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Sam McCracken Category Builder Tribe Sioux and Assiniboine, Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 7/19/1960 Sam McCracken, is a member of the Sioux and Assiniboine tribes in northeastern Montana on the Ft. Peck Indian Reservation and the General Manager of Nike N7. He also serves as the Vice Chair of the board for the Center for Native American Youth. McCracken started with Nike in 1997. He became the Manager of Nike’s Native American Business in 2000 and led the development of the Nike Air Native N7 shoe, the retail collection and the fund which provides access to sport for Native American and Indigenous youth in North America. Since 2009, the fund has awarded more than $8 million in grants to Tribal communities, reaching more than 500,000 youth. McCracken received Nike’s Bowerman Award in 2004, named after Nike co-founder and track and field coach Bill Bowerman. He was honored by the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge with the George Washington Honor Medal in 2004. In 2007, he was coined a "corporate change maker" and named among the 20 most innovative global “Intrapreneurs” by sustainability.com. He worked with Nike to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Indian Health Service in 2003 and 2009, and with the Bureau of Indian Education in 2010 bringing access to sport for Native American communities. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Advisory Council on Indian Education in 2010 and received the President’s "Leadership Award" from the National Indian Gaming Association in 2010. More recently, McCracken and N7 received the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s 2019 Corporate Business of the Year award and in 2020, McCracken was inducted into the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2022, McCracken was honored by the World Economic Forum as the Schwab Foundation’s Social Intrapreneur of the Year. Home 2024 Banquet 2024 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact Officials (Individual) More

Neal Powless Category Athlete Tribe Onondaga Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 10/27/1974 Neal Powless played for the Iroquois Nationals in 6 World Lacrosse Championships and made the tournament’s ALL-World Team as an Attackman in 2002 and won a Silver Medal in 2003. Mr. Powless is a Professional (1), NCAA (1) and Canadian (3) National Champion. He was a 3x All-American at Nazareth College and held the Single Season goals (57 in 15 games) record for 18 years, which is still second all-time even though the seasons are now 18 games. Neal played professionally for 7 seasons amassing 53 goals and 39 assists in 41 games. Neal is the current Head Coach of the Men’s Dutch National Box Lacrosse Team that is ranked #8 in the World. He began coaching the Netherlands in 2014-16, where they finished #17 in the World and #7 in Europe in Field lacrosse. In 2017 he transitioned to box lacrosse where they progressed from #17 in Europe to their current World rank. Neal was inducted into the Nazareth College Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and the US Lacrosse, CNY Chapter Hall of Fame in 2017, one of the most prestigious chapters in the USA. He also produced the Major Motion Picture Crooked Arrows, which featured lacrosse. Home 2024 Banquet 2024 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact Officials (Individual) More

Katie Taylor Category Athlete Tribe Lac Courte Oreilles Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 5/29/98 Katie Taylor is a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe. She is a six-time All American and a National Champion. In high school, she competed in basketball and track for Hayward High School (WI). In 2014, she was the Wisconsin Division 2 State Runner-up in the shot put and discus. She graduated from college in 2021 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, which focuses on three areas of study including Math, IT, and Indigenous Studies. Her future goals include becoming fluent in her native Ojibwe language and relearning cultural significances she has lost over the years. Katie is in her senior season at Minnesota State University – Mankato. In the 2021 Outdoor season, she was named First Team All-American in the discus throw after finishing fifth at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships while also competing in the shot put and finishing 14th. She earned all-conference honors in the shot put, hammer throw and discus throw, finishing fourth in all three events at the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She set career bests in the discus throw at 49.85m (163'6") and hammer throw at 55.54m (182'3") at the Maverick Classic. During the 2021 Indoor season, she earned the national championship in the weight throw, setting a school record with a throw of 21.17m (69'5.5") at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. She earned first-team All-American honors in the shot put, finishing seventh at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. She also earned all-conference honors in the shot put and weight throw, finishing fourth and second respectively at the NSIC Indoor Track & Field Championships. During the 2020 Indoor season, she earned all-conference honors in the shot put and weight throw, finishing fourth in both events at the NSIC Indoor Track & Field Championships. In 2017, Katie was Indoor Shot Put NSIC Champion while attending Winona State University. She was the 2017 Indoor Weight Throw 3rd place at NSIC Championships, the Outdoor Shot Put 3rd place at NSIC Championships, the Outdoor Discus 3rd Place at NSIC Championships and 2017 Outdoor Shot Put 3rd Place at the NCAA Championships. Home 2024 Banquet 2024 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact Officials (Individual) More

< Back Roger Vyse ​ ​ ​ Roger Vyse Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Roger Vyse is Mohawk, and member of the turtle clan from Six Nations, Ontario Canada. Growing up on the Six Nations reserve, lacrosse was the dominant sport especially in Vyse's family. Vyse played lacrosse for over 30 years starting at the age of four years old until he retired at the age of 36. Along the way Vyse was a long-standing member of the Iroquois Nationals box and field lacrosse teams starting in 1999 with the under 19 bronze medalists in Adalaide, Australia. Vyse attended Herkimer Community College where he started on attack and was a 2x All American. In his second and final season at Herkimer in 2003, Vyse and his teammates won the NJCAA championship going 18-0 on the season. Vyse played lacrosse at Limestone College Division II. Limestone would make the Division II finals both seasons (2004, 2005) but come up short losing both games in overtime. In Vyse's final season at Limestone, he broke the Division’s 34-year-old goals per season record by one goal (71). He led the team in goals and tied for most assist (71 goals, 29 assists = 100 points) in his final season of college lacrosse. Vyse would be drafted into the National Lacrosse League 13th overall in 2006 by the Buffalo Bandits. Vyse would help the team win the NLL title in 2008. He played six seasons with the Bandits and was nominated to play in the All Star game in 2009. He also played a season in Toronto and Philadelphia to end his NLL career. In the summer's he played for the SR A Six Nations Chiefs during 2002-2016 and also the Sr B Six Nations Rivermen during 2015-2017. While playing for the Chiefs, Vyse and his teammates won the Mann Cup (Canadian Box Lacrosse Championship) three times in ‘13, ‘14 and ‘16. In the same time period in 2015, Vyse helped the Six Nations Rivermen win their first Presidents Cup (Canadian National Title) and was selected to the 1st All Star team as well as being tournament MVP. Vyse still resides from his hometown of Six Nations with his wife and four children with one on the way this summer. Vyse is a Student Mentor at Ogwehoweh Skills and Trade training Center which is also located on the Six Nations of the Grand River. <Back

< Back Phillip Castillo ​ ​ ​ Phillip Castillo Acoma Pueblo Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Phil Castillo is from the Pueblo of Acoma, one of nineteen Pueblos in the state of New Mexico. Acoma is located approximately 60 miles west of Albuquerque. Phil attended Grants High School in Grants, NM graduating in 1989. He was a 4-time state champion, two in Cross-Country and two titles in Track. In 1989 he qualified for the Kinney Cross-Country Championships in San Diego, CA as one of thirty-two finalists across the country. He finished that race eighth overall and became a High School All American. Upon completing high school, Phil attended Adams State University (ASU), and was the 1992 NCAA DII National Champion, becoming the first Native American to win an NCAA championship. He finished with nine All American honors at ASU. In 2000 he competed in the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a member of the US Army’s World Class Athlete Program. After the Olympic trials, he continued his career in the US Army as a Logistics Officer and retired as a Major in 2019. Phil is married to Wendy and they have four daughters and one grandson. He is an assistant cross-country and track distance coach at Alamosa High School in Colorado. He has aspirations of coaching at the collegiate level and is completing a second Master’s degree from Concordia University this winter. Through running Phil has been able to see the world several times over and he is truly blessed every day for all the gifts that have been given to him. <Back

Gary Sargent Category Athlete Tribe Red Lake Ojibwe Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 2/18/1954 Gary played and excelled in sports at the high school, college and professional levels. At Bemidji High School in Bemidji, MN, Gary was an NCAA DI prospect in football, baseball, and hockey. He turned down an offer from the Minnesota Twins baseball team after high school graduation to pursue a career in hockey. Gary played hockey at Bemidji State College for one year. During this time Gary was named to the World Cup team and played collegiate hockey in Graz, Austria. This team won a silver medal. He was named a college All American while playing at Bemidji State College. Gary played junior hockey with the Fargo Moorhead Sugar Kings for one year before turning professional. He played in the American Hockey League before joining the Los Angeles Kings for three seasons. In 1977 Gary signed with the Minnesota North Stars and played there until his retirement from professional hockey in 1983. During his tenure with the North Stars he was selected to the NHL All Star Team twice, and played in 402 games in the NHL. Home 2024 Banquet 2024 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact Officials (Individual) More

2015 NIFA Indigenous Women's Soccer Team Canada Category Team Tribes Team Canada Year Inducted 2022 NIFA Women’s Indigenous Team Canada won the inaugural World Indigenous Games soccer championship in 2015. The World Indigenous Games is a multi-sport event with over 2,000 athletes from 30 countries. Indigenous Team Canada, with nine of its 17 players from First Nations communities across BC, played six games against teams from Brazil, Peru and Chile. In the Championship Final, the Canadian team played the host Brazilian Indigenous Nation of Xerente in front of 10,000 local supporters. Regulation play ended 0-0, the Canadian team becoming champions by scoring on three penalty kicks to one. The team repeated its achievement at the 2017 World Indigenous Games.On their return, the team received a letter from Canada Soccer, in which President Victor Montagliani expressed Canada Soccer’s congratulations and pride in this “monumental victory” of Indigenous Team Canada. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ BC Soccer Hall of Fame and Heritage Archive Web-Site – Click on Full Biography: ​ Home 2024 Banquet 2024 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact Officials (Individual) More

< Back Ross Powless ​ ​ ​ Ross Powless Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete/Coach 2023 Considered one of the fathers of modern lacrosse in Canada, Ross Powless was born in Ohsweken Ontario, on the Six Nations of the Grand River in 1926. Belonging to the Turtle clan (Kanien'kehá:ka) of the Haudenosaunee, or Six Nations Confederacy, Ross spent five years as a child at the Mohawk Institute Indigenous Residential School in Brantford, Ontario. Lacrosse, the Creator’s game, which holds deep spiritual and cultural significance for the Haudenosaunee people, offered Ross a powerful way to reclaim his heritage after enduring extreme deprivation and isolation from family and culture at residential school. Ross could not help but raise the profile of lacrosse wherever he played the game. Between 1951 and 1953, he won three consecutive Canadian Senior A championship titles with the Peterborough Timbermen. In 1951 and 1952, he claimed the Tom Longboat Award twice as the most outstanding First Nations athlete in Ontario. In 1953, he was awarded the Mike Kelley Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player in Canadian Senior A lacrosse. As player-coach of Hamilton Lincoln Burners Senior “A” team between 1956 and 1958, Ross won every Ontario Lacrosse Association trophy he was eligible to claim, including Top Scorer, Most Valuable Player, Best Defensive Player and Coach of the Year. Among his many coaching highlights, Ross led the Canadian Senior Men’s Lacrosse Team to defeat the United States at Expo ‘67 in Montreal. Despite encountering racism, Ross continually broke down barriers for Indigenous peoples. His son, Gaylord Powless, who was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2017, stands out as one of the great lacrosse players taught and inspired by Ross. In 2020, Ross was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame for Lacrosse in the Builder category. In 2003, Ross Powless passed away, a respected elder in his community. <Back

< Back Jack Mark Edmo ​ ​ ​ Jack Mark Edmo Shoshone-Bannock/Blackfeet Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Jack Mark Edmo, 83, an all-around Indian cowboy who was a visionary and gifted horseman, passed away July 17, 2023 in Billings, Montana. He was born July 8, 1940 to Helen Monroe Sherman and William Bill Edmo. His beloved stepfather Alex Sherman also helped raise him. Edmo had an incredible life as an Indian cowboy and lived his dream. He won over 170 belt buckles. His mother Helen made him a pair of elk hide gloves and he used them riding broncs creating the idea of wearing gloves while bronc riding. He was a traditional cowboy, lived on a ranch, was a gifted horseman and he took pride in that. He rode saddle bronc, bareback, bulls and was a calf roper and team roper. He was a founder of the Rocky Mountain Indian Rodeo Association and helped organize the Indian National Finals Rodeo. He believed in his tribal traditions and was proud of his culture. He loved his family and his photo collection showed it. He shared his knowledge with his children and grandchildren. He was an avid elk hunter and fisherman. Edmo loved the mountains and told his children that’s where he will be, when they look for him. Edmo attended schools in Browning, Montana and graduated with a degree in agriculture from Northern Montana College. He was a tribal government specialist as he worked in planning and transportation. He and a co-worker submitted EDA grants to build the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Human Resource Development Center and Tribal Business Center in the 70s. In addition, the Fort Hall Indoor Arena and rodeo grounds including the grandstand. He worked as a planner for the Blackfeet Tribe for 15 years until he retired at age 70. His children included: Shelly (Ivan) McDonald, Jack (Casey) Edmo, Gaynell (Tim) Realbird, Dave (Mindy) Edmo, Mark Edmo, Hank McArthur Edmo and Andreen Edmo, along with numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers Melvin “Buzzer” Edmo and William Rusty Edmo, along with a grandson Ladel Kelly Omeaso. He’s buried at Willow Creek Cemetery in Browning, Montana. <Back

< Back Dr. Gregory Redhouse ​ ​ ​ Dr. Gregory Redhouse Diné Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete/Coach 2023 Dr. Gregory Redhouse began competing in collegiate archery tournaments in 1992 while attending Navajo Community College (renamed Diné College). He believes that archery cultivates focus and concentration; improves hand-eye coordination; increases upper body strength; enhances team-building skills; promotes self-confidence; and helps relieve stress. He also acknowledges that his collegiate archery training made him a better marksman while serving in the U.S. Marines. During his first year as Head Archery Coach at Diné College (DC), Redhouse advocated for and recruited more women archers in order to fulfill the Title IX federal compliance in collegiate sports. He also incorporated DC’s first Compound Bow Team to compliment DC’s long-running Olympic-Recurve Bow Team. Between 2001 and 2007, Redhouse produced several State champions, Western Regional Champions, Rookie of the Year honors, and All-American Collegiate Archers. In time, he departed collegiate archery in order to pursue a Ph.D. as well as garnering other teaching opportunities with Navajo Technical University (NTU), Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC), Pima Community College (PCC), and the University of Arizona (UA). Since August of 2019, Redhouse returned to the Navajo Nation and currently serves as Assistant Professor of Economics within DC’s School of Business and Social Science. Moreover, he will instruct archery courses under DC’s Native American Studies (NAS) minor program. This NAS approach to archery, taught at a tribal college, will allow for students to engage with traditional ways of knowing – where the bow and the arrow will serve as their teachers and their lessons will be built from stories of our Indigenous ancestors. Redhouse currently focuses upon Navajo youth and the next generation of Native American archers by sponsoring the Twin Warriors Archery Club; a Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) program sanctioned by USA Archery, the national governing body for the Olympic Sport of Archery. <Back

< Back Jon Gray ​ ​ ​ Jon Gray Cherokee Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Jon Gray played a key role in the Texas Rangers' early-season success and into the World Series in 2023, both on the field and behind the scenes. His gentle and soft-spoken demeanor belies the quiet leadership and accountability that he brings to the Texas clubhouse. Through June 8, 2023, Gray ranked among American League leaders in ERA (5th, 2.32), opponent batting average (5th, .201), WHIP (6th, 0.964), and wins (T9th, 6). Over a span of six starts this season from May 8-June 7, Gray produced a stretch in which he went 5-1 with a 0.84 ERA (4 ER/43.0 IP), with his only loss in that span coming in a complete-game 1-0 Rangers defeat on June 7 vs. St. Louis. He had a span of 17 consecutive scoreless innings from May 8-20, the longest scoreless stretch of his career, and recorded his 1000th career strikeout on April 26 at Cincinnati. He began a start on May 13 at Oakland with 6.2 hitless innings, the longest no-hit bid by a Texas starter in over five years. During game three of the 2023 World Series against the Diamondbacks, Gray was brought in at a crucial time and pitched three scoreless innings in a victory out of the bullpen. He only had one hit and had five strike outs in 30 pitches earning the win as the Rangers were up two games to one in the World Series going into game four. In 2022, Gray began the #MissionGraywWolf22 program hosting military groups to three Texas Rangers home games. In addition, he and his wife Jacklyn hosted a Toy Drive in December 2022 to collect toys for Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex and secured over 900 toys that benefitted over 16,000 families. The December 2023 Toy Drive was another success. This past season, Gray hosted twelve #MissionGrayWolf22 nights for military families across the Texas community. Gray was named the Texas Rangers 2023 Lou Gehrig and Bob Feller Act of Valor nominee and is on the Board of the Taylor Hooton Foundation. <Back

< Back Michael G. Robinson ​ ​ ​ Michael G. Robinson White Earth Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Michael G Robinson grew up in Cass Lake, Minnesota, on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. He is Anishinaabe, and an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation. Sports have always been important to Michael. In junior high school, Michael discovered boxing. By the age of 16, he won the Regional Golden Glove Championship, along with the Best Boxer award. In his teens his family moved to Tacoma, Washington and he continued fighting. He represented the Tacoma Boxing team regionally and in the Seattle Golden Gloves. Michael returned to Minnesota, boxing for Minneapolis South Central Gym and Leech Lake. In his career Michael had 152 fights. He won the Regional Golden Gloves tournament eight times, eight Minnesota State Indian Boxing Tournaments and the 1981 and 1984 National Indian Boxing Championships. Michael has been a coach, judge, and promoter of boxing. In both the amateur and professional ranks, Michael has been a positive role model for fighters throughout the Midwestern United States. Michael has always been a positive mentor, giving freely of himself, for benefit of his community. This includes his knowledge of traditional wild rice harvesting. Every fall, he freely passes on what he knows to the next generation of ricers. His devotion to Indian Country public safety paralleled his fighting career. He has been an officer in Mescalero, New Mexico, Red Lake, White Earth and finally, at home for the Leech Lake. Michael recently retired from Law Enforcement after serving for 32 years. <Back