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Gary Hull Inupiaq Induction Category: Year Inducted Official 2024 <Back Garry Hull is a longtime traditional Alaska Native Games athlete, coach and official. Born in Anchorage and raised in Illinois and came back to Alaska in 1987. Hull was first introduced to Native Games at Clark Junior High School competing alongside senior athletes. He discovered his natural talent for high kicks and one hand reach but soon discovered he could excel in most games played in the various competitions in Alaska i.e.: Native Youth Olympics, World Eskimo Indian Olympics and Arctic Winter games – Dene Games and Inuit Games. In 1998 Hull set the record for One Hand Reach at 65”. He held that record for 10 years before seeing it broken by Jesse Frankson from Point Hope, AK. This did not deter Hull from continuing his efforts in other games played in competition. Since 1988 Hull has also exceled in strength games that include Arm Pull, Inuit Stick Pull, and Dene Stick Pull. He has earned well over 100 medals within the traditional Native Games events. Hull’s children, Garry Hull, Jr. and Sara Hull have also competed in Native Games. In 2007 Hull married his friend and fellow athlete Carol Pickett who was inducted to the 2022 NAIAHF. Together Garry and Carol Hull continue sharing their years of experience with traditional games by coaching students in Seward, AK alongside Head Coach Krisnan Weston. Currently Hull still participates with Native Games through coaching, officiating and mentoring. His fair and equal judging of Native Games events and his gentle mentoring has made him a respected and valued member within the games community. With humorous stories and knowledge of “tricks to the trade”, Hull is always ready to share his knowledge and skills with the next generation of games athletes.

Michael Daney <Back Choctaw Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach/Athlete 2024 Michael Daney is a member of the Oklahoma Choctaw Tribal Nation. He was a track and cross country athlete at Haskell Indian Junior College, Oklahoma Baptist University and Northeastern Oklahoma State University, and a coach at Haskell Indian Junior College and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute where he is currently a health and physical education instructor. Daney serves as a coach, mentor, and facilitator of the Sport Warriors Track Club, a program that is designed to encourage and assist Native American post-collegiate runners to continue to compete on a national level in USATF national competitions. Daney mentored and coached three runners that qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials. As an athlete at Haskell Indian Junior College, he was a two-time NJCAA national cross country qualifier and was named the cross country team MVP while earning letters in cross country, basketball, and track. While being an athlete at Oklahoma Baptist University, Daney was a member of the NAIA Cross Country All Conference Team, NAIA District 9 Cross Country Champion, and NAIA National Cross Country Qualifier. He was All Conference in the Three Mile Run and Steeplechase and was also named to the NAIA All Region Team Steeplechase. Daney also attended Northeastern Oklahoma State University, and he was the winner of the NIAA Native American Cross Country Championship, Conference Track Champion and school record holder in the one and two mile Daney began his college coaching at Haskell Indian Junior College and was a part of the four-peat Haskell’s Men’s Marathon National Championships that is still an NJCAA record. His men and women’s teams qualified for seven NJCAA National X-Country Championships and were all top 10 finishes. Daney coached 18 male and female All-Americans including one national champion and he was a two-time NJCAA Region X-Country Coach of the Year. Daney also coached 10 NJCAA National Championship at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. He coached 23 All-Americans and seven individual national champions. He was named NJCAA Regional Coach of the Year five times and National Coach of the Year 10 times. Daney currently lives in Albuquerque, NM, with his wife, children and grandchildren.

< Back Sharon and Shirley Firth Sharon and Shirley Firth Gwich’in First Nation Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Twin sisters Sharon and Shirley Firth were members of Canada’s national cross-country team for an unprecedented 17-consecutive years competing on the World Cup circuit. Between them, they won 79 medals at a variety of racing distances at the national championships and competed in four winter Olympic Games in 1972 at Sapporo, Japan, in 1976 at Innsbruck, Austria, in 1980 at Lake Placid, New York, USA, and in 1984 at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. She and her sister were the subjects of a CBC Documentary entitled The Olympians: The Firth Sisters. Shirley and Sharon were in the PBS TV Episode 2010 Series of Molly of Denali “Stand Back Up.” They were also on a Canada Postage Stamp: Canadian Women in Winter Sports 2018. Sharon Firth had been awarded the John Semmelink Memorial Award from the Canadian Ski Association in 1972, the Commissioner’s Award from the Government of the Northwest Territories in1981, the Order of Canada in1987, was inducted into the Canadian Ski Museum and Skiing Hall of Fame in 1990, and she received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. Sharon also received the 2005 National Aboriginal Achievement Award, inducted into the 2008 Banff Sport Hall of Fame, and received the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal in 2012. In addition to hall of fame inductions, she was also named to the 2012 Northwest Territories Sports Hall of Fame and 2015 Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, Order of Sport. In 2017 Sharon received an honorary doctorate of law degree and was an adjunct professor in 2018. She also received the 2018 Order of Northwest Territories. Shirley was voted Canadian Women's Nordic Skier of the Year six times by Ski Racing Magazine, and was inducted into the Canadian Ski Museum and Skiing Hall of Fame in 1990. After marrying, Shirley lived in Europe for over 20 years, receiving a teaching diploma in 2002 from the University of Paris. She won 42 Canadian national championship medals including 29 gold, 10 silver and 3 bronze. Shirley died on April 30, 2013. <Back

Perry William Kelly <Back Metis Induction Category: Media/Athlete Year Inducted 2024 Over the past thirty-five-year period, Perry William Kelly has written literally hundreds of thousands of words on the subject of martial arts and combat sports. Kelly has been a feature writer for: Martial Arts Professional; Martial Arts Experts; Ultimate Grappling; and, Ultimate MMA, and is currently the Canadian and MMA Correspondent for MA Success magazine. During his lengthy career covering stories around the globe, he has interviewed multiple Olympic coaches and Gold Medalists, countless UFC champions and their trainers, World Kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu Champions. He is one of the few MMA writers to have interviewed many of the CEOs of the world’s top MMA promotions, i.e. UFC, Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, Professional Fighters League and Combate Global. In addition, he has interviewed martial arts action film stars including the late David Carradine (Kill Bill) and Alain Moussi (Kickboxer). In 2017, Kelly won the World Police and Fire Fighter Games Karate Gold Medal - Over 50 Middleweight Division. The following year, he was dubbed “The Fighting Writer” by the Editor of Black Belt Magazine, the world’s oldest martial arts publication, when he won a Silver Medal at the famed Battle of Atlanta while taking on double duty by also reporting on the event. For over ten years, Kelly provided his master level knowledge of five martial arts while writing on law enforcement officer safety in articles featured in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Gazette. This work was featured in a book entitled The Thinking Officer's Guide to Police Defensive Tactics published with a forward by the former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, the Honourable Herb Gray and an introduction by former RCMP Commissioner and Interpol President Norman D. Inkster. Kelly’s other combative sports books include a biography of Bruce Lee’s protégé entitled Dan Inosanto: The Man, the Teacher, the Artist with a forward by the first martial artist elected to the NFL Hall of Fame Randy White and the biography ICEMAN: Kickboxing Legend Jean-Yves Theriault. Kelly is currently the Tribal Representative for the Metis Nation of Ontario for the Native American League of the U.S. Muay Thai Association.

Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi <Back Diné (Navajo) Induction Category: Media Year Inducted 2022 Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi is a longtime storyteller from the Navajo Nation. She spent over a decade as sportswriter for the Navajo Times, telling stories of high school, college, and professional Navajo athletes. Clahchischiligi, a former athlete, developed an admiration for sports and storytelling at a young age. She completed six internships in three years, one at Sports Illustrated magazine in New York City. Clahchischiligi earned multiple awards for her writing in sports, editorial, community coverage, elder coverage, and investigative reporting. She wrote for the St. Cloud Times, the Albuquerque Journal, the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Osage News, Searchlight NM, and the Salt Lake Tribune. From her extensive coverage of basketball on the Navajo Nation, she has been dubbed an expert in rezball, a fast-paced style of basketball played throughout Indian Country. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, to name a few. Clahchischiligi has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the University of New Mexico, a master’s degree in rhetoric, writing, and digital media studies from Northern Arizona University, and is currently a PhD candidate in rhetoric and writing at UNM. She also teaches composition in the English department.

About Introduction: The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF) honors and recognizes the indigenous sport cultures of 27 countries of North America by recognizing outstanding leadership and achievement in individual and team athletics. By honoring and celebrating the empowered journey of the annually inducted individuals and teams, the hope is their stories may inspire future generations to follow their dreams in athletics and life. Nomination Process: Nominations for individuals and teams to be considered for induction into the annual North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame are accepted throughout the course of the year until the October 21st noon central time deadline. Nominations are accepted for individuals or teams in the following categories: • Athlete • Coach • Team • Builder • Media • Official • Trainer Inductee eligibility: Inductees are recognized and honored, past and present, as Indigenous to North America including but not limited to Tribal, First Nation, Métis, Inuit including federally recognized and self-identified descendant in the listed categories throughout the year. Inductee’s may also be considered who are indigenous to North America and compete outside of North American and those who are indigenous outside of North America and compete in North America. The inductee’s credentials need to include being at the highest state, provincial, region, national or international sport recognition, and/or being recognized in college or professional athletic realms. To receive a nomination form or for additional information, contact Dr. Dan Ninham at 218.368.643 0 (text preferred) or coach.danninham@gmail.com . The annual nomination deadline is noon central time on October 21st for the next year induction. Induction Recognition: There will be an in-person banquet to be announced. There will not be a hall of fame facility. Each inductee will receive a certificate and in person banquet inductees may receive additional gift/s. There will be a school curriculum developed to continue sharing the legacies of inductees. The induction announcement will be made on January 2nd of the year of each induction class year.

< Back James Francis Thorpe James Francis Thorpe Sac and Fox Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 James Francis Thorpe was born near Prague, Oklahoma. He was born to Hiram Thorpe, a farmer, and Charlotte Vieux, a Pottawatomie Indian and descendant of the last great Sauk and Fox chief Black Hawk, a noted warrior and athlete. Jim was actually born a twin, but his brother Charlie died at the age of nine. His Indian name, Wa-Tho-Huk, translated to “Bright Path.” In 1904, Thorpe started school at Carlisle Industrial Indian School in Pennsylvania. Thorpe began his athletic career at Carlisle, both playing football and running track. He was selected as a third-team All-American in 1908, and in 1909 and 1910 he made the first team. Football legend Glenn “Pop” Warner coached Thorpe at Carlisle. Thorpe competed in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. He won the pentathlon and the decathlon and set records that would stand for decades. Thorpe’s glorious Olympic wins were jeopardized in 1913 when it surfaced that he had played two semi-professional seasons of baseball. Ultimately, it was decided that his baseball experience adversely affected his amateur status in the track and field events. His name was removed from the record books and his gold medals were taken away. Thorpe moved on after the Olympic ordeal and signed to play baseball for the New York Giants. He played outfield with New York for three seasons before playing with the Cincinnati Reds in 1917. He played 77 games with the Reds before finally returning to the Giants for an additional 26 games. In 1919, he played his final season in major league baseball, ending on the Boston Braves team. During much of his baseball years, Thorpe also played professional football for the Canton (Ohio) Bulldogs from 1915 until 1920 and with the Cleveland Indians in 1921. In the years following, he organized, coached and played with the Oorang Indians, a professional football team comprised of American Indians. Additionally, he was instrumental in forming the American Professional Football Association, and eventually became the president of the group. Through the years, the association evolved into today’s NFL. In all, Thorpe played with six different teams during his career in pro football, ending with a stint with the Chicago Cardinals in 1929. Two monumental honors were bestowed unto Thorpe in 1950 when he was named “the greatest American football player” and the “greatest overall male athlete” by the Associated Press. Thorpe died on March 28, 1953 of a heart attack. Thorpe’s medals were finally restored to him posthumously in 1982. In addition, and most importantly to his family, his name was put back into the record books. In 1950, the nation’s press selected Jim Thorpe as the most outstanding athlete of the first half of the 20th Century and in 1996-2001, he was awarded ABC’s Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Century. <Back

< Back Teton Saltes Teton Saltes Oglala Lakota Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Teton Saltes is a remarkable individual whose list of accomplishments is nothing short of extraordinary, all achieved by the age of 25. He stands as a symbol of unwavering dedication and the potential for change and impact at a remarkably young age. During his college football career, Saltes earned two Mountain West All-Conference honorable mentions and was twice honored as a Mountain West All-Academic. Notably, he holds the distinction of being the only college football major award winner in University of New Mexico history as the recipient of the prestigious Wuerffel Trophy. His four-year stint as a starting offensive lineman for the University of New Mexico football team showcases his exceptional athletic abilities and cemented his legacy as one of the best offensive lineman to ever play at UNM. In 2021, Saltes joined the NFL and was a member of the New York Jets. He played in the USFL in 2022 for the Michigan Panthers and secured a championship in the XFL in 2023 with the Arlington Renegades. Beyond his sporting achievements, Saltes's advocacy efforts are equally noteworthy. He addressed the United States Congress and testified before the New Mexico state legislature, passionately advocating for mental health support for student-athletes. His role as a board member in the BEAR Project in Pine Ridge, SD, demonstrates his unwavering commitment to community betterment. Saltes's academic accomplishments are as impressive as his athletic and advocacy feats. He graduated with a degree in political science and entered into a master of law graduate program, with intentions to eventually receive his Juris Doctorate. Saltes' legacy is a testament to the incredible impact an individual can have with determination, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to their goals. <Back

Coaches Craig Berube Cree Dano Thorne ’kwaliquinum’ Coast Salish Cowichan and Nez Perce Jason Peters Mi’kmaw Kelvin Sampson Lumbee Mark Burnam Mohawk Mohawk

J.R. Conrad Category Athlete Tribe Eastern Shawnee Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 2/2/1974 J.R. Conrad was born and raised in Northeast Oklahoma, and he is an Eastern Shawnee Tribal Member. J.R. grew up in Indian housing with his mom’s side of the family all living under the same roof for much of his childhood. Once he got to high school, he figured out football could pay for school and it could change the trajectory of his life, and future generations of his family. J.R. became an All-State player, a Gatorade Player of the Year for Oklahoma, and a Gatorade Player of the Year for the Southwest US. He went on to play football at the University of Oklahoma, and was the first true freshman to ever start at center in school history. He was a USA Today All American, started in over 40 games, and was a 4-year starter. Played in bowl games, and the Blue Grey All Star Game, got invited to the combine. He was drafted by the New England Patriots and was a part of Super Bowl 31 team, played for Bill Parcells, followed him to the New York Jets, and later spent a short time with the Dallas Cowboys. J.R. has been married to his wife Keisha for 24 years, and they have four children: Hayden, Hudson, Henley, and Holden. Home 2025 Banquet 2025 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

Kerry Danforth <Back Oneida Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2023 Kerry “Buggs” Danforth starting coaching in 1995 and was influenced by his dad, the late Bill Danforth, who coached Oneida Baseball in his early 30’s until he was 50. After his dad passed and he continued to play baseball and softball he knew he was given a gift to help a player at any part of their game. He learned to help a hitter out by just watching their hands, feet and swing, and to make corrections, and as his and his wife Candace’ three daughters, Nona, Olivia and Tiana, and son Jackson, got older, he stopped playing to coach. In 2006, he coached his daughter Nona in Florida in the Independent Softball Association (ISA) Nationals and won that tournament and this put them in the ISA World Nationals in Columbia, North Carolina and they were crowned World Champions. In 2007, he coached the team to win the North America Fastpitch Association (NSFA) National Champions in Florida. In his years of coaching, he sent several athletes to the collegiate level and 58 to the NCAA DI level. From 2006 to 2019, his teams won six Wisconsin American Softball Association (ASA) and National Softball Association (NSA) national titles from the age groups of 10 & Under to 18 & Under. In those years the teams were also Runner-up State champion in 2006 and 2018 and at the national level were runner-up in 2010 and 2012. In 2011, he was the 18 & Under Team Wisconsin’s Indigenous Coach that won the North American Indigenous Games Gold Medal and were undefeated. In 2014, he was a college assistant coach working with infield and hitting to Jean Rivett at NCAA DI University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. Coach Rivett is in the ASA Hall of Fame as a player. UWGB won the conference title, conference tournament title, and played in the NCAA Tournament in Minnesota. Also at the college level, he was an assistant coach working with infield and hitting at NCAA DIII St. Norbert College from 2016-2018. As a coach for the past 25 plus years he amassed over 600 wins and under 100 losses and his best year was in 2009 with an 85-6 record.

Marty Ward <Back Cherokee Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2024 Marty Ward has been a part of the Florida Southern men's lacrosse program for nearly its entire existence. The Moccasins have posted an overall record of 105-85, and have been ranked in the USILA Top 20 numerous times. During his time at Florida Southern, the program has produced 71 all-conference selections, 10 USILA All Americans, and 4 USILA Scholar All Americans. Ward was named as the DSC Co-Coach of the Year in 2011 after leading the Mocs to the conference title game. Ward's teams have also excelled in the classroom, with 35 players earning the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award for a total of 61 total selections, with 4 USILA Scholar All Americans Moccasins have also had more than 100 players named to the SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll. Ward was a standout goalkeeper and two time All American at Division II powerhouse Limestone College, where he helped lead the Saints to a record of 55-9 in his four years. A member of the Cherokee Nation, Ward has also had success as a goalkeeper for the Iroquois Nationals team, earning a bronze medal at the 2014 World Lacrosse Championships. He was also the starting goalkeeper for the Iroquois Nationals team that finished fourth in 2006. He made the roster in 2010 as the team qualified for the global event but did not participate. He has also served as a coach for the Iroquois Nationals U-19 squad at the international level, leading the team to a bronze medal at the 2012 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships. Ward is currently the only Native American head coach in NCAA men's lacrosse, at any level. In 2018, Ward became the first lacrosse player inducted into the Corcoran (N.Y.) High School Athletics Hall of Fame. Outside of the sport, Ward worked with the NativeVision program from 2013-16, a part of the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Heath. Sponsored by the National Football League (NFL), the program, one of the nation’s largest nutrition, obesity and diabetes prevention programs for American Indian children. Ward lives in Lakeland, Florida with his wife Aricka, daughter Sawyer, and son Ryker.