(what is now Oklahoma), was College and Pro Football Hall of Fame player Jim Thorpe. Thorpe was an early NFL player and a Gold Medalist Olympian. What made all of these accomplishments even more impressive was that Thorpe was also breaking race barriers to do so as he was a Native American. Born on a reservation, he ended up playing football for the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, under legendary Coach Pop Warner. Thorpe not only won the pentathlon and the decathlon in the 1912 Olympic games for the US and played football, but he was also successful at playing baseball and basketball. As a pro football player, Jim played for the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, Oorang Indians, Rock Island Independents, and the New York Giants. One season with the Rock Island Independents wore Number 1. He started playing in the NFL at 33 till he was 41. NFL Jersey 2. NFL Jersey 21. NFL Jersey 3. NFL Jersey 1.