Back in December 1999, the final month of the final year of the 20th century, TV broadcaster

ABC Sports asked its viewers for their help.

Hey there, sports fans!

With the 1900s nearly over and the 2000s nearly here, we want your help in naming the greatest

athlete of the century.

The sports figure who dominated with the most skill, the most courage, the most butt-kicking

action in football or baseball or basketball or tennis or like half a dozen other sports

we don't have time to list so we'll just get all their sound effects out of the way now.

To narrow things down, we at ABC Sports have compiled a list of 15 athletes for you to

choose from.

Make your favorite and cast your vote now!

ABC's list of nominees included a bunch of names you might recognize, like baseball legend

Babe Ruth, boxing hero Muhammad Ali, basketball star Michael Jordan, and tennis champ Martina

Navratilova.

But once the votes were in and ABC announced the results, the winner was a name you may

not recognize.

And the winner of the title greatest athlete of the 20th century is Jim Thorpe.

Jim Thorpe was a Native American athlete in the first part of the 20th century.

But unlike most other nominees on ABC's list, Jim Thorpe didn't just compete in one sport

or two or even three.

He won Olympic gold medals for track and field, he played professional baseball and professional

football and professional basketball, he even won a championship in ballroom dancing.

...