Who would you rather have leading your college football team: Jim Thorpe or Chic Harley?
Jim Thorpe was an American athlete of both Native American and European ancestry. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals for the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, played American football (collegiate and professional), and also played professional baseball and basketball.
He played his college football for the Carlisle Indian Industrial School for two seasons: 1911 and 1912. He played as a running back, defensive back, placekicker, and punter, and was a two time All American. In 1911, in an 18–15 upset over Harvard, he scored all his team’s points: four field goals and touchdown. In 1912 he scored 25 touchdowns and 198 points. While at Carlisle his team went 23-2-1. (Pop Warner was his coach.) He would go on to have a great career in the NFL as well.
Chic Harley was born in Chicago, Illinois, but his family moved to Columbus, Ohio when he was 12 years old. There Harley attended East High School. Harley was recruited to attend Ohio State and began his career with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1916.
While at Ohio State his team went 21-1-1. In 1919 his team beat the University of Michigan 13 -3 at Ann Arbor; this was the first time Ohio State would beat Michigan. He played halfback, quarterback, end, kicker, punter, and safety. He was Ohio State’s first three time All American and legend has it that his heroics helped convince the powers that be to build Ohio Stadium, which is where the Buckeyes still play. Over his college career he would score 23 touchdowns, 39 PATs, and eight field goals.
So there you have it. Two legendary stars with a brief synopsis of their college careers. Which player do you take, based on his college career, to lead your college team? Please comment by clicking the button below.