How many famous Americans have had great enough careers to warrant two statues in marking their final resting place? If anyone deserved that honor, it's Jim Thorpe.

The man proclaimed as the greatest athlete in the first half of the 20th century will have that distinction this weekend when a new statue is unveiled. It comes as no surprise. He was simply the best - a phenomenal athlete who stood as high over his peers as the way he will be looming over the people who visit his grave plot.When it came to athletic prowess, Thorpe was surely in a league of his own, captivating fans with dominant exploits against the best teams in college football, which during the first decade of the 20th century included Ivy League powers the likes of Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Princeton and Penn. But off the field, Thorpe was an enigma to many - a quiet star more at peace hunting by himself than riding in a parade.I recently learned more about Thorpe the man in "The Real All Americans," an excellent book on the Carlisle Indian School by Sally Jenkins.When Thorpe arrived on the Carlisle campus in 1904, a teacher described him as having an open face, "a picture of frankness but not brilliance who would trust anybody."Thorpe was in and out of boarding schools before his arrival at Carlisle, a brooding teenager who stood just 5-5 and weighed only 115 pounds. He soon bulk- ed up to meet the standards of a Carlisle football player - combining power with a lightning quickness.While at Carlisle for most of the next seven years, Thorpe grew into the man and athlete who would win Olympic medals in track and field, dominate in football and become skilled enough to play major league baseball. That, my friends, is the definition of one incredible athlete.During his years at Carlisle, Thorpe was described as a player with a footloose nature. The word "ran" appeared on his student record, meaning that he bolted from school several times, once to play minor league baseball, a move which later haunted him due to the Olympic medal controversy over his amateur status.He's also described as mule-headed and proud, and one who had no physical fear. For Thorpe, games were an escape. He was a loner, one who was far more comfortable in the physical world than in society, where he was shy and lacked social skills.Of Thorpe's natural ability, Grantland Rice, the great sportswriter, wrote that he moved "like a breeze." Others said he could make defenders look silly with his uncanny football moves.One teammate said Thorpe "was the master at deception in his running. He delighted in running straight at a safety man on the football field, then faking with his shoulders, eyes, and legs until it froze the defender. He'd then deliver an awful blow with his hips, spinning the defender "almost completely around in the air."A famous Army player and future president named Dwight Eisenhower found out just how elusive the great Thorpe was in a memorable game in 1912. Eisenhower was part of an Army backfield that boasted four future World War II generals. On one play, Ike and another player seemed to have Thorpe in their sights as he flashed into the secondary. The Carlisle superstar suddenly stopped on a dime, causing Eisenhower and the other linebacker to crash head-on, Three Stooges' style.One defining characteristic about Thorpe is that he loved the outdoors. That's what leads me to believe he would enjoy the fresh, airy environment that marks his final resting place in Jim Thorpe, Gateway to the Poconos.By Jim Zbickjzbick@tnonline.com