Search Results

< Back Lucas Martinez Lucas Martinez Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 Lucas Martinez was a 2008 graduate of Bismarck High School (ND). In only two years of high school varsity, the team was a North Dakota state tournament runner-up in 2007 with an 18-7 record and a state champion in 2008 (23-2). In 2008 Martinez was named All-Conference, First Team All-State and was a McDonald’s All-American Nominee. Martinez accepted a scholarship to Williston State College during the 2009-10 school year. He led the Tetons to a Region 13 Championship his sophomore season. In 2010, the team lost in triple overtime on the road for a trip to Nationals. His 2010 junior college accolades included being named First Team All Conference, First team All Region, NJCAA Region 13 MVP, Second Team All-American honors for NJCAA Division l, and was nationally ranked in the top 25 in scoring. After a successful stint at Williston State, Lucas received a full ride scholarship to play NCAA Division l at the University of Wyoming from 2011-2013. He helped his team to two 20+ win seasons. His team was nationally ranked his senior year in NCAA Division l. His NCAA D1 accolades included being named the 2012 Jim Thorpe Thanksgiving Classic MVP, ranked first in made three-pointers (81) in the Mountain West Conference, ranked second in single season three-pointers made in UW history, ranked seventh in single season steals in UW history (54), and in 2013 set a school record for nine steals in a game. He was ranked in the top ten of the UW All Time career three-pointers made and was named to the Global Sports Hoops Showcase All-Tournament Team. Lucas Martinez had an amazing international professional basketball career. He has eight championships as a professional player with three MVP campaigns. Martinez played professional from 2014 to 2025 in Mexico, Venezuela. Argentina, Israel, and Brazil. His professional basketball accolades included being named Intercontinental Cup Champion (2016), LNBP Champion (2018), in 2020 the LNBP regular season MVP, LNBP Champion and LNBP Finals MVP, in 2021 the NBB Super 8 Champion, BCLA Champion, and NBB Champion, in 2022 the Intercontinental Cup Champion and Intercontinental Cup MVP and in 2025 the LNBP Value Cup Champion. Lucas Martinez jersey will be retired by Soles de Mexicali when he finishes his professional career. Photo Credit: Soles de Mexicali <Back

< Back The Richards/Rush Sisters The Richards/Rush Sisters Mvskoke Creek Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 The Richards/Rush sisters have all competed and won national titles in the sport of competitive cheer. Competing at the highest level, they have trained countless hours for years to earn national titles at the All-Star National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) and The Summit. Gabrielle’s (Gabby) athletic career began in Miami, FL at Top Gun All Stars. While at Top Gun she earned three national titles. In her senior year, she moved to Tulsa, OK and competed on the Super Varsity team at Union High School. More than just the titles, Gabby’s athletic career set the bar for her younger sisters in the sport of cheer and inspired them to follow in her footsteps. Today, Gabby continues to inspire and coaches at Cheer Athletics Frisco. Giselle (Gigi) and Danielle (Dani) began tumbling training in Tulsa, OK at the ages of nine and ten at Luxe Athletics. In 2017, accomplished one of the most difficult of feats, by winning both an NCA title and The Summit. Gigi went on to cheer at the University of Oklahoma, and both cheered at the Worlds level (the highest level) at Cheer Athletics Plano, the largest cheer gym in the world. Isabelle (Izzy) began training at age nine. In 2021, she tried out for Cheer Athletics Plano. With Cheer Athletics Plano, she won NCA in 2024 and won The Summit in 2023 and 2024. In the 2024/2025 season she was placed on a Worlds level team, where she competes today. She was offered 15 college cheer scholarships but hopes to follow in her sister’s footsteps and cheer at the University of Oklahoma. Annabelle (Anna) is the youngest and has quite literally been cheering almost as long as she has been walking. Her sisters have taught her flying by putting her up in the air and teaching her flexibility. According to her coaches, she is the most flexible flyer at Cheer Athletics Plano, and fearless in the air. Anna has already won three NCA titles in her young career and placed third at The Summit in 2024 out of 63 teams. <Back

IIJL WORLD U16 LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP (WU16LC) Team 2026 Induction Category: Year Inducted <Back IIJL WORLD U16 LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP (WU16LC) Induction Category: Team Year Inducted 2026 2022 Gold Medal: Haudenosaunee Kaidyn (Honrahdagwaisro's) Lickers-Henry, Kariwanoro Squire, Katinóntie Bear Martin, Moagi Buffalo, Parker Booth, Parker Thompson, Ryker Powless, Stone Mcgregor, Tehohonwáthe Bomberry, Thunder Hallett, Trelin Warrior, Tristan Garlow, Warren Cook, Darris Jones, Chace Cogan, Chaz Norton, Kobe Sanden, Chaz Hill, Ethan Steeprock, Alex Delormier President: Gewas Schindler General Manager: Sakoneseriiosta Maracle Assistant Manager: Cam Hill Head Coach: Rich Kilgour Assistant Coach: Ron Cogan Assistant Coach: Al Jones

< Back Becki Wells-Staley Becki Wells-Staley Blackfeet and Blood Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Becki Wells-Staley established herself as one of the most elite female Native American Athletes in history while running Track and Field and Cross Country. Becki is a 20-time North Dakota State Champion. She graduated from Dickinson High School holding the fastest times in the country for the High School Girls 1600m and 800m in 1993. She was the US Jr. National Champion in the Girls 1500m in ‘93. Wells-Staley went on to represent the US in the Jr. Pan American Game in Winnipeg where she was a silver medalist. Wells-Staley signed with the University of Alabama to run Track and Field and Cross Country. She was the Southeastern XC Conference winner in her first season with the Tide. She was the Jr. National XC Champion in 1994. In 1995 Wells-Staley transferred to the University of Florida. Wells-Staley was the Commissioner Trophy Award winner twice while running for the Florida Gators. The Commissioner’s Trophy goes to the highest point scorer at the SEC Track and Field Championships. She ended her career with the Gators winning the NCAA DI National Title in the Indoor Women’s Mile and the Outdoor Women’s 1500m. She held the school record for over a decade at 4:12.88. She is a 10 X All American in Track and Field and XC. She went on to represent Nike, Reebok and The Native American Sports Council as a professional athlete in Track and Field. Wells-Staley qualified for the 2000 US Olympic Trials in Track and Field in the 800m and 1500m. Becki still holds the North Dakota State record for high school girls at 4:44.44. She was inducted into the Dickinson High School Hall of Fame, the ND State Athletics Hall of Fame and also the University of Florida Hall of Fame for Athletics. Becki currently lives in North Mankato, MN with her husband Maurice Staley who played football for the University of Tennessee (94’-96’). The Staley’s have four boys: Eleazar, Ephraim, Nahshon and Nathan. <Back

Jason Peters <Back Mi’kmaw Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2022 Jason Peters, a Mi’kmaw, is a member of Glooscap First Nation located within the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. He has been a coach and an Indigenous and mainstream sport leader for 33 years. Peters is also a recognized sport administrator, Chartered Professional Coach (ChPC), and a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Coach Developer, Basketball Coaches of Canada Advisory Board member and Head Coach of Team Yukon’s U18 Women’s program that will be attending the 2022 Canada Games. Peters’ is believed to soon be Canada’s first Indigenous basketball Head Coach at the Canada Games taking place in Niagara in 2022. He is a two-time provincial champion at Bayside Middle School and former Head Coach of the Simonds High School Seabees women’s program in Saint John, New Brunswick. He served as the Chef de Mission of Aboriginal Team New Brunswick during the 2014 (Regina) and 2017 (Toronto) North American Indigenous Games. In 2013. he was inductee of the New Brunswick Aboriginal Sports Hall of Fame and in 2011 his book Aboriginal Sport Heroes: Atlantic Canada was published. In 2009 Peters served as an Assistant Coach of the New Brunswick women’s Canada Games basketball team (PEI), Canada Basketball’s Nike Centre for Performance and received the New Brunswick Aboriginal Coaching Award. In 2012 he received Basketball New Brunswick’s Special Merit Award for his ongoing service to the basketball community. Peters’ coaching career started in 1989 when he volunteered to coach a Junior Mini team in the newly established East Saint John Minor Basketball Association (ESJMBA). He eventually became a rep team coach, a member of the board of directors and President. Jason also served as a board member of the Coaching Association of Canada, Coach New Brunswick, the Aboriginal Sport Circle, and the North American Indigenous Games Council. Photo Credits: 2010 Vancouver Olympic Committee and Jason Peters

< Back Alexis Desjarlait Alexis Desjarlait Red Lake Band of Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Alexis Desjarlait has been involved with athletics since she could remember. She was on the Bemidji Bombers traveling team from 3rd grade until 5th grade then attending her first year of AAU basketball. In between that time frame, she was on the Bemidji Blaze fastpitch team as well. Desjarlait played volleyball, basketball and softball for six years at a varsity level and carried that three-sport athletics at Hibbing Community College (HCC). The 2018 high school graduate scored 2,190 points for Red Lake to rank second in program history and also had a total of 995 rebounds. The Warriors had a 129-25 record during her career and headlined the programs first-ever run to the state tournament in 2017. The success carried over with her 44-13 record at HCC. In two seasons as a Cardinal, Desjarlait scored a school-record 1,057 points and grabbed 512 rebounds. She was the All-Region XIII MVP and an NJCAA Division III All-American honorable mention selection in 2019-20. Desjarlait also earned spots on the Minnesota College Athletic Conference’s All-Northern Division First Team and All-State First Team in both her freshman and sophomore campaigns, and she cracked the MCAC All-Defensive Team during the 2020 season. In 2018-19, she led the Cardinals to their first-ever national tournament appearance. Desjarlait was also awarded Region XIII MVP 2020. She is now a junior at NCAA Division III Concordia University Chicago. <Back

< Back Shawn Martin Shawn Martin Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2025 Shawn Martin is Akwesasne Mohawk from the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in New York and was brought up by his mother, the late Beverly Lazore/Casey. He attended elementary school in Akwesasne, high school at Salmon River Central and Hartwick College (Oneonta, NY) in 1987-1991. Shawn established himself as an elite athlete over his competitive career between 1988 -1995. His collegiate running career began in cross country and indoor and outdoor Track and Field. Shawn improved in cross country from 33rd to 6th in the NY Division Ill Championships and 16th to 10th in the NY Regional missing an NCAA berth by 0.4 seconds. Shawn placed fifth in 1989 and second in 1991 in the indoor season with a school record of 2:30.9 in the 1000m at the NY Division III meet. During the outdoor season, Shawn competed in the 3000m Steeplechase placing third in both1989 and 1990 and was the NY State Champion in 1991 with a personal best of 9:10.3. In 1991, Shawn qualified for the Division III National Championships placing eighth and awarded All-American status. Shawn competed for the Wings of America in 1990 and 1991 with the Northeast Region Senior Team at XC Nationals; in New York City and Boston. He continued running at the Empire State Games in the 3000m steeplechase, and was selected to USA East T&F team. Shawn ran the Utica Boilermaker 15k numerous times with a personal best of 56:53. In 1995 Shawn competed at the North American Indigenous Games in Blaine, Minnesota winning the gold medal in the 3000m, silver medal in the 800m, and a fourth-place finish in the 1500m. In honor of all these accomplishments, Shawn was inducted to both the Salmon River and Hartwick College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. Shawn lives in Akwesasne with his wife and two daughters and has continued his support of excellence in athletics. He coached youth to junior varsity level in soccer and softball, the high school varsity level in XC/T&F for six years, and basketball for 25 years. In 2002 Shawn was assistant coach to the Boys NYS Class C XC Championship team. Over the last six years he has been a high school official in girls/boys’ soccer, basketball, and boys’ lacrosse. <Back

Gerald “Jerry” Tuckwin <Back Prairie Band Potawatomi Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2023 For over 30 years, Jerry Tuckwin coached and taught Native Americans at Haskell Institute, Haskell Indian Junior College and Haskell Indian Nations University. Tuckwin also attended Haskell and graduated from Haskell Institute in 1960 with his high school diploma where he was very active in sports. He was fortunate enough to receive a track and field scholarship from the University of Wichita (later Wichita State University) where he earned his baccalaureate degree in 1964. He returned to Haskell in 1965 to coach junior college basketball and assist in track and field. The following summer he was drafted but elected to serve four years in the United States Air Force. He is a Viet Nam veteran. In addition to this military obligation, Tuckwin completed his Master’s degree at the University of Arizona. During this time, Jerry married college sweetheart, Terry Maupin. Upon his discharge from the Air Force, he returned to Haskell to resume his coaching responsibilities which lasted until 2001. It was during this tenure that he coached Native students who earned All-American honors 30 different times. He learned very quickly that the runners had the talents to succeed. All he needed to do was give them the workouts, nurture their self-confidence, but mainly help in the development of their self-esteem. “He believes his success can be attributed to his ability to bring out their self-worth; they had the talent”. Upon his retirement in 2001 from his educational duties and coaching responsibilities, Tuckwin pursued employment with his tribe, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation where he served as the Chairman of the Potawatomi Entertainment Corporation Board in the casino industry. During this semi-retirement era, Coach Tuckwin also garnered awards from Nike Corporation for his success with Native runners, the Seminole Nation of Florida, the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame, Outstanding Alumnus from Haskell Indian Nations University, and the first Inductee to the Kansas City Chiefs as a result of his work and contributions to Indigenous youth. Tuckwin has two children (John and Shannon, whom is deceased), five grandchildren and one great grandson. All are alumni of Haskell with the exception of his great grandson. Tuckwin continues to be active with the Haskell Foundation, his work with the Haskell Tekakwitha Catholic Center and the Haskell Alumni Association.

< Back Jesse Cockney Jesse Cockney Inuit Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Jesse Cockney is an Inuit cross-country skier from Yellowknife, NWT. Jesse competed at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics and raced the internationally for Canada on the World Cup circuit from 2011-2018. Jesse’s career highlights include nine National championships, four top-10 finishes at the World Cup and the overall NorAm champion for 2012-2013. Jesse retired from the Canadian ski team in 2018 and began coaching junior athletes with his local ski club, Foothills Nordic in Calgary, AB. Jesse began studying kinesiology at the University of Calgary in 2018 and graduated with distinction in 2022. Jesse is currently working towards a master’s degree at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Jesse shares his passion for sport and healthy lifestyles with youth through Classroom Champions. Classroom Champions pairs Olympians with classrooms in Canada and the United States to share lessons on goal setting, community and resiliency among others. Photos: Jesse coaching Foothills Nordic Ski Club in 2019. (Credit: Doug Stephen) Jesse winning the 2019 NorAm skate sprint in Canmore, AB. (Credit: Doug Stephen) <Back

< Back Sam Horsechief Sam Horsechief Pawnee and Cherokee Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Sam Horsechief is the head coach of cross-country and track at Sequoyah High School, a Native American boarding school, located in Tahlequah, OK. He started in February 1987 and has been there ever since. In his 35-year coaching career, he has coached: Eight State Team Championships (Cross Country: 6 boys, 2 girls) 12 State Team Runner Ups (Cross Country 11, Track 1) 95 All-State Athletes (Track 39, Cross Country 56) 31 Regional Championships (20 Boys and 12 Girls) 32 Cross Country Honorable Mention All-State Athletes Horsechief was recognized as the 2006 Oklahoma NFHS Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year, Oklahoma Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year in 2001, 2003, 2019 for Cross Country and again for Track in 2003. In 2019, he was inducted in the Oklahoma Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame. After graduating as a top running athlete from Muskogee High School, Sam Horsechief decided to continue his running career at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas then onto Central State University in Edmond, OK. He ran both track and cross-country. During his time as a collegiate athlete, he set the Haskell school record in the 800m run in 1979 with a time of 1:55.8. He also set more school records at CSU in the 1 mile run with a time of 4:19.3 in 1980 and the 800-meter with a time of 1:52.8 in 1981. In addition, he was a seven-time qualifier for the Nationals meets. In track, he qualified six times and once for the Cross Country National meet in 1980. In track, his events included the 800 meter, 1000m run, two-mile relay, distance medley relay, mile relay, and 1500 meter. He won various medals during his career. Most notable, he was a medalist in the NAIA National Indoor meet for the distance medley for placing sixth. He also earned All-American for that event, where he ran the 800m leg of that race. <Back

< Back James Walker James Walker Standing Rock Lakota/Dakota Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 James Walker was born along the Missouri River in 1955. Shortly thereafter his family’s home got flooded and they had to move. He was sent to St. Josephs Indian Boarding School in Chamberlain, SD, when he was five years old. He was there seven years and was introduced to basketball. He went to Wilton, ND in the eighth grade and continued playing basketball and football until graduating in 1973. James was recruited by Dickinson State College to play basketball. When he was a sophomore in college, he tried out for the National Indian Activities Association national team and made the cut. The team had a scrimmage at the University of Mary against the defending state amateur basketball team. They went to Haskell, KS and had another scrimmage against their college team and then on to Baton Rouge, LA to play in the National Amateur tournament. We got beat but I got to play against some would-be Pros and D1 college players which really help me develop. James was named to the NAIA All American honorable mention team while at Dickinson State College. After college, he played Indian ball with the UTTEC team in 1975. In 1976, his team and part of the South Dakota team got together and formed the Lakota Coup Counters and they won the national tournament in Ft. Duchesne UT. They repeated in 1977 in Minneapolis and he was named MVP. He continued to play with the Coup Counters for 10 years and they were one of the top teams and always in the top three finishes at national tournaments. He then played with the Dakota Warriors in many tournaments, both Indian only and open tournaments. He was also named to the National Indian Activities Association (NIAA) Hall of Fame. <Back

< Back Kenneth Strath Moore Kenneth Strath Moore Cree Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Kenneth Strath Moore is the first First Nation athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. A citizen of the Peepeekisis Cree Nation, he was born in Saskatchewan, Canada in 1910. Moore would excel at every sport he played, including hockey, baseball, lacrosse, rugby, basketball, speed skating and cycling, although he was most passionate about hockey. His athletic and academic abilities enabled him to win scholarships, and he attended Campion College and Regina College in the late 1920s at a time when almost no First Nations students attended universities and colleges. He captained hockey and rugby teams, played baseball and basketball, and was described as “the most versatile athlete in the College.” Moore became a Canadian Junior Hockey Champion in 1930, scoring the winning goal with 40 seconds left in the game to win the Memorial Cup. He won two Allan Cup National Hockey Championships, and in 1932 traveled to Lake Placid, New York, to represent his country and the Cree Nation at the Olympics. There he scored a goal in the game against Poland, won a gold medal, and made history. Today, Moore’s achievements would be exceptional. A century ago, his achievements are extraordinary. He represents excellence and what can happen when talent and heart triumph over poverty and prejudice. After Moore’s retirement from sport a Winnipeg newspaper noted “It is doubtful if any other athlete in Canada has a record that will stand up to that of Moore’s.” He gave back to the community by coaching three teams to championship titles and sitting on the board of the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association. In 1967 Moore’s Regina Pats hockey team was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, in 1976 his Kimberley Dynamiters team was inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, and in 1987 the Winnipegs, his 1932 Olympic hockey team, was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. Moore’s accomplishments were celebrated in 2018 in a hockey exhibit at the Manitoba Museum, and his achievements are on display at the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame. <Back