The INTEGRIS Health Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Courage Award was established in 1994 to recognize and honor individuals who have overcome disabilities caused by injury or illness, by facing the physical and mental challenges of rehabilitation with courage and determination.
The awards are named after the man known as the World's Greatest Athlete. Jim Thorpe, a Sac and Fox Indian he won gold medals in the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden, in the pentathlon and decathlon events. Those medals were confiscated in 1913 on the grounds that Thorpe had been a professional athlete. The medals were presented again to the Thorpe family in 1983.
Thorpe went on to establish a career in professional football, and was a founding father of the National Football League.
The Courage Award is presented annually.