America at Large: Jim Thorpe fights for deserved honours in life and death

Native American with Irish roots earned fame in baseball, American football and at the Olympics

American footballer and athlete Jim Thorpe  competing for Carlisle Indian Industrial School at the US Olympic trials in Celtic Park, New York, in 1912. Photograph: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
American footballer and athlete Jim Thorpe competing for Carlisle Indian Industrial School at the US Olympic trials in Celtic Park, New York, in 1912. Photograph: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
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Dave Hannigan

Dave Hannigan

Dave Hannigan is a contributor to The Irish Times based in New York