most used aliases, unlike Thorpe. Although

2850-484: The 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, two new multi-event disciplines were included, the pentathlon and the decathlon . A pentathlon, based on the ancient Greek event, had been introduced at the 1906 Intercalated Games . The 1912 version consisted of the long jump , javelin throw , 200-meter dash, discus throw , and 1500-meter run. The decathlon was a relatively new event in modern athletics, although

2964-779: The 1913 National League champions . Immediately following the Giants' October loss in the 1913 World Series , Thorpe and the Giants joined the Chicago White Sox for a world tour. Barnstorming across the United States and around the world, Thorpe was the celebrity of the tour. Thorpe's presence increased the publicity, attendance and gate receipts for the tour. He met with Pope Pius X and Abbas II Hilmi Bey (the last Khedive of Egypt ), and played before 20,000 people in London including King George V . Thorpe

3078-592: The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company textile mills in Manchester. The company owned 26,000 acres of land in Manchester in its early years. The company folded and the plants closed in 1935. Both the Fitchburg Burghers and Manchester Textiles franchises returned to New England League play in 1915. In early 1915 Fred Lake had sold the Manchester franchise to Tom Keady , coach of the Lehigh University football and baseball teams. Lake then became

3192-539: The Cincinnati Reds to win the game that day. Dubuc was a player for the New York Giants at the time. Dubuc was neither a participant nor a conspirator in the scandal itself but was investigated due to his role as a player and his "guilty knowledge" of the scandal. Sources conflict as to whether Dubuc was formally banned from baseball at the conclusion of the investigation, but his baseball managing and scouting career did continue. After leading Manchester to

3306-649: The Haskell Institute , an Indian boarding school in Lawrence, Kansas , so that he would not run away again. When Thorpe's mother died of childbirth complications two years later, the youth became depressed. After several arguments with his father, he left home to work on a horse ranch. In 1904, the sixteen-year-old Thorpe returned to his father and decided to attend Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania . There his athletic ability

3420-594: The Lawrence Colts with a 33–28 record at the time of the move. The team finished the season known as the Taunton Tigers and finished in a distant last place in the eight–team league. After compiling a 19–24 record while based in Lawrence, the team finished with an overall record of 52–54 to place sixth in the eight-team league. Playing the season under manager Win Clark , the team finished 16.0 games behind

3534-541: The National Football League (NFL) two years later. Thorpe was nominally their first president , but spent most of the year playing for Canton; a year later, he was replaced as president by Joseph Carr . He continued to play for Canton, coaching the team as well. Between 1921 and 1923, he helped organize and played for the Oorang Indians ( LaRue, Ohio ), an all-Native American team. Although

Fitchburg, Massachusetts minor league baseball history - Misplaced Pages Continue

3648-564: The National Football League (NFL). He played as part of several all-American Indian teams throughout his career, and barnstormed as a professional basketball player with a team composed entirely of American Indians. From 1920 to 1921, Thorpe was nominally the first president of the American Professional Football Association, which became the NFL in 1922. He played professional sports until age 41,

3762-426: The discus 136 feet. Thorpe entered the U.S. Olympic trials for both the pentathlon and the decathlon. He easily earned a place on the pentathlon team, winning three events. The decathlon trial was subsequently cancelled, and Thorpe was chosen to represent the U.S. in the event. The pentathlon and decathlon teams also included Avery Brundage , a future International Olympic Committee president. Thorpe

3876-578: The "greatest athlete" from the first 50 years of the 20th century, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him as part of its inaugural class in 1963. The town of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania , was named in his honor. It has a monument site that contains his remains, which were the subject of legal action. Thorpe appeared in several films and was portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the 1951 film Jim Thorpe – All-American . Information about Thorpe's birth, name and ethnic background varies widely. He

3990-427: The 100-yard dash in 10 seconds flat; the 220 in 21.8 seconds; the 440 in 51.8 seconds; the 880 in 1:57, the mile in 4:35; the 120-yard high hurdles in 15 seconds; and the 220-yard low hurdles in 24 seconds. He could long jump 23 ft 6 in and high-jump 6 ft 5 in. He could pole vault 11 feet; put the shot 47 ft 9 in; throw the javelin 163 feet; and throw

4104-461: The 1877 season. After a decade hiatus, the Manchester "Farmers" resumed minor league play as the 1887 New England league expanded from six teams to eight-teams and added the Manchester franchise. Managed by Frank Leonard , the Farmers ended the 1887 season with a record of 55–46, placing fourth in the New England League. The Manchester Farmers ended the New England League season 14.5 games behind

4218-494: The 1907 Maine State League before folding with a 1-7 record under returning manager Phenomenal Smith. Upon retiring from professional baseball after his time with Manchester, smith remained in the Manchester area, where he served as a police officer for 28 years and coached youth teams. In 1914, the Manchester Textiles rejoined the New England League during the season. A former major league manager, Fred Lake

4332-493: The 1915 seasons, winning the 1902 league championship. The Manchester teams hosted home minor league games a ballpark site that had four different names in the era. Manchester played at the Beech Street Grounds (1877, 1887–1888, 1891–1893, 1899), Varich Park (1901–1906), Textile Field (1914–1915) and Athletic Park, all different names of the same parcel. The 1946 Manchester Giants resumed Manchester's tenure as

4446-535: The 1922 Boosters, in his final professional baseball season at age 35. It was reported that Thorpe was recruited to Fitchburg by team owner John Kiernan after being released by the Hartford Senators of the Eastern League. Thorpe hit .344 for the season, second in the league, adding 9 home runs in 96 games. In 1929, Fitchburg played in their final minor league season. The Fitchburg "Wanderers" had

4560-544: The AAU and IOC did not follow their own rules for disqualification. The rulebook for the 1912 Olympics stated that protests had to be made "within 30 days from the closing ceremonies of the games." The first newspaper reports did not appear until January 1913, about six months after the Stockholm Games had concluded. There is also some evidence that Thorpe was known to have played semi-professional baseball before

4674-401: The Class B level New England League in 1902 and won the league championship. Manchester finished the season in first place in the eight-team league. With a 75–37 record under manager Phenomenal Smith. Manchester ended the season 12.5 games ahead of the second place Haverhill Hustlers in the final standings. Phenomenal Smith again won the New England League batting championship, hitting .369 on

Fitchburg, Massachusetts minor league baseball history - Misplaced Pages Continue

4788-503: The Fitchburg/Manchester team finished the season with an overall record of 36–87 to place eighth in the final league standings. Playing under manager Fred Lake , Fitchburg/Manchester finished 48.0 games behind the first place Lawrence Barristers . The Fitchburg use of the "Burghers" moniker corresponds phonetically, and the word refers to a Burgher being a "privileged citizen" in medieval times. On May 25, 1914, it

4902-671: The Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, Sukeforth spent the rest of 1926 with the Manchester Blue Sox before making the Reds roster in 1927. Sukeforth became a minor league manager, a major league coach and a scout after his playing career. He is known for scouting and signing both Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente . Due to a suspension of manager Leo Durocher , Sukeforth served as

5016-671: The New England League and moved to Manchester during the season. Another relocation of the franchise saw the team end the season based in Boston, Massachusetts with a last place finish. The Lowell/Manchester/ Boston Reds of the New England League ended the 1893 season with a record of 29–55, playing in three cities during the season and finishing in sixth place in the six-team league. Lowell (14–20) transferred to Manchester June 26; Manchester (3–13) then moved to Boston in July 16, 1893. T Bill McGunnigle and Thomas H. O'Brien served as managers during

5130-643: The New England League championship, Jean Dubuc had a new team in 1927. In December 1926, Dubuc signed a three-year contract to be the head coach of the Brown University baseball team. In 1926 Clyde Sukeforth went to spring training with the Cincinnati Reds . After the spring ended, Sukeforth was sent to play for the Nashua Millionaires of the Class B New England League, before Reds recalled him in late May, where he made his big-league debut on May 31, 1926. After appearing in four games for

5244-590: The New England League teams. Beginning in 1901 through 1907, Manchester home games were played at Varich Park. Beginning in 1914, Manchester hosted home minor league games at Textile Field, which was the new name for the Varich Park site. In 1913, a new stadium was constructed on the site by Amoskeag Manufacturing and renamed to be called "Textile Field." The ballpark site was sold to the City of Manchester in 1927 and became known as "Municipal Athletic Field." In 1967,

5358-460: The New England League's Supervisor of Umpires. Manchester ended the season in seventh place in the eight-team league. The Textiles finished with a record of 48–67, as John Kiernan served as managers in the New England League standings. The Textiles finishing 27.0 games behind the first place Portland Duffs, managed by Baseball Hall of Fame member Hugh Duffy . After the 1915 season, the Class B level New England League folded. In 1925, Jean Dubuc

5472-560: The Olympic trials held at Celtic Park in New York, his all-round ability stood out in all these events and so he earned a place on the team that went to Sweden. The poet Marianne Moore , who taught Thorpe at Carlisle, recalled: He had a kind of ease in his gait that is hard to describe. Equilibrium with no stricture, but couched in the lineup of football he was the epitome of concentration, wary, with an effect of plenty in reserve. For

5586-423: The Olympics, but the AAU had ignored the issue until being confronted with it in 1913. The only positive aspect of this affair for Thorpe was that, as soon as the news was reported that he had been declared a professional, he received offers from professional sports clubs. In 1910, Thorpe had the unusual status of a sought-after free agent at the major league level during the era of the reserve clause , because

5700-549: The Reds and Hippo Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs , Thorpe drove in the winning run in the 10th inning. Late in the season, he was sold back to the Giants. Again, he played sporadically for them in 1918 before being traded to the Boston Braves on May 21, 1919, for Pat Ragan . In his career, he amassed 91  runs scored , 82  runs batted in and a .252  batting average over 289 games. He continued to play minor league baseball until 1922, and once played for

5814-492: The United States. On the Olympic team's return, Thorpe was the star attraction in a ticker-tape parade on Broadway . He remembered later, "I heard people yelling my name, and I couldn't realize how one fellow could have so many friends." Apart from his track and field appearances, Thorpe also played in one of two exhibition baseball games at the 1912 Olympics , which featured two teams composed mostly of U.S. track and field athletes. Thorpe had previous experience in

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5928-486: The banks of the North Fork River ;... hope this will clear up the inquiries as to my birthplace." Most biographers believe that he was born on May 22, 1887, the date listed on his baptismal certificate . Thorpe referred to Shawnee as his birthplace in his 1943 note to the newspaper. Thorpe's father, Hiram Thorpe, had an Irish father and a Sac and Fox Indian mother. His mother, Charlotte Vieux,

6042-437: The charges against her, which was granted. In 1929, the Manchester Blue Sox played their final full season and won the New England League championship. The Blue Sox placed first in the eight–team New England League regular season, finishing with a record of 82–47. Manchester ended the season just 0.5 game ahead of the second place Lynn Papooses (81–47) in the final standings to claim the regular season pennant. The league held

6156-520: The complex "Varick Park." The baseball diamond was repositioned with home plate was along the Beech Street side of the field and the fans entrance was off of Valley Street. Besides baseball, Varick Park hosted track-and-field, football and soccer, and outdoor events for the Amoskeag company. During the 1890s, control of Varick Park passed from Varick to William Freeman. The park was again home to

6270-428: The early 1950s. When hospitalized for lip cancer in 1950, Thorpe was admitted as a charity case. At a press conference announcing the procedure, his wife, Patricia, wept and pleaded for help, saying, "We're broke ... Jim has nothing but his name and his memories. He has spent money on his own people and has given it away. He has often been exploited." Manchester Blue Sox The Manchester Blue Sox were

6384-488: The eight-team league. Manchester's Ted Scheffler won the New England league batting championship, hitting .375. Alex Ferson , who split the season between Lowell and Manchester, led the league with both a 1.10 ERA and 25 wins. The New England league folded following the 1888 season, before reforming in 1891. The 1891 Manchester "Amoskeags" rejoined the Class B level New England League . The Amoskeags finished with

6498-450: The eight–team league. Manchester finished 20.0 games behind the first place Haverhill Hustlers in the final standings, as Haverhill went from last place to first place in the course of two seasons. The Manchester manager and owner was Phenomenal Smith. Manchester's Jake Volz had 224 strikeouts, to lead New England League pitchers. Manchester relocated during the 1905 New England League season. On July 20, 1905, Manchester moved to become

6612-425: The eight–team, Class B level New England League standings with a final record of 66–44. Manchester finished 5.0 games behind the first place Lowell Tigers. Mancherster's Pinky Swander led the New England League with 140 total hits, while teammate Lou Knau topped the league with 7 home runs and Clark Rapp scored a league leading 68 runs. In the 1903 and 1904 seasons, Moonlight Graham played for Manchester. Graham

6726-528: The end of his sports career coinciding with the start of the Great Depression . He struggled to earn a living after that, working several odd jobs. He suffered from alcoholism , and lived his last years in failing health and poverty. He was married three times and had eight children, including Grace Thorpe , an environmentalist and Native rights activist, before suffering from heart failure and dying in 1953. Thorpe has received numerous accolades for his athletic accomplishments. The Associated Press ranked him as

6840-447: The final standings, Manchester finished 4.5 games behind the first place Portland team as the league held no playoffs. Manchester played the season under manager/player Phenomenal Smith, who began a five-season tenure with the team. Phenomenal Smith won the New England League batting championship, hitting .363 on the season. Manchester pitcher Jake Volz had an ERA of 1.49 to lead the league. The Manchester team continued as members as

6954-512: The first place Concord Marines . Harry Armbruster led the New England League with a .330 batting average, 99 runs scored and 134 total hits. Despite the franchise relocating a year earlier, the 1906 Manchester "Textiles" returned to New England League play and the league continued as a Class B level league with eight teams, including the Lawrence Colts. The Textiles finished in fifth place as Stephen Flanagan served as manager. With

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7068-431: The first place Lowell Browns in the final standings of the eight-team league, which had reduced to six teams to end the season. The 1888 Manchester Maroons continued New England League play and ended the season in third place. The Maroons ended the 1888 season with a record of 47–50, Jim Clinton and Herbert Clough served as managers as Manchester finished the season 9.0 games behind the first place Lowell Chippies in

7182-729: The fourth place Blue Sox. After the Manchester "Indians" played the 1934 season as members of the Northeastern League , Manchester next hosted minor league baseball in 1947 when the Manchester Giants began a tenure of play as members of the New England League. in 2004, Manchester became home to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats , who have continued play as members of the Class AA level Eastern League . Manchester teams played at ballparks on

7296-560: The franchise disbanded on June 1, 1899. In 1914, Fitchburg rejoined the eight–team Class B level New England League, with the team relocating during the season and finishing last in the standings. On July 30, 1914, the Fitchburg Burghers had a record of 24–52 when the franchise moved to Manchester, New Hampshire , finishing the season as the Manchester Textiles . After a 12–35 record while based in Manchester,

7410-401: The gold medal. That same day, he qualified for the high jump final, in which he finished in a tie for fourth. On July 12, Thorpe placed seventh in the long jump. Thorpe's final event was the decathlon, his first (and as it turned out, his only) decathlon. Strong competition from local favorite Hugo Wieslander was expected. Thorpe, however, defeated Wieslander by 688 points. He placed in

7524-498: The greatest athlete in the world", to which Thorpe replied, "Thanks, King". Thorpe biographer Kate Buford suggests that the story is apocryphal , as she believes that such a comment "would have been out of character for a man who was highly uncomfortable in public ceremonies and hated to stand out." The anecdote appeared in newspapers by 1948, 36 years after his appearance in the Olympics and time for myth making, and in books as early as 1952. Thorpe's successes were followed in

7638-599: The interim manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, managing the Dodgers to wins in the first two games of the season, which included Sukeforth making our the lineup card for Robinson's major League debut on April 15, 1947. On July 21, 1972, Jackie Robinson wrote a letter to Sukeforth that is now preserved at the Baseball Hall of Fame . "Please understand that I do not have any reservations in praise for

7752-433: The league stopped play on August 2, 1919. The Foxes had a record of 31–36, playing under managers John F. Quinn, Bill Phoenix and Bill Page. Fitchburg was 9.0 games behind the first place Lowell Grays franchise when the league folded. The Fitchburg Boosters resumed play in 1922. Playing as members of the eight team Class A level Eastern League , Fitchburg relocated during the season as the combined team finished last in

7866-527: The light brightening the path to the cabin where he was born. Thorpe's parents were both Roman Catholic, a faith which Thorpe observed throughout his adult life. Thorpe attended the Sac and Fox Indian Agency school in Stroud , with his twin brother, Charlie. Charlie helped him through school until he died of pneumonia when they were nine years old. Thorpe ran away from school several times. His father sent him to

7980-558: The minor league Toledo Mud Hens . Thorpe had not abandoned football either. He first played professional football in 1913 as a member of the Indiana-based Pine Village Pros , a team that had a several-season winning streak against local teams during the 1910s. He signed with the Canton Bulldogs in 1915. They paid him $ 250 ($ 7,530) a game, a tremendous wage at the time. Before signing him Canton

8094-555: The minor league team that last held his contract had disbanded that year, so he was free to choose which baseball team to play for. In January 1913, he turned down a starting position with the St. Louis Browns , then at the bottom of the American League . Thorpe signed with the New York Giants baseball club in 1913, the defending 1912 National League champion . With Thorpe playing in 19 of their 151 games, they repeated as

8208-424: The public did not seem to care much about Thorpe's past, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), and especially its secretary James Edward Sullivan , took the case very seriously. Thorpe wrote a letter to Sullivan, in which he admitted playing professional baseball: I hope I will be partly excused by the fact that I was simply an Indian schoolboy and did not know all about such things. In fact, I did not know that I

8322-415: The reformed New England League in 1901. Manchester played under new owner and manager Phenomenal Smith. The Augusta Live Oaks , Bangor Millionaires , Haverhill Hustlers , Lewiston , Lowell Tigers , Nashua and Portland teams joined Manchester in beginning league play on May 15, 1901. The Manchester team finished in third place with a 48–39 record in the 1901 New England League final standings. In

8436-440: The reformed league on May 11, 1926. The Manchester "Blue Sox" began play in the newly formed league and won the 1926 New England League championship. The Manchester Blue Sox finished the season with a 57–35 record to place first in the final standings, as Manchester finished 5.5 games ahead of the second place Lynn Papooses, as no playoffs were held. The 1926 Blue Sox championship manager was Jean Dubuc , who had been involved in

8550-457: The rights and memorialized Thorpe in Jim Thorpe – All-American (1951), starring Burt Lancaster . The film was directed by Michael Curtiz . Although there were rumors that Thorpe received no money, he was paid $ 15,000 by Warner Bros. plus a $ 2,500 donation toward an annuity for him by the studio's head of publicity. The movie included archival footage of the 1912 and 1932 Olympics. Thorpe

8664-555: The role that Clyde Sukeforth played in the growth and development of my beginnings in baseball. I have been very appreciative of the fact that whenever there were problems in the earlier days, I could always go to you, talk with you, and receive the warm and friendly advise that I always did," the letter said in part. In defending their league championship, the 1927 Manchester Blue Sox ended the New England League season in sixth place. The Blue Sox were led by returning manager Jean Dubuc and his successor Henry LaVallee in 1927. Manchester had

8778-418: The same site with different names. A ballpark first called the "Beech Street Grounds" was built on the site of today's Gill Stadium and located at the corner of Beech and Valley Streets. The ballpark was constructed on a site that was owned by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company . The original ballpark had a wooden fence with two wooden grandstands, with the main fan entrance was located on Beech Street. This

8892-555: The season, according to CNN 's Greg Botelho. Steve Boda, a researcher for the NCAA, credits Thorpe with 27 touchdowns and 224 points. Thorpe rushed 191 times for 1,869 yards, according to Boda; the figures do not include statistics from two of Carlisle's 14 games in 1912 because full records are not available. Carlisle's 1912 record included a 27–6 victory over the West Point Army team . In that game, Thorpe's 92-yard touchdown

9006-448: The season, while teammate Jim Murray led the league with both 12 home runs and 91 runs scored. Manchester pitcher Frank Morrissey had 27 wins lead the league, while Jake Volz had 220 strikeouts, most in the New England League. Continuing minor league baseball play in 1903, Manchester placed third in the New England League, one year after winning the league championship. Playing under manager Phenomenal Smith, Manchester placed third in

9120-405: The season. The Lewiston Twins and Nashua Millionaires teams both disbanded on June 16, 1930. After continuing play briefly as a four–team league, the New England League folded on June 22, 1930. After the 1930 New England League folded, Manchester ended the season with a record of 9–19 under manager Leo Hartline. The Salem Witches were in first place with a 21–9 record, finishing 11.0 games ahead of

9234-532: The second place Manchester "Reds," who finished with a 29–11 record, playing the season under manager Harry Clark. Lowell and Manchester were followed by the Fall River Cascades (19–21) and Providence Rhode Islanders (11–29) teams in the final standings. The Lynn Live Oaks (8–22), Fitchburg, Haverhill and Lawrence franchises all folded before the 1877 New England Association season ended on October 15, 1877. The New England Association folded after

9348-885: The sport, as the public soon learned. After his victories at the Olympic Games in Sweden, on September 2, 1912, Thorpe returned to Celtic Park, the home of the Irish American Athletic Club , in Queens , New York (where he had qualified four months earlier for the Olympic Games), to compete in the Amateur Athletic Union 's All-Around Championship. Competing against Bruno Brodd of the Irish American Athletic Club and John L. Bredemus of Princeton University , he won seven of

9462-509: The standings, playing under managers Jack Driscoll and William McDonough. The combined team finished 37.5 games behind the first place Manchester Blue Sox . The New England League reduced to six teams in 1930, folding the Gloucester team. Fitchburg, Massachusetts has not hosted another minor league team. The Fitchburg minor league teams were reported to played home games at the "Fitchburg Driving Park". Reportedly, manager Fred Lake created

9576-411: The standings. Fitchburg ended the season with a record of 46–89 to place eighth, playing under manager Hugh McCune. The Burghers finished 28.0 games behind the first place Portland Duffs in the final standings. After the 1915 season, the New England League folded. The 1919 New England League resumed play as a six-team league. The Fitchburg Foxes placed third in the reformed Class B level league, after

9690-601: The standings. On July 30, 1922, Fitchburg moved to Worcester, Massachusetts with a record of 18–46. After an 29–59 record playing in Worcester, the Fitchburg/Worcester team finished with an overall record of 47–105, to place eighth in the standings. The team was managed by Jack Mack and John Flynn, finishing 54.0 games behind the first place New Haven Indians. Olympic Champion, former major league player and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Jim Thorpe played for

9804-421: The team ended the season in last place with a 36–87 record. The Lawrence Barristers won the 1914 New England League championship and finished 48.0 games ahead of the Textiles, who placed eighth in the eight-team league. Fred Lake managed the team in both locations/ The Manchester "Textiles" nickname corresponds to local history and industry. In 1837, a group of businessmen from Boston, Massachusetts founded

9918-404: The team to Manchester because of poor attendance in Fitchburg. The local Fitchburg paper reported, "there would be no stealing of baseballs from Fred Lake [since] he traveled all the way to the bleachers to get a ball back." On July 30, 1915, the Fitchburg Burghers playing in their first season moved to Manchester with a record of 24–52. After compiling a record of 12–35 while based in Manchester,

10032-574: The team's record was 3–6 in 1922, and 1–10 in 1923, Thorpe played well and was selected for the Green Bay Press-Gazette 's first All-NFL team in 1923. This was later formally recognized in 1931 by the NFL as the league's official All-NFL team. Thorpe never played for an NFL championship team. He retired from professional football at age 41, having played 52 games for six teams from 1920 to 1928. Most of Thorpe's biographers were unaware of his basketball career until

10146-511: The ten events contested and came in second in the remaining three. With a total point score of 7,476 points, Thorpe broke the previous record of 7,385 points set in 1909 (also at Celtic Park), by Martin Sheridan , the champion athlete of the Irish American Athletic Club. Sheridan, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, was present to watch his record broken. He approached Thorpe after the event and shook his hand saying, "Jim, my boy, you're

10260-416: The three-city season. The team finished 28.0 games behind the first place Fall River Indians . The New England League continued play in 1894 without a Lowell, Manchester or Boston franchise in the eight-team league. In 1899 Manchester "Manchesters" returned to the New England league and ended the season in third place. The Manchesters of the Class F level New England League ended the 1899 season with

10374-411: The top four in all ten events, and his Olympic record of 8,413 points stood for nearly two decades. Even more remarkably, because someone had stolen his shoes just before he was due to compete, he found a mismatched pair of replacements, including one from a trash can, and won the gold medal wearing them. Overall, Thorpe won eight of the 15 individual events comprising the pentathlon and decathlon. As

10488-412: The track and, still in street clothes, beat all the school's high jumpers with an impromptu 5-ft 9-in jump. His earliest recorded track and field results come from 1907. He also competed in football, baseball, lacrosse , and ballroom dancing , winning the 1912 intercollegiate ballroom dancing championship. Pop Warner was hesitant to allow Thorpe, his best track and field athlete, to compete in such

10602-484: Was a third-team All-American in 1908 and a first-team All-American in 1911 and 1912. Football was – and remained – Thorpe's favorite sport. He did not compete in track and field in 1910 or 1911, although this turned out to be the sport in which he gained his greatest fame. In the spring of 1912, he started training for the Olympics. He had confined his efforts to jumps, hurdles and shot-puts, but now added pole vaulting, javelin, discus, hammer and 56 lb weight. In

10716-400: Was adapted into the movie Field of Dreams . The New York Giants purchased Graham's contract from Manchester on September 25, 1904, but he did not appear in a major league game. In 1905, Graham had his brief appearance in a major league game with the Giants. The 1904 Manchester team placed fourth in the New England League final standings. Manchester ended the season with a 61–60 record in

10830-665: Was averaging 1,200 fans a game, but 8,000 showed up for Thorpe's debut against the Massillon Tigers . The team won titles in 1916, 1917, and 1919. Thorpe reportedly ended the 1919 championship game by kicking a wind-assisted 95-yard punt from his team's own 5-yard line, effectively putting the game out of reach. In 1920, the Bulldogs were one of 14 teams to form the American Professional Football Association , which became

10944-563: Was baptized "Jacobus Franciscus Thorpe" in the Catholic Church . Thorpe was born in Indian Territory of the United States (later Oklahoma ), but no birth certificate has been found. He was generally considered to have been born on May 22, 1887, near the town of Prague . Thorpe said in a note to The Shawnee News-Star in 1943 that he was born May 28, 1888, "near and south of Bellemont – Pottawatomie County – along

11058-409: Was decided to restore him as the sole champion in both events. Thorpe grew up in the Sac and Fox Nation in Indian Territory (what is now the U.S. state of Oklahoma ). As a youth, he attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania , where he was a two-time All-American for the school's football team under coach Pop Warner . After his Olympic success in 1912, which included

11172-535: Was doing wrong, because I was doing what I knew several other college men had done, except that they did not use their own names ... His letter did not help. The AAU decided to withdraw Thorpe's amateur status retroactively. Later that year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) unanimously decided to strip Thorpe of his Olympic titles, medals and awards, and declare him a professional. Although Thorpe had played for money,

11286-432: Was extremely busy in the Olympics. Along with the decathlon and pentathlon, he competed in the long jump and high jump. The first competition was the pentathlon on July 7. He won four of the five events and placed third in the javelin, an event he had not competed in before 1912. Although the pentathlon was primarily decided on place points, points were also earned for the marks achieved in the individual events. Thorpe won

11400-490: Was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the contemporary amateurism rules. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals with replicas, after ruling that the decision to strip him of his medals fell outside of the required 30 days . Official IOC records still listed Thorpe as co-champion in decathlon and pentathlon until 2022, when it

11514-551: Was hired as the manager of the Manchester team that played in the Boston Twilight League. Dubuc would remain in Manchester, managing the minor league team for the 1926 season. In 1926, the New England League reformed as a Class B level league with eight teams. The Manchester "Blue Sox" joined the Haverhill Hillies , Lawrence Merry Macks , Lewiston Twins , Lowell Highwaymen , Lynn Papooses , Nashua Millionaires and Portland Eskimos teams in beginning play in

11628-443: Was near third base, and home plate was in the field's southwest corner. The other bordering streets were Maple Street to the east and Green Street to the north. Baseball was played there between 1891 and 1894. In 1894, local businessman Thomas Varick purchased an interest in the park, moved the two grandstands and designated one as "men-only." Varick also constructed a 40-foot-wide, quarter-mile dirt bicycle and running track and renamed

11742-433: Was nullified by a teammate's penalty, but on the next play Thorpe rushed for a 97-yard touchdown. Future President Dwight D. Eisenhower , who played against him in that game, recalled of Thorpe in a 1961 speech: Here and there, there are some people who are supremely endowed. My memory goes back to Jim Thorpe. He never practiced in his life, and he could do anything better than any other football player I ever saw. Thorpe

11856-479: Was recognized and he was coached by Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner , one of the most influential coaches of early American football history. Later that year the youth was orphaned after his father Hiram Thorpe died from gangrene poisoning, after being wounded in a hunting accident. The young Thorpe again dropped out of school. He resumed farm work for a few years before returning to Carlisle School. Thorpe began his athletic career at Carlisle in 1907 when he walked past

11970-463: Was reported Fitchburg was defeated by the Lowell Grays by the score of 5–3. Lowell pitcher Jimmy Ring made his first professional career start and threw a complete game five–hitter for Lowell. The 1915 Fitchburg Burghers franchise resumed New England League play, despite relocating the previous season, as the Manchester Textiles franchise also continued play. The Burghers again finished last in

12084-580: Was seen in one scene as a coaching assistant. It was also distributed in the United Kingdom, where it was called Man of Bronze . Apart from his career in films, he worked as a construction worker, a doorman/bouncer , a security guard, and a ditchdigger. He briefly joined the United States Merchant Marine in 1945, during World War II. Thorpe was a chronic alcoholic during his later life. He ran out of money sometime in

12198-555: Was shot in room 509 at the Hotel Carlos in Chicago during a domestic incident. Jurges was shot and wounded by Violet Valli, a showgirl with whom Jurges had been in a relationship. Jurges was shot while trying to wrestle the gun away from Valli. Shortly after the shooting, attempted murder charges were dismissed against Valli. Jurges appeared in court and stated that would not testify against Valli and expressed his desire to dismiss

12312-511: Was the basis of the character of the same name in the 1989 motion picture Field of Dreams . Shoeless Joe author W.P. Kinsella discovered Graham's name and statistical information in The Baseball Encyclopedia and noticed Graham had played just one major league game with 0 at-bats, Graham became a physician after his baseball career ended. Kinsella based Graham's story the character in his novel. In 1989 Shoeless Joe

12426-415: Was the custom of the day, the medals were presented to the athletes during the closing ceremonies of the games. Along with the two gold medals, Thorpe also received two challenge prizes, which had been donated by King Gustav V of Sweden for the decathlon and Czar Nicholas II of Russia for the pentathlon. Several sources recount that, when awarding Thorpe his prize, King Gustav said, "You, sir, are

12540-403: Was the daughter of Citizen Potawatomi Nation members Elizabeth and Jacob Vieux, and was a descendant of Chief Louis Vieux. Thorpe was raised as a Sac and Fox, and his native name, Wa-Tho-Huk , is translated as "path lit by great flash of lightning" or, more simply, "Bright Path". As was the custom for Sac and Fox, he was named for something occurring around the time of his birth, in this case

12654-422: Was the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States in the Olympics. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won two Olympic gold medals in the 1912 Summer Olympics (one in classic pentathlon and the other in decathlon ). He also played football (collegiate and professional), professional baseball, and professional basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it

12768-514: Was the last man to compete in both the Olympics (in a non-baseball sport) and Major League Baseball before Eddy Alvarez did the same in 2020. Thorpe played sporadically with the Giants as an outfielder for three seasons. After playing in the minor leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1916, he returned to the Giants in 1917. He was sold to the Cincinnati Reds early in the season. In the "double no-hitter " between Fred Toney of

12882-518: Was the manager and owner of the New Bedford Whalers of the New England League in 1913. Due to poor attendance, Lake moved the team to Fitchburg, Massachusetts for the 1914 season, after Street Railway in Fitchburg offered to upgrade the ball grounds, build a new grandstand and bleachers, and provide free rent to the team. On July 28, 1914, Fitchburg played its first home game at the refurbished ballpark in Fitchburg. Within days Lake moved

12996-437: Was working for the manager of the baseball team for which he was playing at the time. They had four sons: Phillip, William, Richard, and John Thorpe. Kirkpatrick divorced Thorpe in 1941, after they had been married for 15 years. Lastly, Thorpe married Patricia Gladys Askew on June 2, 1945. She was with him when he died. After his athletic career, Thorpe struggled to provide for his family. He found it difficult to work

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