Search Results

Mark D. Williams <Back Choctaw Induction Category: Media Year Inducted 2023 Mark D. Williams is an award-winning Choctaw filmmaker from Shawnee, Oklahoma. Having never been to film school, Mark was self-taught using friends and family for his first few projects. His first short film premiered at the Red Fork Film Festival in Tulsa in 2006. He would go on to write and direct more short films until 2012 when he made his first feature length film, “The Unrest” (winner of the BEST FILM award at the Mvskoke Film Festival). In 2016, his second feature film, “Violet”, won 12 awards in the US and overseas with 29 award nominations overall. In 2016, he began focusing on Native American sport and athletes’s stories with his first documentary titled “Beans” (Best Documentary at the Fort Worth Indie Film Showcase). It was followed by another award-winning boxing documentary titled, “Shiloh” which can be found on Amazon Prime. He followed up Shiloh with another boxing film, “Knifechief”. In 2020, his short film, “Warrior Coach”, won 2 awards (Bare Bones International Film Festival and Best Director at LA Skins Fest). Mark’s first feature length sports documentary, “Tvshka Nowvt Aya”, covered Oklahoma Choctaw stickball and won Best Film in 2018 at the NatiVisions Film Festival in Arizona. His second documentary with the Choctaw Nation, “Ikhaiyana la chi” (I Will Remember) won three awards (NatiVisions Film Festival, LA Skins Fest, Will Rogers International Film Festival). Mark’s latest film, “The Journey of Tiak Hikiya Ohoyo”, a sports documentary about Mississippi Choctaw Stickball was released in August 2022 in Film Festivals having won Best Feature Documentary (Fort Smith International Film Festival) and Best Feature Film (Indigenous Film Festival). He is currently writing his next script and researching more cultural projects to give the Native people an authentic voice. Photo Credits: Wasey Lamar and Delaney Pennock

< 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

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.

< Back Mekwan Tulpin Mekwan Tulpin Cree Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete/Builder 2024 Mekwan Tulpin continues to make HERstory today in both women’s field and box styles alongside an evolving sisterhood at provincial, national and international levels of play. She became the first Mushkegowuk Cree from Treaty 9 Territory to compete on the World Cup stage in lacrosse, while exploring her Belgian roots. As the daughter to Mary Jane Metatawabin and Leo Tulpin, she was born and raised mainly in Simcoe, Ontario. Living on Six Nations of the Grand River territory since 2010 has influenced her continued involvement within this high-impact sport for years to come. Tulpin’s current pursuit looks promising as the designated captain to the Haudenosaunee Nationals team with a roster compiled for evaluations at Utica’s 2023 LAXNAI tournament. Athletes making final selections will compete at an inaugural women’s division within World Lacrosse’s 2024 World Box Lacrosse Championships. With the Grand River Attack, she co-captained seven provincial championship titles over a 12+ year span. This includes being named to an All-Star team the past four consecutive years within Canada’s newly titled premier league, Women’s Major Series Lacrosse. As positive momentum across Turtle Island continues in favour of women’s lacrosse participation, campaigns like #Team88 and #WellnessWarrior, and the Women’s Global Box Lacrosse Network have recognized Mekwan as a lead ambassador for major games events. Throughout the years, the power of sport has instilled a desire to help motivate, raise competencies, and promote confidence-building skills amongst youth, as such were foundational to her own personal achievements, growth, and leadership qualities. Mekwan has been sought for coaching and facilitation opportunities through groups such as Turtle Concepts; Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Lacrosse Program; Anishnaabe Baggadowewin; Great Lakes Cultural Camps; Right to Play; Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario; Canadian Women in Sport; and more are on the horizon. <Back

< Back Ciena Alipio Ciena Alipio Diné Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 UCLA senior Ciena Alipio was born in San Jose, Calif. in March 2004. Her mother Linda is Diné, and her father Dante is Filipino. Ciena grew up in Northern California and began taking dance classes at a young age before moving on to gymnastics. She went on to become a four-time member of the USA Gymnastics Women’s National Team, representing the U.S. internationally in competitions in Europe. She earned her first international assignment at the 2019 Jesolo Trophy in Italy and won silver medals on the balance beam and with the team. In 2021, she earned an assignment to the Arthur Gander Memorial in Switzerland and captured a bronze medal in the all-around. At the national level, she was the runner-up on balance beam at the 2019 and 2022 USA Championships. Ciena moved to Minnesota to train at Midwest Gymnastics for her final two years of elite gymnastics training when the global pandemic restricted indoor activity in California. In the fall of 2022, Ciena returned to California to attend UCLA. During her freshman season in 2023, she was a staple in the balance beam lineup and helped lead the Bruins to a Pac-12 regular season title and a fifth-place NCAA finish. She flourished as a junior in 2025, winning the Big Ten Conference balance beam title with her first career perfect 10. Ciena’s perfect mark led her team to a school-record balance beam score of 49.750 and to a Championship record team score of 198.450. UCLA captured the Big Ten Championship, as well as the conference’s regular season title. The Bruins finished 2025 as the runner-up at the NCAA Championships, where Ciena tied for third place on balance beam with a score of 9.9500 to earn first-team All-America honors. A psychology major, Ciena earned 2024 Scholastic All-American and 2025 Academic All-Big Ten honors. Photo Credits: Ross Turteltaub/UCLA Athletics on the balance beam photo. The one with the 10.0 sign was taken by Kaira Edwards/UCLA Gymnastics <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

2015 Team Canada Women's Soccer Team 2022 Induction Category: Year Inducted <Back 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. A video of highlights of the championship game is available at https://youtu.be/LS6M9GcZxt4 BC Soccer Hall of Fame and Heritage Archive Web-Site – Click on Full Biography: https://heritage.bcsoccer.net/entries/nifa-indigenous-women-s-team-canada-2015/

< Back Carey Terrance Jr. Carey Terrance Jr. Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 Hearing his name called early on Day 2 of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the 6-foot-1, 186-pound forward Carey Terrance’s excitement to join the Anaheim Ducks was the first major step of a lifelong dream of playing at hockey’s highest level. Terrance’s second season as a member of the Ducks organization gives him valuable experience with players and coaches at the top level. Moreover, the selection represented his entire home community of Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne – with the territory holding a widely-attended watch party for Terrance’s anticipated pick. With great pride in his heritage, Terrance hopes to be the second Mohawk actively playing in the NHL in the near future. Traded to the Rangers on June 12, 2025, from Anaheim, and eventually one of 11 players assigned in September to the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Hartford Wolf Pack. The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the AHL since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers. Carey Terrance spent the 2024-25 season skating for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey league (OHL) while serving as the team’s captain, notching 20 goals and 19 assists for 39 points. Among OHL leaders, he tied for third in shorthanded goals (5), led the Otters in both goals and shorthanded tallies, and ranked fourth on the team in points. In 2022–23, he tallied 30 goals and 17 assists for 47 points in 67 games, leading all Erie skaters in goals and tying for the team lead in points. Terrance totaled 89 goals and 73 assists for 162 points, along with 81 penalty minutes, in 230 career OHL games with Erie. Representing Team USA, he helped them win back-to-back gold medals at the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships and helped them earn gold at the 2023 U-18 World Championship. NY Rangers bio: https://www.nhl.com/rangers/player/carey-terrance-8484236 Photos: Hartford Wolf Pack <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

Ryan Salmon Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2024 <Back Ryan Salmon's journey in the world of volleyball began on the beaches of Southern California, where he first discovered his deep passion for the sport. Starting from those humble beginnings, he embarked on an impressive collegiate career, representing UNLV and Kendall College. It was during his time at Kendall College that his commitment to both academics and athletics flourished, earning him recognition as an All-American athlete, and playing a pivotal role in his college team's successes on the volleyball court. Following his graduation, Salmon's devotion to volleyball led him to explore the world as he pursued a professional career in the sport. The California beach culture, which initially ignited his passion, remained the driving force behind his remarkable journey and continued to inspire his dedication to the game. Beyond his achievements in volleyball, Salmon, alongside his wife, Nicole, holds the significant role of Directors at the Minnesota Juniors Volleyball Club. In this capacity, he leverages his extensive knowledge and experience to nurture young talent, providing aspiring athletes with the opportunities and guidance needed to reach their full potential. Through his leadership, Salmon plays a crucial role in shaping the future of volleyball in Minnesota. Furthermore, Salmon's contributions extend beyond the volleyball court. He serves as the Tribal Liaison for the White Earth Nation, a role of great importance. In this capacity, he forges connections between the tribe and external organizations, working tirelessly to preserve the heritage, traditions, and values of the White Earth Nation. His unwavering dedication to his community's well-being has a profound and far-reaching impact.

Onondaga Redhawks 2010 President’s Cup Champions Team 2026 Induction Category: Year Inducted <Back Team Roster: Spencer Lyons - G, Jeremy Thompson, Kevin Wilkerson, Drew Bucktooth, Michael S. Abrams, Ryan Lewis, Ronald Cogan Jr. - C, Pete Benedict, Clayton Jones, Brian Bucktooth Jr., Tyler Hill, Grant Bucktooth, Neal Powless, Wade Bucktooth, Dustin Hill, A.J. Bucktooth, Sam Shenandoah, Dwayne Porter, Dave Stout, Kevin Bucktooth Jr., Murray Stout Jr. - A, Brett Bucktooth Sr., Ross Bucktooth - G, Head Coach: Freeman “Boss” Bucktooth, Asst. Coaches: Kevin Powless and Brian Phillips, GM: Alf E. Jacques, Trainers: Marty Ward and Sunny Shenandoah

< Back Niki Gashing Goodwin Niki Gashing Goodwin White Earth Nation Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Niki Gashing Goodwin, an enrolled member of White Earth Nation, has been gifted the journey of being a professional athlete. He was born in Bagley, MN and grew up on and near Ojibwe country. His parents, Duane and Theresa Goodwin, are Native artists who still live in that area. Through his family connections and longtime relationship with horses, Nik’s passion was in the horse racing industry. At a very young age he developed the dream to be a professional horse jockey. In 1991 he started riding races in Barnum, MN, recording his first victory in the 100th running of the Carlton County Derby. From this point in his journey, he never looked back. His confidence that he would succeed in this career path allowed him to pass up a full ride academic scholarship at Bemidji State University. He started his professional career in Winnipeg, Manitoba in August of 1993 when he was just 16. By his senior year in high school he had a professional career started and still graduated with honors. Nik won his first professional race in his 13th start on his father's horse Moidore. After that race he quickly won more races and his career was under way leading him to California. Nik’s nationwide racehorse career was just beginning. Nik received the opportunity to ride at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, which is one of the premier horse racing tracks in the country. He spent a short time there riding with hall of fame jockeys and learning a lot about his career. Early in 1995, he moved his riding business to Maryland. In Maryland and surrounding tracks, he excelled and became a top rider for years in an extremely competitive mid-Atlantic racing circuit. Since then his riding career has taken him to many places around the United States. Nik has recorded over 1000 thoroughbred wins and multiple quarter horse leading rider titles in a career that has expanded over three decades. He has become the all-time leading quarter horse rider at Canterbury Park in Shakopee Minnesota. Nik spends the winter months now in Florida where he helps get young racehorses ready for their careers. His work was an important part in the development of champion and Kentucky Derby winner, Nyquist, along with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. Other great horses that he worked with have been Nadal, Dortmund, Palace Malace, and Competitive Edge. Now in his mid-forty’s Nik rides a little less and dedicates the rest of his time to his family. He lives in Ocala, Florida with his wife and three boys. Even though he is at the sunset of his career he still enjoys riding and is looking for the next champion. Photo Credits: Coady Photography and Heather R. Grevelis <Back