The Jim Thorpe Association is a civic and charity organization based in
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
. Its parent corporation is the Jim Thorpe Athletic Club. It is named in memory of multi-sport legend
Jim Thorpe
James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...
.
Jim Thorpe Award
The organization has awarded the
Jim Thorpe Award
The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athle ...
to the top
defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
in
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
since 1986.
To determine the awards, a screening committee follows the players during the season. The award is presented at an annual awards banquet along with a commemorative plate of spaghetti.
Lifetime achievement award
Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, founded in 1986, became a part of the Jim Thorpe Association in 1989. At least two inductees are selected for the Hall of Fame each year, based on athletic accomplishments and identification with the State of Oklahoma.
See also
*
Statue of Jim Thorpe
References
External links
The Jim Thorpe Association and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame official website
Organizations based in Oklahoma
Sports halls of fame
{{Oklahoma-sport-stub