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< Back Louis Tewanima Louis Tewanima Hopi Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Louis Tewanima was born in the Hopi village of Shungopavi on the Hopi Nation during the time when there was little contact with the outside world. The Spanish, who sought to Christianize the Hopi and other northern Pueblos were instead banished from the Hopi mesas during the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. Much later the U.S. government sought to impose their laws on the Hopi and began to round up children to give them “proper education”. But the Hopi, who were a deeply religious society, resisted these efforts and the U.S military was dispatched. Many Hopi men were incarcerated and carted off to places such as Alcatraz. Tewanima along with 10 other men, all in their twenties were rounded up and sent by train to Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. They had little choice but to begin to transition to their new environment. One day the 5’3” Tewanima approached track coach Glenn S. “Pop” Warner and said “Me run fast good. All Hopis run fast good.” Not long after Tewanima was headed for the 1908 Olympics held in London, England. Tewanima finished ninth in the marathon. Jim Thorpe joined the Carlisle track team which dominated the best college teams around. During this time, Tewanima ran and won many races including the 10-mile indoor race at Madison Square Garden in New York and the New York Evening Mail Marathon in Manhattan. During the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm Sweden, Tewanima won the silver medal in the 10,000 meters in a time of 32:06.6, a new American record which held for 52 years until Billy Mills set a new record winning a gold medal in the 1964 Olympics. Tewanima also ran the marathon and placed 16th. When Tewanima returned home, he continued his Hopi religious practice to old age and one foggy winter evening he left the ceremonial kiva to return home, he apparently got disoriented and fell to his death off the mesa edge. He was 92 years old. The Hopi proudly hold the Tewanima Footrace in honor of their Olympian and this past Labor Day celebrated the 50th Anniversary. <Back

North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF) Banquet Saturday, June 7, 2025 Oneida Hotel and Conference Center; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame will recognize the 2025 inductee class as well as other annual inductees in an exclusive ceremony and lunch on Saturday, June 7, 2025. There were 54 inductees and 300 guests at the first banquet on September 9, 2023 at the Canterbury Park Expo Center, Shakopee, MN, USA. Last September 16, 2024 there were 55 inductees and 450 guests at the Oneida Hotel and Conference Center, Green Bay, WI, USA. By honoring and celebrating the empowered journey of these individuals and teams, the hope is their stories may inspire future generations to follow their dreams in athletics. Please join us in our efforts to honor and recognize the elite indigenous athletics leaders in North America by becoming a hall of fame, table or drawing sponsor for the 2025 North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet. All proceeds will offset the event expenses including providing gifts to the inductees. This is the NAIAHF website: https://www.naiahf.org/ Dr. Dan and Susan Ninham, Directors, NAIAHF, PO Box 652, Red Lake, MN, USA, 56671, cell: 218.368.6430 coach.danninham@gmail.com 2025 NAIAHF Banquet Schedule coming soon... NAIAHF Banquet Information: $40 USD/per person with a deadline of noon central time on March 8, 2024; send name, cell number and email address, and number of tickets with check or money order payable to Empowered Youth Development Initiatives and mail to Dan Ninham, PO Box 652, Red Lake, MN, 56671, USA or PayPal payment to code: coach.danninham@midco.net Austin Straubel International Airport: The Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, WI is across the road from the host Oneida Hotel and Conference Center, Green Bay: https://www.flygrb.com/ Host Oneida Nation Schools: https://oneida-nsn.gov/education/oneida-nation-school-system/ Host Hotel Information: Oneida Hotel and Conference Center, https://www.oneidahotel.com/ Ask for the group rate for “North American Indigenous Athletics”. The room rate is $99USD plus 15.5% tax. Rooms can be tax exempt with Tribal ID shown at check in. Call this phone number to make a reservation: 920-494-7300 extension 0. Sponsorship Opportunities: Click on this link - https://www.naiahf.org/copy-of-banquet-sponsorship Information: Susan Ninham, cell: 218.766.3507 or Dr. Dan Ninham, cell: 218.368.6430 or coach.danninham@gmail.com

< Back Cameron "Cam" Bomberry Cameron "Cam" Bomberry Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Cameron “Cam” Bomberry grew up in the Six Nations community of Ohsweken, Ontario. Bomberry played six seasons of OLA Junior “A” lacrosse and he scored 199 goals, added 286 assists for a total of 485 points. He played his first three season with the St. Catharines Athletics. In 1991, Bomberry played for his hometown Six Nations Arrows to complete his junior career. In 1992, he won the Most Valuable Player award as he captained the Arrows to the Minto Cup championship. Bomberry played twelve seasons of Senior Lacrosse in the MSL of Ontario. He also played one season with the Mohawk Stars in 2008 in the OLA Senior “B” league. Bomberry was a member of two Mann Cup championship teams, including the Six Nations Chiefs in 1994 and 1996. Over 242 games, Bomberry scored 281 goals, and had 335 assists for a total of 516 points. He was inducted into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2016. Cam Bomberry also played field lacrosse. He was a member of the U19 Champion team when Team Canada earned a Silver Medal. During an accomplished college career, Bomberry was a three-time All-American midfielder for Nazareth College, and a member of the NCAA Division III National Championship Team in 1992. In addition, Cam played for the Iroquois Nationals four times. He was a key player on the 2014 Bronze Medal winning team in the Federation of International Lacrosse Association. Bomberry also played in the National Lacrosse League. He was the first overall selection in the 1994 draft. He also played for the Buffalo Bandits, New Jersey Storm and Rochester Knighthawks. Bomberry was a member of the Rochester Knighthawks winning the NLL Championship in 1997. In fourteen NLL seasons, Bomberry scored 256 goals, and had 464 assists for 720 total points in 206 games. Cam Bomberry gives back to the game and has experience leading lacrosse clinics. He has coached and played for several First Nations teams at both the National and International levels, including the Iroquois Nationals in field and box lacrosse. <Back

< Back Jim Warne Jr Jim Warne Jr Oglala Lakota Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Jim Warne Jr. is a member of the Oglala Lakota. His athletic achievements began as an award-winning All-State Football, Shotput and Powerlifter at Tempe High School in Arizona. These achievements led him to a full-ride football scholarship to Arizona State University where he was voted 1986 All-Pac 10 Tackle by the coaches/media. He was an offensive tackle on Arizona State University’s 1987 Rose Bowl Championship team beating Michigan. Jim was also selected to the Hula Bowl All-Star game and was a National Champion/All American Powerlifter for ASU. In 1987, Jim was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, and after a short NFL career he was drafted by the World League of American Football/NFL Europe in 1991 and played in the Arena Football League in 1992. After professional football, Jim earned his master’s degree at San Diego State University (SDSU). He had a rewarding career fulfilling his desire increasing rehabilitative services within Indian Country at SDSU (1993-2015) developing the Circle for American Indian Rehabilitation and Education. Jim decided to create his own company, Warrior Society Development. He successfully wrote over 60 million dollars in grants creating programs serving tribal members with disabilities including the Oyáte Circle at University of South Dakota as Community Engagement and Diversity Director at Sanford School of Medicine Center for Disabilities. Due to the success of Oyáte Circle, University of Arizona College of Medicine contracted Jim to create the Native Center for Disabilities serving Arizona tribal members addressing public health and disability disparities. During this time Jim initiated his lifelong dream of becoming a successful filmmaker. His first film production, “7th Generation” achieved international awards and is on Amazon Prime. He co-produced, “Oyáte un Itówapi,” a Sports Emmy nominee with FOX Sports. <Back

Rick Brant (Teho:ka) Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2024 <Back Rick Brant (Teho:ka) is a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Ontario, Canada. He is a former member of Canada's National Track and Field Team. He has won national championships at 800 metres, 4x400 metre relay, and team Cross Country. In 1988, Brant was a member of the 4x400 metre champion relay team at the CIAU National Indoor Championships, was named the Saskatchewan Track and Field Indoor Male Athlete of the Year. In 1987 he was the 800 metre champion in the International Tri-Meet between Canada, Ireland and Wales. He was also the 1987 Canadian Grand Prix Final Champion and was named the Most Outstanding Male Athlete. In 1987, Brant received the Tom Longboat Award for the most outstanding Aboriginal athlete in Canada. In 1986 he was the 800 metre semi-finalist in the World Junior Championships, was the 800 metre and 4x400 metre relay team champion at the Canadian National Junior Championships, and was named CIAU All Canadian for Cross Country. Brant set the Canadian Interscholastic record in a tie finish in the 800 metres at the Ontario High School Championships. Since retiring from competitive running, Brant has served as an influential leader within the Indigenous sport movement in Canada. He is a founding member of the Aboriginal Sports Circle - Canada's National Voice for Aboriginal sport serving as the Aboriginal Sport Circle's Executive Director from 1998 to 2005. During that time, he helped lead the revitalization of the Tom Longboat Awards, and the creation of the National Aboriginal Coaching Awards, the Aboriginal Coaching Modules, and the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships. Brant helped found the North American Indigenous Games Council, the international governing body for the North American Indigenous Games, serving as the NAIG Council’s President from 2015-2018. He has overseen the delivery of three separate NAIG's - Prince Albert, SK 1993, Victoria, BC 1997, and Cowichan Valley, BC 2008. Most recently, Rick helped establish the Indigenous Sport Physical Activity and Recreation Council of British Columbia (I·SPARC) and led the creation of the Indigenous Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Strategy (BC) – the first comprehensive, long-term strategy of its kind in North America. Rick currently serves as I·SPARC’s Chief Executive Officer.

< Back Eddie Rogers Eddie Rogers Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete/Coach 2026 While driving through Walker, Minnesota, countless drivers pass a bronze bust statue outside the courthouse not knowing it is there. It is Eddie Rogers. Eddie Rogers was born in Libby, Minnesota on April 14, 1876, near the site of the 1850 Sandy Lake Tragedy. His father was a pioneer lumberman and mother was Ojibwe. His Ojibwe name was Ay-Nay-Way-We-Dung translated to Echo in the Woods. Rogers attended Carlisle Institute in 1897, one of the first boarding schools that were determined to erase the ethnic identity of native students and assimilate them into American citizens. Rogers began playing football at Carlisle and quickly rose to star athlete status and served as team captain in 1900. In 1901 Rogers came home to Minnesota and enrolled in law school at the University of Minnesota. He joined the football team and was named captain in 1903. During the same season the Golden Gophers had an 11-0-1 record winning the Big Ten title and Rogers was named third- team All-America. The next season Rogers returned to Carlisle as head coach and had a 9-2 record. He was there one season and again came home to Minnesota and in 1905 he coached the College of St. Thomas football team to a 14-9-1 record. In 1907 his team was undefeated at 7-0. Rogers soon began his longtime law career. In 1910, he was elected Cass County attorney, a position he held for over 45 years. In 1912, he was elected as the chief of a council including 10 Ojibwe tribes. He served as the vice president of the National Council of Indian Affairs and was a charter member of the National Congress of American Indians. Rogers had a 62 year career in law retiring at age 90. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968 and in the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973. <Back

< Back Neal Powless Neal Powless Onondaga Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 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. <Back

< Back George Robert “GR” Carter Jr. George Robert “GR” Carter Jr. Osage Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 George Robert “GR” Carter Jr. is a retired professional race horse jockey. Carter was named the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Champion Jockey ten times in his career including six years consecutively from 2003-2007. No other jockey has won more than five titles. He finished his career as the all time leader in AQHA racing with $75,799,513 in mount earnings and also is the leader by wins with 4,013. Carter is proud of his native Osage heritage and he was born and raised in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. He attended Indian Camp elementary school and graduated from Pawhuska High School in 1986. As a teenager, he was a competitive gymnast and won the state championship when he was 12 years old. During his senior year at Pawhuska High School, Carter won the Class A State Wrestling Championship at 108 pounds. Growing up, Carter was involved in ranching and rodeo, which helped develop his love of horses. At age 14, he began galloping race horses for a local trainer to help fund his rodeo participation. Throughout his senior year in high school, he would occasionally ride races on the weekends at Blue Ribbon Downs and Eureka Downs. After graduating from high school in 1986, Carter moved to Sallisaw, OK to become a full-time jockey at Blue Ribbon Downs. Carter won the All American Futurity twice, in 1998 aboard Falling in Love Again in 2008 aboard Stolis Winner. In 2008, Carter set a new AQHA single-season earnings record by reaching the $5,027,173 mark in mount earnings. May 31, 2009 was declared by Governor Brad Henry as GR Carter Day in Oklahoma. Carter was known throughout the racing world for his “back-flip” dismounts. After winning a stakes race, he often used his gymnastics background to celebrate by performing a back-flip off of the horse form the saddle. GR rode and won his first officially recognized race at 16 years of age in 1984 on a mare named Beas Jester owned and trained by his father George. He finished his career winning the Los Alamitos 2 Million on Flash and Roll in December 2018. Carter and his wife Shaena reside in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In his spare time, Carter is an avid team roper. He will occasionally enter professional rodeos, and own the Pro-Am at the 2007 World Series of Team Roping. <Back

< Back Angelo Baca Angelo Baca Diné/Hopi Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Angelo Baca is a cultural activist, scholar, filmmaker and currently a doctoral student in anthropology at New York University. He is the cultural resources coordinator at Utah Diné Bikéyah, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the defense and protection of culturally significant ancestral lands. The National Parks Conservation Association recently designated him as one of “10 Under 40” dynamic cultural activists who make up the association’s Next Generation Advisory Council. He has published a widely read op-ed in the New York Times. Shash Jaa’: Bears Ears is Angelo Baca’s latest award-winning film about the five tribes of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition that worked together to protect 1.9 million acres of Utah wilderness through a national monument designation. His work reflects a long-standing dedication to both Western and Indigenous knowledge. Baca is also the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Champion in Cross Country and on the outdoor track in the 3000 meters steeplechase and 5000 meters in 2002-03. He also is a seven-time NJCAA All American in Cross Country, Track and the Half Marathon. Currently, he is training for trail races and long distances runs across Indigenous landscapes in Navajo country. <Back

7G Foundation Pauma Band of Luiseño Indian Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2022 <Back The 7G Foundation was founded by Bennae Calac, an enrolled member of Pauma Band of Luseno Indian of Pauma Valley, California. Bennae started 7G to inspire leadership in youth through education, athletics, culture and real-world support for the next seven generations. The Indigenous Bowl is 7G’s signature event that is held annually. In 2020 the Indigenous Bowl was paused due to the global pandemic. However, in December 2021 the 4th Indigenous Bowl was played at the US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. In 2021, the Indigenous Bowl had 54 Native American high school football players representing 30 tribes from California to British Columbia. For many of the players it was the first time they had travelled outside their state. Stepping into a professional sports stadium not as a spectator but as a skilled player was life changing for these young athletes and as some expressed “a dream come true.” The 7G Foundation is committed to giving young Native American athletes visibility and providing pathways to reach their highest potential in high school, college and beyond. The unique aspect of the 7G foundation is celebrating and honoring the Native American heritage and culture of each of the athletes. Creating safe places that inspire the athletes to thrive has been the bedrock of 7G Foundation.

< Back Jordin Tootoo Jordin Tootoo Inuit Induction Category: Year Inducted Atlete 2024 Jordin Tootoo made history as the first Inuk player to be drafted by the NHL. Over his 13-year career, he played for the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, and Chicago Blackhawks, banking 161 points, including 65 goals, in 723 career games. A trailblazer both on and off the ice, Tootoo has since become a vocal mental health advocate dedicated to giving back to his communities. He speaks to the power of creating a culture of inspired inclusivity and explores what real teamwork looks like, both at home and work. Of Inuit and Ukrainian descent, Tootoo is not only the first Inuk NHL player, but also the first one raised in Nunavut. He played for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1999 to 2003 and was drafted by the Nashville predators in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Tootoo was nominated for the NHL Foundation Player Award in 2015, which recognizes players who enrich the lives of people in their community. He announced his retirement from the sport in 2018. As an Indigenous athletic leader, Tootoo has long understood his responsibility as a role model and speaks openly about the need to fight the stigma around mental illness and to provide more mental health support. He founded the Team Tootoo Foundation in honour of his late brother Terence, to provide grants to various charities for suicide prevention and at-risk youth. In 2016, Tootoo was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal through the Order of Canada in recognition of his work. Action Photo Credit: Jordin Tootoo #22 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena on February 19, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee. Frederick Breedon/Getty Images <Back