A judge ruled on Friday that the body of Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe should be returned to Oklahoma for reburial.

Currently Jim Thorpe is buried in Jim Thorpe Pennsylvania a town the renamed itself after the sports icon in hopes to gain tourism dollars. Thorpe's widow signed a contract agreeing to have Jim Thorpe's remains buried in PA.

A federal judge voided the contract under the federal Native American Graves and Reparation Act. Thorpe's sons and his Native American Tribe have been fighting for decades to get their father's remains brought back to his place of birth in Oklahoma.

Thanks to Friday's ruling the Thorpe family may begin the process of having his remains returned home.

The Washington Post reports the judge as saying his decision to invalidate the contract, "may seem at odds with our common notions of commercial or contract law," but said that Congress passed the law "against a history of exploitation of Native American artifacts and remains for commercial purposes."

Jim Thorpe has Native American heritage from the Fox and Sac tribes.

In 1950 sportswriters named Jim Thorpe the Nation's Greatest Athlete of the Half Century. Thorpe played professional baseball and football. He also set records in the Olympic games for the decathlon.

The citizens of Jim Thorpe PA were disappointed in the decision to remove the icon's remains back to Oklahoma. The Washington Post says the mayor has not decided if they will appeal the decision.

The Washington Post also quoted the lawyer for Thorpe's sons as saying, "This decision vindicates the basic human rights of Bill and Richard Thorpe and the Sac and Fox Nation."