Everyone knows what happens when one assumes something, so I don’t need to repeat the rest of that saying. In my last blog post I assumed Jim Thorpe had not tried out for the 1908 Olympic team and was quickly corrected by a couple of readers. Since I hadn’t bothered to look into Thorpe’s possible competing in the 1908 games, it was a good time to do a little research.
Carlisle’s 1908 track competitions started on April 25 with Penn’s Relay Carnival, as it was referred to at that time. The best track and field men across the country competed at this event. Pop Warner sent several members of his squad but the relay team and Thorpe was the only ones to medal. The relay team came in third in “Event No. 22” and Jim tied for first in the high jump with “Long John” Miller of Indiana University by clearing 6’1”. Thorpe was awarded first place by winning the coin toss.
The May 9 dual meet with State College must not have taken place. Both schools’ newspapers announced it preceding the event, but neither published the results. And no coverage was found in regular newspapers. Perhaps weather conditions caused it to be canceled. Next up was a May 14 dual meet with Syracuse at Elmira, New York. Steady rain and chilling temperatures prevented record times from being posted. Frank Mt. Pleasant, who was training for the Olympic tryouts, didn’t participate but Jim Thorpe did well scoring 21 of the winning team’s points. He won the 120-yard hurdles, 220-yard hurdles, and running high jump, while place second in the shot put and broad jump.
On May 23, Carlisle hosted a three-way meet against Swarthmore College and Dickinson College, producing a resounding victory for the Indians. Thorpe broke school records while coming in second in the shot put and winning the 220-yard hurdles. He also won the high jump and broad jump but came in third in the 120-yard high hurdles.
Carlisle last meet of the season was for the 1st Annual State Intercollegiate Championship in front of 8,000 spectators at Harrisburg on May 30. The Indians won the meet with a 17 ½ point margin over second-place finisher Lafayette. Pitt, Penn State, Swarthmore, Dickinson, Lehigh, Washington & Jefferson, and Gettysburg each scored at least one point in the meet. Jim won the high jump with a jump of 6’0”. He came in second in the 220-yard hurdles and the 16-pound shotput. Carlisle’s season was over but Thorpe’s wasn’t.
Pop Warner brought Jim Thorpe, Frank Mt. Pleasant, Lewis Tewanima, John Corn, and Walter Hunt back to Franklin Field, the site of the Penn Relays, for the Olympic tryouts. Mt. Pleasant came in second, ¼ inch behind the first place finisher in the broad jump. Thorpe didn’t place in either the high jump or broad jump. Tewanima came in third in the 5-mile run but Corn and Hunt didn’t place in that event. Only Mt. Pleasant was initially selected for the team. Tewanima was added to the supplemental list later. Thorpe reputedly spent the summer in Oklahoma.
Tom Benjey's Weblog 
Leave a comment