Jim Thorpe is an American professional golfer who won three times on the PGA Tour and thirteen times on the PGA Tour Champions. His senior career included the 2002 Tradition, a senior major championship, while his professional life also included advocacy for wider access to golf and mentoring young players.
Background
Thorpe was born on February 1, 1949, in Roxboro, North Carolina, the ninth of twelve children. His father, Elbert Thorpe Sr., was the superintendent of Roxboro Country Club, and the family lived beside the club's eighth fairway. The course environment gave Thorpe and his brothers early access to golf, while his family background also connected him with the practical work of maintaining a course.
Thorpe initially pursued football as well as golf. He earned a football scholarship to Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he played running back before turning his attention fully to professional golf. His emergence during the era when Black golfers continued to face substantial barriers in professional competition made his later PGA Tour and senior-tour career significant beyond his tournament record.
Education
Thorpe attended Morgan State University in Baltimore on a football scholarship and played as a running back. The institution was founded in 1867 as the Centenary Biblical Institute and developed into one of Maryland's historically Black universities; it became a public institution in 1939 and later expanded into a comprehensive urban research university. Thorpe left college before turning professional in 1972, and the available record does not establish a degree.
His transition from collegiate football to golf reflected the breadth of his early athletic interests. After leaving Morgan State, he competed professionally on smaller circuits before qualifying for the PGA Tour and establishing himself in elite tournament golf.
Career
Thorpe turned professional in 1972 and qualified for the PGA Tour in the mid-1970s. He joined the PGA Tour in 1976 and developed his career through a combination of tour competition, qualifying events, and earlier play on smaller professional circuits. He won the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1985, defeating Jack Nicklaus by three strokes, and won the Seiko-Tucson Match Play Championship in both 1985 and 1986, giving him three PGA Tour victories.
Thorpe joined the Champions Tour in 1999. He became one of its successful competitors, winning thirteen tournaments, including the 2002 Tradition, a senior major championship won in a playoff over John Jacobs. His Champions Tour victories also included the Transamerica, Gold Rush Classic, Kroger Senior Classic, Allianz Championship, Long Island Classic, Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Farmers Charity Classic, Commerce Bank Long Island Classic, FedEx Kinko's Classic, Blue Angels Classic, and other senior events. He finished among the senior tour's leading money winners and recorded numerous top-ten finishes.
Thorpe's professional record also includes the 1982 Canadian Professional Golf Association Championship and the 1991 Amoco Centel Championship, as well as a 2014 Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf Legends Division playoff victory with Jim Colbert. His recorded playoff records were 0–1 on the PGA Tour and 3–1 on the Champions Tour.
In 2009, Thorpe pleaded guilty in federal court to tax offenses involving unpaid income taxes. He was sentenced on January 22, 2010, to one year in prison, supervised release, and community service, and was released on January 17, 2011. After a period of suspension by the PGA Tour, he returned to Champions Tour competition.
Beyond tournament golf, Thorpe supported programs intended to widen access to the sport and encouraged young players through golf-related charitable and mentoring activities. In 2012, he was named an ambassador to the Tobago Junior Golf Academy.
Achievements
Thorpe won three PGA Tour events: the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1985 and the Seiko-Tucson Match Play Championship in 1985 and 1986.
He won thirteen PGA Tour Champions events, including the 2002 Tradition, a senior major championship decided in a playoff over John Jacobs.
His documented tournament record includes the 1982 Canadian Professional Golf Association Championship, the 1991 Amoco Centel Championship, and the 2014 Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf Legends Division with Jim Colbert. His playoff records were 0–1 on the PGA Tour and 3–1 on the Champions Tour.
Views
Thorpe has publicly emphasized broader access to golf and greater opportunities for minority players. His comments about the limited number of Black golfers entering professional tours connected his own career with a continuing concern about racial barriers and the development of youth programs.
Personality
Physical Characteristics:
Thorpe is listed at 6 feet tall and 205 pounds.
Interests
Hunting and mentoring young golfers.
Sport & Clubs
Football and basketball, in addition to golf.
Connections
Thorpe's wife is Carol Thorpe. His family includes daughters Sheronne and Chera. His brothers Chuck and Bill also pursued professional golf-related careers; Chuck played on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, while Bill entered professional qualifying competitions.
Wife:
Carol Thorpe
Daughter:
Sheronne Thorpe
Daughter:
Chera Thorpe
Brother:
Chuck Thorpe
Chuck Thorpe played for a period on the PGA Tour and in several Champions Tour events.
Brother:
Bill Thorpe
Bill Thorpe entered professional golf qualifying competitions.
References
PGA TOUR Player Profile: Jim Thorpe
Official profile documenting Thorpe's birthplace, Morgan State University connection, professional status, PGA Tour Champions record, physical statistics, residence, and family information.
PGA TOUR Champions Player Biography: Jim Thorpe
Official tour biography documenting Thorpe's birth date, early family background, football scholarship at Morgan State University, professional career, and thirteen PGA Tour Champions victories.
Thorpe sentenced to one year in prison for tax evasion
Associated Press report documenting Thorpe's guilty plea and January 2010 sentence for failing to pay income taxes, together with the financial penalties and community service imposed.
2010
The Long, Short of Success
Washington Post profile describing Thorpe's childhood at Roxboro Country Club, his time at Morgan State, his transition from football to golf, and the barriers he encountered in professional competition.
