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Krista Hodder Mi’kmaw from Membertou First Nation Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2023 <Back Krista Hodder is an Indigenous woman from Membertou First Nation, located in the heart of Unama’ki, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. She lives in her community with her two children. Krista began her career as a Child and Youth Worker, when she discovered her passion for sport, recreation and physical activity as a means to keep her community active, healthy and safe. She was the Mi’kmaw Physical Activity Coordinator for Membertou for eight years, beginning in 2013. It was in this role that she grounded and developed herself and her priorities. While working with her community, Krista worked with other Indigenous Communities to develop a developmental snowboard program designed to assist Indigenous youth to break down the barriers. The program saw as many as 400 youth come through the doors, with many going off to become snowboard instructors, giving back to the program that has gotten them started. As a hockey mom, Krista noted the discrepancies in opportunities for females to have a safe, supportive spaces to develop skill and build the love of the game. Working with stakeholders, Krista assisted in developing the Indigenous Girls Hockey Program, running for 10 weeks out of her home arena. The program provided gear and weekly practices. Most participants returned year after year, which has also given a boost to the local female hockey association. Some notable awards and recognition that Krista has seen include being named to the 2016 Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity in Canada list, as the overall woman in the Builders category by Canadian Women and Sport. Krista has also been included in a timeline of Influential Women in the Public Service Sector, a national timeline featuring over 150 women from the 1600s to today, compiled by Canada's School of Public Service. In 2020, Krista was honored with the title of Hockey Canada's champion for the month of June. After many great years serving her community, Krista took a leap of faith, and a new title. She is now the Senior Coordinator of Programs and Events with the Aboriginal Sport Circle – Canada’s national voice for Aboriginal sport, physical activity and recreation, with her focus being on developing, supporting and delivering sport programs for Indigenous athletes across the country, providing opportunities and spaces for Indigenous youth to thrive in their sport. Photo 1 (winter photo): Krista participating in a walking meeting with the Active Cape Breton Communities Group. Photo Credit: Wayne McKay Photo 2 (profile): Krista smiles while discovering an eagle feather during a recreation meeting. Photo Credit: Jeannine Denny

< Back Pete Conway Pete Conway Blackfeet Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete/Coach 2023 Pete Conway’s basketball success is easy to follow because of the accolades he has earned along the way. His reputation as a standout player began with his high school career at Montana power Billings West High School. Conway led his team to four state tournament appearances and still holds the record for the most points scored in a game for the Golden Bears. He finished as the schools second all-time leading scorer and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball for the state of Montana in 1998. He opted to play his college basketball at NCAA Division I Montana State where he played on the school’s Big Sky Conference Championship Team in 2002 and was named All-Conference in 2003. Conway left Montana State with the second most three-pointers made in school history and became the 25th member of the 1,000 point club for the Bobcats. Conway received his Bachelors of Business Management from MSU in 2003. Conway continues to lead as the Athletic Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC). In only his second season at United Tribes the team advanced to the Region Championship and in his third year they won 20 games for the first time in 20 years. Conway has amassed over 100 wins at United Tribes and his teams have advanced to play in the Region Championship four times. He has coached three NJCAA All American athletes at UTTC. <Back

< Back Jerry Louie-McGee Jerry Louie-McGee Coeur d’Alene Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Jerry Louie-McGee’s high school career started in the city of Coeur d’Alene in Idaho at Lake City High School. He was named to the 2014 American Family Insurance All-USA Idaho Football Team after his senior season, was a 5-A All Idaho Selection, rushed for 757 yards and seven touchdowns and caught passes for 1104 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. He was named Inland Empire League MVP as a senior, and won a 2014 Idaho Class 5A State Track Championship as a junior in the 400 meters. Louie-McGee was an All Conference receiver and special team’s returner three years, Team Offensive Player of the Year his junior year and MVP senior year. Louie-McGee committed to the University of Montana Grizzlies in his senior year and redshirted in 2015. During the 2016 season, he was named a finalist for the Stats FCS Jerry Rice Award for the nation’s top freshman athlete. He was also named All Big Sky Honorable Mention receiver and punt returner. Louie-McGee broke the school and Big Sky record for receptions in a game (21), broke the school record for average receptions in a game with 9.1 and averaged 19.2 yards per punt return, had 981 all-purpose yards and a 122.6 total yards per game. His sophomore year he was named All Big Sky Honorable Mention as a wide receiver and return specialist, led the team with 50 receptions with 1000 all-purpose yards. During his junior season he was named All Big Sky punt returner, and All Big Sky Honorable Mention receiver. During his senior season he was named Root Sports Big Sky Special Team Player of the Week twice, Stats FCS National Special Teams Honorable Mention, and HERO Sports FCS All American punt returner and First Team Big Sky Conference punt returner. Louie-McGee has the school record for most receptions in a career with 237. After receiving his degree in psychology, Louie-McGee has been the Behavioral Health Case Manager for his tribe in Idaho and assists people through difficult times with their mental health and healing from intergenerational and current trauma. Louie-McGee’s dad Wade was also inducted into the NAIAHF class of 2024. <Back

< Back Brent Reiter Brent Reiter Menominee Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Brent Reiter attended Shawano High School in Shawano, Wisconsin from 1996-2000 and excelled in both Cross Country and Track & Field. Reiter was state champion in the 1600m run at the 2000 WIAA State Track & Field Championships and state runner-up at the 1999 WIAA State Cross Country Championships. He was a seven-time state qualifier, six-time sectional champion, ten-time Bay Conference Champion, a seven-time varsity letter winner, school record holder in the 1600m run, and led the Hawks to two straight Bay Conference Cross Country team titles in 1997 and 1998. Reiter was named Shawano High School male athlete of the year in 1999-2000. After graduating from Shawano High School in 2000, Reiter attended Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in Albuquerque, New Mexico from 2000-2002. He participated in Cross Country, Track & Field, and the Marathon. Reiter was a two-time National Champion, four-time National runner-up, nine-time All-American, an academic All-American, and led SIPI to two straight National Cross Country team titles in 2000 and 2001. Reiter also attended Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky in 2002-2003. He earned First Team All-Conference honors for Cross Country in 2002. Reiter was inducted into the Shawano Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. <Back

< Back Lori McAuley Lori McAuley Nehiyew iskwew Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Lori McAuley has generously given over fifty years to the sport of canoe/kayak in Saskatchewan. She has mentored and inspired hundreds, perhaps thousands to compete, coach and champion the sport, introducing Indigenous youth to kayaking and ensuring canoeing keeps its foothold as a traditional sport. Coming from a family of competitive paddlers, Lori was racing on the professional circuit by age 16. She also began her lifelong commitment of giving back, making an indelible impact on youth throughout Saskatchewan. Lori took on the work as the volunteer NAIG Games Head Coach and Coordinator for Saskatchewan beginning with the 2002 Games. She chaired committees, planned, and implemented athlete development programs, ran trials, managed, and coached teams for four sets of Games, plus the postponed 2020 Games. Lori ran the Canoe event at four Saskatchewan First Nations Games (SNFG). Her involvement was all encompassing, from setting racecourses to being the Chief Official. Lori also spearheaded Games programs for the Saskatoon Tribal Council. Lori’s commitment is highlighted by: • An historically successful team - Saskatchewan led the medal count in canoeing at every Games except 2017, winning 50 medals in 2014 alone. • Raising the bar with Games programs and competition by administering and coaching excellent programs and by keeping the needs of youth at the forefront. • Mentoring youth including a paddler went on to medal at Canada Games and national team selection. • Building a community network of volunteers, coaches, and managers, mentoring coaches to become certified. • Making her commitment a family contribution. Lori’s husband and children were heavily involved as volunteers with the SFNG and NAIG Games. • Her use of sport to positively impact youth. Her approach is holistic, exposing athletes to mental training, nutrition, and land training. She encourages excellence in sport, academics and everyday life, inspiring athletes to become role models in their community. Photo Credit: Lori McAuley with husband Dale McAuley at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games <Back

< Back Alicia Guerrero Alicia Guerrero Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2025 Alicia Guerrero is an enrolled member of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation who has grown up and attended school on the Yakama Reservation. Guerrero lost her left leg in 2005 at the age of two years old. Beginning her Para Athletics career in 2018, she broke multiple Washington State records as a high school freshman and has since competed nationally in the F64 category for shot put and discus. Guerrero competed in wheelchair basketball and throwing events at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign before transferring to San Diego State University in 2024 to fully dedicate herself to her competitive throwing career. Beyond the field, Guerrero is passionate about education, with aspirations to become an elementary school teacher serving Native American communities. Guerrero’s drive stems from a commitment to representation—both for disabled athletes and strong Indigenous women. She proudly incorporates her heritage into her competitions, wearing beaded earrings and bold, creative makeup as a testament to the spaces where Indigenous excellence belongs. Guerrero was named to the 2022 National team for shot put. In 2023, she made her international debut at the Para Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, earning her first international medal: bronze in the F64 discus throw. When not competing, Guerrero channels her creativity into beading jewelry, spending time withher dogs and birds, and finds peace by the ocean. <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 2026 Banquet About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

Sagkeeng Old Timers Team 2024 Induction Category: Year Inducted <Back The Sakgeeng Oldtimers Hockey Club had its origins at the Sakgeeng First Nation, a community 100 kilometers northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba, with players ranging in age from 35 to over 50. The players were of Ojibway and Cree ancestry and came from native communities throughout Manitoba. The team was founded by Walter and Verna Fontaine. The first language of the team is Saulteaux, and the club wears the red and white colors of the Fort Alexander Indian Band. Sakgeeng is the Saulteaux word for “at the mouth of the river”, and the community of Sakgeeng (named Fort Alexander by fur traders) is at the mouth of the Winnipeg River where it empties into Lake Winnipeg. The team joined the Canadian Old Timers Hockey Association (COHA) in 1978 and played in international tournaments sponsored by COHA in Copenhagen, Denmark (1978); Toronto, Canada (1982); Munich, West Germany (1983); London, England (1984); Nice, France (1985); Paris, France (1986); Montreal, Canada (1987); and Montreal, Canada (1988). The teams won the 1983 World Cup in Munich, the 1987 World Cup in Montreal, and the 1988 COHA National Cup in Montreal. The Sakgeeng Old Timers were honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and artifacts for the teams are there on display. The roster of the teams included: Bob Boyer, Don Campbell, Paul Chartrand, Rene Desjarlais, Ted Fontaine, Dave Harper, John Hunter, George Kakeway, Gord Woo, Wayne Viznaugh, Phil Fontaine, Walter Fontaine, Norman Gunn, Bernie Wood, Ken Young, Jim Neilson, Mercel Flett, Joe Malcolm, Ron Guimond, Gerald Harry, Jim Prince, George Hickes and Rene Norma Ted Fontaine and Jim Neilson are also individually inducted in the athlete category in the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame.

< Back Phil Jordon Phil Jordon Nomlaki Wailaki Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 Phil Jordon is the Redwood Empire’s forgotten NBA big man. Born in 1933, Phil attended Willits High School, moving to Spokane after receiving a scholarship to play basketball for Whitworth College. His opportunities in a small town were limited and his ability as an athlete of unusual height, provided his chance. His early life was not easy, his father died when he was a teenager and mother Elizabeth had to care for the four boys and his sister. When the scholarship was offered, it included a home. His Native culture was only evident with his family and friends. The Nome Cult Trail in 1863 brought together many tribes in Northern California during its awful forced march from Paskenta to the Round Valley Reservation. Phil’s Nomlaki and Wailaki heritage was created at this time. At Whitworth College, Phil’s team was Collegiate Champion in 1954 and in 1956, Phil was on the Buchan Bakers AAU Championship team. He was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1956 of the NBA, which had only eight teams. Phil Jordon was the first Native American to play in the NBA, a trailblazer, and like his African American teammates, suffered from racists and bigots of the times. Phil was an effective big man of that era, averaging over 10 points a game, scoring with a hook shot, from both hands. He played alongside and against the greats of those times, teaming with Bob Cousy, and Oscar Robertson and against Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. The only reason Wilt scored 100 points in an NBA game, was because Phil was ill and could not suit up. He played also for the Cincinnati Royals, Detroit Pistons and the St. Louis Hawks, from 1956-1963. On January 5, 2025, the Golden State Warriors honored Phil Jordon with a halftime celebration, including native dancers from Northern California, and Paskenta Tribal Dancers. The Warriors presented his sister Shirley and daughter Juliana with a Certificate of Excellence on his behalf. The Nomlaki Band of Paskenta Indians has a Federal Reservation near Corning, California, created in 1994, and after many years of effort to become recognized. Phil died by drowning on the Puyallup River, in Tacoma, Washington in 1963. <Back

Media Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi Diné (Navajo)

< Back Steve McDonald Steve McDonald Prairie Band Potawatomi Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Steve McDonald is a Life Member of the Professional Golf Association (PGA). He was a two-year, four-sport letterman at Haskell Indian Junior College in football, basketball, baseball and golf. McDonald played golf at Washburn University, where he won five college tournaments. As a golf professional he has won over 35 sanctioned PGA Midwest and South Florida Section tournaments, including the 1988 Midwest Section Match Play Championship. He was named seven times to the Midwest Section PGA Cup Team. He was also named four times as a member of the Midwest Section PGA District VII Cup Team and a two-time member of the South Florida Section Chapter Cup Team. McDonald won eight times on the First Nations Golf Associations Professional Golf Tour. He was twice named the First Nations Golf Association Player of the Year. He is a founding Board Member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (PBPN) Boys and Girls Club and The First Tee of Shawnee County. He was a Board of Trustee Member to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006 he served as Chef de’Mission for Team Kansas at the North American Indigenous Games held in Denver, CO and was also the Commissioner of Golf. He has visited over 25 Native American Reservations teaching youth golf. He was the Head Golf Professional at Addison Reserve, Delray Beach, FL, the General Manager of The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes, Lake Mary, FL, the Director of Golf Instruction at Lake Shawnee Golf Course, Topeka, KS, and the Vice President of Golf at Jacks Bay, a Tiger Woods designed golf course. McDonald is a two-time cancer survivor and the 2022 South Florida Section PGA of America Deacon Palmer Award winner. He is semi-retired but still playing and teaching, and to date he has given over 20,000 lifetime golf lessons. <Back

< Back Mary Killman Bancroft Mary Killman Bancroft Citizen Potawatomi Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Mary Killman Bancroft was born in Ada, Oklahoma, though she has always claimed Texas as her home. She is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) and represented the United States of America at the 2012 London Olympic Games in Synchronized Swimming as the youngest athlete to qualify. She was inducted into the USA Synchro Hall of Fame in 2020, holds four Athlete of the Year Titles, and earned an impressive 36 medals during her 15 year career. Killman Bancroft is very proud of her heritage, shown in her first solo synchronized swimming competition in 2003, Bancroft’s (then Killman) routine was set to North American flute music and she wore a decoration of the CPN seal on her hip. Her identity is not only to the Potawatomi tribe, but also to Native American people in general; her father’s side of the family is Potawatomi and her mother’s side is Choctaw. She feels that her heritage has instilled a strong will. After all, Killman Bancroft made her name known in a sport where the required elegance and good timing in the pool is forged by a grueling training regime of up to 60 hours per week. Killman Bancroft still enjoys giving back to the sport that made her who she is today by doing camps, as well as consulting with the National Team when needed. <Back