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- Glenn Styres, Mohawk
< Back Glenn Styres Glenn Styres Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Glenn Styres started building Ohsweken Speedway in his front yard, a track that has become a top dirt racing destination in Canada. Whether he was building his own Field of Dreams, sponsoring teams from around the world, or as a driver himself, Styres has been a racing industry leader for 30 years. Styres success has been validated internationally by being voted the North American Sprint Car Promoter of the Year eight times. Behind the wheel he was a multi-time champion at his home track, the Ohsweken Speedway and on tour winning the Southern Ontario Sprints Tour Championship multiple times. In recent years Styres has supported international stars like Kyle Larson’s dirt sprint car program as well as being a major sponsor and team owner in the Chili Bowl Nationals and World of Outlaws, including competing himself. Styres is also a role model in the Indigenous community and has a TV series airing on APTN, called Friday Night Thunder, and it takes viewers inside the Ohsweken Speedway. <Back
- Dallas Soonias, Nehiyaw/Anishinaabe
Dallas Soonias <Back Nehiyaw/Anishinaabe Induction Category: Media/Athlete Year Inducted 2025 Dallas Soonias is Nehiyaw/Anishinaabe. He is registered with The Chippewas of Nawash and has close ties with his father’s band, Red Pheasant. Soonias grew up living off-reserve in Red Deer, Alberta. Soonias was the first male Indigenous person to represent Canada in volleyball, and he did it for 15 years. He was a right side hitter. He was named the 2005 Tom Longboat Award winner. He also received the Inspire Award in the sports category in 2021. In 2023, Soonias wrote, directed, and produced his first short film, Frank Gets the Job Done, which was commissioned by the ImagineNATIVE Film Festival and Telus Storyhive. He had a feature film in development with TeleFilm Canada and was a director for CBC Olympics as well as being an Analyst for CBC Sports covering the 2024 Olympics. Photo: Kristian Bogner for BANFF World Media Festival.
- Oren Lyons, Onondaga Nation
< Back Oren Lyons Oren Lyons Onondaga Nation Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan, Onondaga Nation. He serves on the Grand Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy –Haudenosaunee. Oren holds the title of Professor Emeritus at SUNY Buffalo, has a Doctor of Laws Degree from his Alma Mater, Syracuse University and Lyons Hall at SU is named in his honor. Chief Lyons is an All-American Lacrosse Hall of Famer, and Honorary Chairman of the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team. He is an accomplished artist, environmentalist, author, and global presenter and holds the title of Wisdom Keeper. He is a leading voice at the UN Permanent Forum on Human Rights for Indigenous Peoples, serves on the Executive Committee of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders for Human Survival, acts as Chairman of the Board for both the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and Seventh Generation Fund. Recipient of several prestigious awards including Green Cross International Environmental Icon Award, founded by Mikhail Gorbachev. The United Nations NGO World Peace Prize, the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, The Rosa Parks and George Arents Award for Environmental and social activism and receiving Sweden’s prestigious Friends of the Children Award with his colleague the late Nelson Mandela, also included in his list of acknowledgments are the UN World Peace Prize, Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, Native American Hall of Fame Chief Lyons is a constantly sought-after speaker, a subject of several documentaries, films and a tireless advocate for American Indian causes and Indigenous rights. Oren is a founding member of One Bowl Productions and serves as a constant reminder of humanity’s responsibilities to the earth and our future generations. <Back
- Neal Powless, Onondaga
< 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
- Jason G. Montoya, Santa Ana Pueblo
Jason G. Montoya <Back Santa Ana Pueblo Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2025 Growing up on the Pueblo of Santa Ana located in central New Mexico along the Rio Grande River, Jason Montoya learned the sport of golf at the age of eight years old. His passion grew as the years moved on and Montoya started taking lessons during his eighth grade year and never looked back. Golf opened many doors for Montoya taking him on his journey to the University of Nevada Las Vegas where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sports, Leisure and Recreation Management, and Professional Golf Management. In 2012 he earned his PGA Class A membership to the Professional Golfers Association of America. Montoya was the first Pueblo to receive his PGA Class A membership, and he focused on growing the sport of golf to youth. In 2019 Montoya received the PGA Award of Youth Player Development in the Sun Country Section and was recognized as one of Golf Digest Magazine’s Best Teachers in the State. During the 2019 and 2020 seasons Montoya coached varsity golf at Albuquerque Academy, with both boys and girls teams winning State Championships. Montoya left the program to focus on his golf school at Santa Ana Golf Club. His coaching led 15 student athletes to earn golf scholarships to universities. He also became the Captain of Team New Mexico, and the team placed in the top 10 in the Junior Americas Cup between 2020 and 2024. Montoya has coached free golf camps to community members of tribes who own courses including Talking Stick (Salt River Pima), WeKoPa (Yavapai), Turning Stone (Oneida), Whirlwind (Gila River) and Twin Warrior (Santa Ana Pueblo). He developed a partnership withthe Nike N7 Sports Experience and was a Nike N7 Ambassador who has been a part of the golf initiative since 2016. In 2023 Nike N7 Day of Inspiration was held at his home course (Twin Warriors) for the PGA Professional National Championship featured on the Golf Channel network highlighting Montoya’s golf journey.
- Alissa Pili, Inupiaq/Samoan
< Back Alissa Pili Alissa Pili Inupiaq/Samoan Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2025 Alissa Pili was born in Anchorage, AK in June 2001. On her mother’s side, Alissa is of Inupiaq descent, from the North Slope region of Alaska. On her father’s side, she is of Samoan descent, rooting from the village of Aua, American Samoa. For the first seven years of her life, she lived in Utqiagvik, aka Barrow, the northernmost city in the United States. Alissa spent the rest of her childhood in Anchorage, where she enjoyed outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, fishing and playing sports. Alissa compiled 13 state titles during her athletic career at Dimond High School including four in volleyball, four in shot put, two in discus, two in basketball, and one in wrestling. She was named the Max Preps National Female Athlete of the Year two years in a row, and is a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year for girls’ basketball. She went on to play basketball for the University of Southern California, where she was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Injuries were an issue during sophomore and junior year, and she felt like she needed a new start, so she entered the transfer portal and landed at the University of Utah. From there, her career took off, earning Pac-12 player of the year and all Pac-12 honors her first year with the Utes and she led her team to the conference title. In her second year as a Ute, during a showcase game featuring the #1 South Carolina Gamecocks, she scored 37 points with WNBA scouts in attendance, and her WNBA draft stock soared. She was drafted #8 overall in the 2024 WNBA draft to the Minnesota Lynx, and landed an endorsement deal with Nike’s Indigenous focused N7 brand, where she was the face of their 2024 Native American Heritage Month campaign. Alissa looks forward to her continued success in the WNBA and being a representative of not only the Native American and Polynesian communities around the world, but to all who love women’s sports and aspire to uplift one another. <Back
- Barry Powless, Onondaga
< Back Barry Powless Barry Powless Onondaga Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete/Coach 2023 Barry Powless is from the Onondaga Nation and is Eel clan. His elders told him Deyhontsigwa’ ehs (They bump hips) is a medicine game given to the people and played for the enjoyment of the Creator. In 1975, his senior year, he was a high school All American attackman and then played at Syracuse University. He played in two World Championship tournaments; 1980 World Box Lacrosse Championships, silver medal with Can Am Warriors and 1990 World Field Championships in Perth, Australia with the Iroquois Nationals. During his summers, he played box lacrosse at the amateur and professional levels throughout his career in the US and Canada. He was the first overall pick in 1991 with a professional Canadian-US indoor lacrosse league (National Lacrosse League). He received his first pro title, Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL) World Championship, when playing for the Buffalo Bandits in 1992. Barry received multiple league awards for being a High Scorer, MVP, Most Sportsman award, all-star teams, 1978 Cornwall Ontario Lions Club Player of the Year, and 1981 President’s Cup tournament MVP. He won three Canadian National Championships, one Mann Cup and two Presidents Cups. He participated in ten Canadian Championship tournaments and won six British Columbia Provincial Championships. He played senior lacrosse for four decades starting in the 1970’s and retired at age fifty. He was a head coach at the high school, senior, and professional level. He earned his second pro title in 1997 when leading the Rochester Knighthawks to the MILL World Championship and was the first Indigenous head coach to win a world title. Barry also was the VP of Lacrosse Operations for the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and currently is an executive host at Seneca Niagara Casino. Barry is honored, proud and humbled to now be inducted into seven Hall of Fames with those who also played the Creator’s game including 1999 Ontario Lacrosse, 2013 Greater Syracuse Sports, 2015 US Lacrosse Upstate NY Chapter, 2016 LaFayette Central School Sports, 2018 Akwesasne Lacrosse, 2021 Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame - Team Category, and the 2023 North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame. <Back
- Jana Williams, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
< Back Jana Williams Jana Williams Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Jana Williams got her start in tennis the summer before seventh grade. Her older sister wanted tennis lessons, and Jana golf lessons; so they agreed to take them together. After playing in her first tournament, the captain from the high school team convinced her to try out for the varsity team as a seventh grader, playing #4 singles and 8-12th #1. She was in the top 5 in the Northwest section throughout her junior career, qualifying for Jr. Nationals and then in her sophomore year was awarded a scholarship to Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy in Bradenton, FL. After high school she got pregnant with twins. When they were six months old she returned to school at North Hennepin Community College and played on the tennis team for two years, going undefeated both years and qualified for the NJCAA National tournament. The first year she made it to the semifinals before losing, the following year the quarterfinals. After both years she was offered scholarships to play tennis, but instead of moving away from family, she decided to walk on to the University of Minnesota’s tennis team during the 1993-1994 season. Jana became involved with the organization called the North American Indian Tennis Association (NAITA). She was the Jr. Singles champion in 1987, and Open Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles champion and Runner-up in many NAITA Tournaments. She was a past President in 2016. She also directed tennis clinics at UNITY Conference in Oklahoma City and Washington DC along with Riverside Indian Boarding School, Anadarko OK. It was Jana’s goal to bring tennis to the Native communities across the country and brought the NAITA’s tournament to Minnesota in 2016. She now actively competes in Women's NPC Bodybuilding and teaches anyone who wants to learn a healthy lifestyle how to work out and improve their overall health. Her awards included the 2017 NPC FIGURE Master's 35+ 1st place and Overall Champion, the IRON VIKING, Battle of The Falls Overall Champion and the 2019 Master’s Nationals and NPC Women's Open Physique Brew City and Minnesota State 3rd and 4th places. <Back
- Michael Red Tomahawk Sr., Standing Rock Sioux
< Back Michael Red Tomahawk Sr. Michael Red Tomahawk Sr. Standing Rock Sioux Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 Michael is a proud member of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation. He is the great – great grandson of Chief Marcellus Red Tomahawk of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Cannon Ball ND. He is also the grandson of the late Milo Red Tomahawk Sr. of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Michael has excelled in the sport of powerlifting in many different federations from the state, regional, national and international levels. Michael also was awarded the USPA IRONMAN AWARD 2021-2023 given out by the USPA-ND for not only competing in but also placing in every USPA sanctioned meet from 2021-2023. His USPA medal count was 24 Gold Medals, one Silver and three Bronze with six state records in both tested and non-tested. In 2024 Michael competed in three federations, the XPC the WRPF and the WPPL. In 2024 he got invited to compete in the WRPF at the WRPF USA Northwest Regional in Portland Oregon. Michael set not only three new WRPF ND State Records but also set three WRPF USA National Records in the Masters 110KG 45-49 RAW category. Michael finished 2024 ranked #6 in the nation in the WRPF USA Drug Tested division. At the 2024 WPPL NATIONALS Michael won the gold medal in the Masters 125KG 45-49 RAW division and finished with a #1 national ranking. In 2025 Michael competed at the WPPL WORLDS 2025 placing 4th in the OPEN 110KG, 3rd in the Masters 110KG 45-49 and winning the Masters Deadlift Only as well as the OPEN Bench Only. Michael ended 2025 with a #7 ranking in the WPPL Masters 110KG 45-49 division. <Back
- Bo Tyler Vocu, Northern Cheyenne/Oglala Lakota
< Back Bo Tyler Vocu Bo Tyler Vocu Northern Cheyenne/Oglala Lakota Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2025 Bo Tyler Vocu is a member of the Northern Cheyenne and a descendant of the Oglala Lakota Tribe, with deep roots in rodeo culture. Growing up on his family’s ranch on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Bo was immersed in the world of rodeo from an early age. His grandfather, Clinton Small, was one of the most decorated rodeo cowboys of all time, and both his father, Michael, and his grandfather, Dale, were accomplished bull riders. This rich legacy set Bo on a path to becoming a rodeo champion in his own right. From a young age, Bo exhibited a fierce competitive spirit, competing in every event he could at youth rodeos. His passion for rodeo and his determination to succeed propelled him to excel in rough stock events, including bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding—some of the toughest and most dangerous sports in the world. Notably, Bo may be the only rodeo athlete in the nation to have qualified for the Junior High, High School, and College National Finals Rodeos in all three rough stock events. Bo attended New Mexico State University on a rodeo scholarship, where he earned multiple regional titles and contributed to the university’s team championships. His rodeo achievements continued to grow as he qualified for the Indian National Finals Rodeo (INFR) every year since 2010, when junior events were first introduced when he was nine years old. He qualified in the junior breakaway and junior bull riding, and captured the INFR Tour Championship in the junior bull riding. At the age of 15 he qualified in the open bull riding for the first time. Bo has qualified for the INFR in all three rough stock events throughout his career. In 2023, he earned the title of World Champion All Around Runner-Up and continues to win titles at many of the top rodeos across the country. Bo’s success extends beyond the INFR; he is also a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) member. In 2024, he finished in the top 50 in the world standings for bull riding and won several professional rodeo titles, including the Xtreme Bulls event in Buffalo, Wyoming. At the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals, Bo qualified in saddle bronc and bull riding, ultimately earning the All Around Championship. His sights are now set on qualifying for the PRCA National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, with much more to come in his rodeo career. With a legacy rooted in tradition and a future filled with promise, Bo Tyler Vocu’s rodeo story is far from over. His dedication, skill, and competitive drive continue to inspire fans and fellow rodeo athletes alike. <Back
- Mark Burnam, Mohawk
Mark Burnam <Back Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2022 Mark “Redman” Burnam is truly a rare, unique and influential individual in the sport of lacrosse. Burnam has touched many lives from among his community, his country and around the world by sharing his passion for competition, coaching, and storytelling. His early introduction to lacrosse as a Mohawk child started a life-long relationship that continues to this day as one of the true ambassadors of the sport. With a playing career punctuated by winning, he started by winning the 1980 NYS Lacrosse Championship earning MVP at Henninger High School. Burnam played at Syracuse University and in 1983 won a NCAA D 1 National Championship and in 1984 were Runners-up. Mark has decades of international experience both as a player and a coach. Burnam was a 5-X World team captain with the Iroquois Nationals and was a professional NLL player from 1987-1998 with NJ Saints, Buffalo Bandits winning two World Champions in 1992 and 1993 finishing up with Rochester and finally the Syracuse Smash. Burnam was the head coach at IMG Academy from 2016-19 and he currently is the head coach of the Iroquois Nationals U19 world team. Red has coached both as the head and assistant coach of Iroquois National teams for the past 12 years. Maybe his greatest impact is as a coach is where he continues to influence youth, adolescent, and professional athletes, teaching the meaning and value of the sport as a character-builder for all who choose to play and learn. Burnam’s notable and easily recognizable tough and relentless playing style is exceeded only by his enthusiasm, love, and infectious sense of humor with family, friends, colleagues, and those for whom he forever calls Team. Bio credit: Dan Witmer, quotes legends of lake placid bio
- Jeff Shattler, Ojibwa
< Back Jeff Shattler Jeff Shattler Ojibwa Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Jeff Shattler, a Toronto raised Native from the Ojibwa tribe, has played in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) for 15 years. Shattler spent his rookie year with the Buffalo Bandits, but spent the majority of his career with the Calgary Roughnecks. Jeff is currently in his 16th season, with the Saskatchewan Rush where he was most recently named playoff MVP during the 2018 season, and where he helped win the team the championship that year. In addition to two NLL championships during his career, Jeff has also won two Mann Cup championships and participated in nine all star games. Prior to his latest achievements with the Saskatchewan Rush, Shattler had several other career highlights with the Calgary Roughnecks. In 2011 he was awarded with both the ‘Transition Player of the Year’ and the ‘League MVP. Shattler also represents Team Iroquois on an international level where he helped secure three world championships: one bronze medal in field lacrosse, and two silver medals in box lacrosse. At present, Shattler is the all time leading scorer amongst aboriginals in box lacrosse, and number 16 in the NLL. Currently, Shattler and his family are residing in Regina, Saskatchewan where he has founded, The Shattler Lacrosse Academy, an outlet he uses to spread his knowledge and passion for the sport to individuals all across North America. <Back











