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< Back James Francis Thorpe James Francis Thorpe Sac and Fox Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 James Francis Thorpe was born near Prague, Oklahoma. He was born to Hiram Thorpe, a farmer, and Charlotte Vieux, a Pottawatomie Indian and descendant of the last great Sauk and Fox chief Black Hawk, a noted warrior and athlete. Jim was actually born a twin, but his brother Charlie died at the age of nine. His Indian name, Wa-Tho-Huk, translated to “Bright Path.” In 1904, Thorpe started school at Carlisle Industrial Indian School in Pennsylvania. Thorpe began his athletic career at Carlisle, both playing football and running track. He was selected as a third-team All-American in 1908, and in 1909 and 1910 he made the first team. Football legend Glenn “Pop” Warner coached Thorpe at Carlisle. Thorpe competed in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. He won the pentathlon and the decathlon and set records that would stand for decades. Thorpe’s glorious Olympic wins were jeopardized in 1913 when it surfaced that he had played two semi-professional seasons of baseball. Ultimately, it was decided that his baseball experience adversely affected his amateur status in the track and field events. His name was removed from the record books and his gold medals were taken away. Thorpe moved on after the Olympic ordeal and signed to play baseball for the New York Giants. He played outfield with New York for three seasons before playing with the Cincinnati Reds in 1917. He played 77 games with the Reds before finally returning to the Giants for an additional 26 games. In 1919, he played his final season in major league baseball, ending on the Boston Braves team. During much of his baseball years, Thorpe also played professional football for the Canton (Ohio) Bulldogs from 1915 until 1920 and with the Cleveland Indians in 1921. In the years following, he organized, coached and played with the Oorang Indians, a professional football team comprised of American Indians. Additionally, he was instrumental in forming the American Professional Football Association, and eventually became the president of the group. Through the years, the association evolved into today’s NFL. In all, Thorpe played with six different teams during his career in pro football, ending with a stint with the Chicago Cardinals in 1929. Two monumental honors were bestowed unto Thorpe in 1950 when he was named “the greatest American football player” and the “greatest overall male athlete” by the Associated Press. Thorpe died on March 28, 1953 of a heart attack. Thorpe’s medals were finally restored to him posthumously in 1982. In addition, and most importantly to his family, his name was put back into the record books. In 1950, the nation’s press selected Jim Thorpe as the most outstanding athlete of the first half of the 20th Century and in 1996-2001, he was awarded ABC’s Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Century. <Back

Jack Powless Category Athlete Tribe Oneida Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 8/14/1961 Jack Powless is a tribal member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. A Air Force veteran with over 20 years of service (including 6 years in special operations) where he earned many awards, and recognitions, including the title of the United States Air Force Athlete of The Year, in 1992. After receiving his Fitness Specialist Certification, through the American College of Sports Medicine, he was assigned to develop fitness programs for special operations. He has represented his tribe, and the US Air Force, in multiple sports including triathlons, XTERRA (MTB triathlons), mountain and road cycling, running, swimming, and adventure racing. Some of his accomplishments include the following achievements - A veteran of 15 ironman triathlons, including 7 Hawaii Ironman World Championships. - All Military Ironman World Champion- 3 times (at Hawaii Ironman World Champs). - Florida State Mountain Bike Champion- vet. expert division. - Guam Seiko International Marathon Champion- 3 consecutive years. - Calistoga 50 Mile Endurance Trail Race- 4th place overall (8:20:00). His coaching certifications, including: -USA Triathlon level 2, -USA Cycling level 3, -USA Track & Field Association Level 1. -Fitness Specialist- ACSM Jack has been an avid leader in his community by volunteering, and coaching: Youth Soccer Teams Youth, and Masters Swim Teams Youth, High School, and Collegiate Track and Field Teams Youth High School and collegiate Cross Country Teams Youth, High School and Adult Mountain bike Teams Youth triathlon teams Along with coaching numerous National Champions, he was instrumental in qualifying over 300 youth cross country athletes to USATF Junior Olympics/National Championships. He also coached his daughter, Shayna Powless and son, Neilson Powless to become multi National Champions in mountain biking, XTERRA, and road cycling. Currently, both are professional cyclists, and representing the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. SSGT Jack Powless and wife Jeanette Allred-Powless, USMSA (US Military Sports Association) Photo: Terri Galarneaux Head Shot Photo: Jack Powless Home 2026 Banquet 2026 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

< Back Drew Bucktooth Drew Bucktooth Onondaga Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Drew Bucktooth is a lacrosse and hockey player from the Onondaga Nation in upstate NY. As a member of the Syracuse Stars hockey team he played against the highest level and won back to back state championships, a national championship and a world championship and was MVP of the world championship game. As a 16 year old, Drew was selected for the United States National team but was drafted and played in the OHL instead but still played for Team USA in international competitions and was named the team captain. In lacrosse, the first goal Drew ever scored was on his own goalie, but he made sure to do it correctly after that. As an eighth grader Drew led the varsity lacrosse team in scoring, as a ninth grader he led his league in scoring. As a 10th grader Drew once again led his team in scoring and earned All American, one of only two lacrosse players in NY state history to earn the tile of All American as a 10th grader. When Drew was 15 he competed with the Iroquois Nationals in the U19 world lacrosse championships in Japan, although Drew was the youngest player there, he led the tournament in scoring and was named to the All World Team. A few years later the Lacrosse World Championships were held in Australia, and again Drew was named to the All World Team and has the distinction as the only person in history to make the U19 All World Team twice. As a member of the Onondaga RedHawks, his team captured the Presidents cup twice, which is the Canadian National box lacrosse championship. These days Drew can still be found in and out of hockey rinks and lacrosse fields coaching his four sons, Blake, Gavin, Dylan and Cruze. <Back

< 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

Wilton Littlechild Cree Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2022 <Back An Indigenous lawyer of Cree ancestry, bestowed as Honourary Cree Chief and International Chief, Wilton Littlechild was elected a Member of Parliament in Canada and Vice-President of the Indigenous Parliament of the Americas. Known for his advocacy, nationally and internationally on Human Rights and Traditional Games and Sports. Born in Maskwacis (Treaty No. 6), raised by his grandparents but taken at the age of six where he spent fourteen years in the Indian Residential School system. He witnessed and experienced various forms of abuse but was also introduced to sports, which he used to motivate his pursuit of excellence and run from abuse. He eventually excelled academically and in athletics; credits his traditional upbringing to seek balance in life; underpinned by spirituality and family support. Achievements: • Ten Athlete of the Year Awards • Holds three University and five Honorary Doctorate degrees (Physical Education, Law) • Eight Sports Halls of Fame • University of Alberta Most Outstanding Indian Athlete in Canada (twice) • Major Sports: Hockey, Baseball, Swimming • Centennial medal - Top 100 in Hockey • Order of Sport as inductee to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame • Over seventy-five Championships • Twice honoured in Switzerland and Olympic Games Ambassador

< Back Bill Berry Bill Berry Apache Tribe of Oklahoma Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Bill Berry was named the 1980 Oklahoma High School Coaches Association American Legion Baseball Coach of the Year and 2003 Assistant All-State Baseball Coach, 2000 Oklahoma High School Softball Coaches Association All-State Fast Pitch Coach and 2012 All-State Slow Pitch Coach, 2014 Arizona Diamondbacks National Native American Softball Coach of the Year, and 2017 and 2018 Oklahoma Native American All-State Fast Pitch Coach. Berry was an assistant coach with the ASA 18U Gold Tulsa Eagles reaching the National Tournament five times placing ninth in 2003. He coached 23 All-State players and assisted in sending 27 players to NCAA Division I and 67 to various colleges on softball scholarships. He was inducted into the Oklahoma High School Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016 and selected as a 2017 Oklahoma AARP Indian Elder Honoree. Berry was the winning coach of the 2001 All-Indian Women’s National Softball Tournament in Oklahoma City, OK, 2013 Jim Thorpe Native American Games 18U Softball Championship in Oklahoma City, OK, and the 2016 Native American Basketball Tournament (NABI) 18U Softball National Tournament Championship in Phoenix, AZ. In 2020, he was named head softball coach of an 18U All-USA girls’ fast pitch team that was to play in Spain but cancelled due to COVID-19. He played 28 years of professional men’s fast pitch and was named the 1978 National Indian Athletic Association National Tournament MVP in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1979 in Albuquerque, NM, 1980 in Norman, OK, 1979 and 1983 ASA National Tournament MVP in Oklahoma City, OK, and Sioux City, IA, and played in the International Softball Congress (ISC) 1994 World Tournament at Prince Edward Island, Canada. He was a member of the 1991, 1992, and 1993 All-Indian Fast Pitch National Champions (North Americans) in Oklahoma City, OK. Berry was a three-time All-Conference pitcher at Cameron University and made the Oklahoma All-State baseball team and winning the Oklahoma American Legion State Baseball Championship in 1971. He served as assistant softball coach at Oklahoma Panhandle State University and head softball coach at Bacone College and was an invited clinician for the University of Oklahoma, Baylor, and Louisiana Monroe softball camps. <Back

< Back María Lorena Ramírez María Lorena Ramírez Rarámuri Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 María Lorena Ramírez won the 2017 Ultra Trail Cerro Rojo 50K in Puebla, Mexico in a time of 7:20 and not long after, she became the first Rarámuri woman to compete in a European ultra with her inaugural attempt at the Bluetrail, the second-highest race in Europe. She competes wearing huaraches, a form of sandals, and a long skirt and she has a truly fascinating story and was featured in the 2019 Netflix documentary Lorena, Light-Footed Woman. Photo/Bio Credit: Ultra X <Back

Iroquois Nationals 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships Silver Medalists Team 2026 Induction Category: Year Inducted <Back Iroquois Nationals Announce Roster for 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships The Iroquois Nationals announced the players that represented the program in the 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Name, Number, Position, Last Team, Hometown Mike Thompson, 66, G, Buffalo Bandits, Akwesasne Ken Montour, 29, G, Philadelphia Wings, Six Nations Mike Attwood, 00, G, Arizona Sting, St. Catharines, Ont. Doug Noganosh, 61, D, Barrie Lakeshores, Mnjikaning Sid Smith, 17, D, Six Nations Arrows, Six Nations Ryan McComber, 15, D, Kahnawake Mohawks, Kahnawake Clay Kirby, 88, D, Kahnawake Mohawks, Kahnawake Daryl Seymour, 19, D, Buffalo Bandits, Akwasasne Marshall Abrams-A, 43, D, Rochester Knighthawks, Onondaga Travis Hill, 47, T, Minnesota Swarm, Fort Erie, Ont. Tom Montour, 63, T, Chicago Shamrox, Six Nations Kyle Jamieson, 6, T, Six Nations Chiefs, Six Nations Andrew Lazore, 14, F, Arizona Sting, Akwesasne Dean Hill, 73, F, Minnesota Swarm, Six Nations Cory Bomberry-C, 72, F, Buffalo Bandits, Six Nations Cody Jamieson, 10, F, Six Nations Arrows, Six Nations Andy Secore, 21, F, Arizona Sting, Hamilton, Ont. Gewas Schindler, 42, F, New York Titans, Onondaga Brett Bucktooth, 26, F, Buffalo Bandits, Onondaga Craig Point, 22, F, Six Nations Arrows, Six Nations Delby Powless-A, 9, F, Buffalo Bandits, Six Nations Roger Vyse 81 F Buffalo Bandits Six Nations Jeff Shatler-X F Calgary Roughnecks Calgary, AB Brandon Swamp-X T St. Regis Indians Akwesasne Robert Jimerson-X T Newtown Eagles Cattaraugus A – Assistant Captain C – Captain X – Alternate Duane Jacobs, Head Coach Jason Tracy, Assistant Coach Ron Chatelain, Assistant Coach Kevin Sandy, General Manager Kim Smith, Assistant General Manager Vern Jones, Equipment Manager Blair Martin, Assistant Equipment Manager

< Back Gewas Schindler Gewas Schindler Oneida Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Gewas Schindler is a Haudenosaunee Oneida Nation citizen and a member of the Turtle Clan. He grew up playing multiple sports under the tutelage of his grandfather, Chief Paul Waterman, on the Onondaga Nation. Gewas played the Creator’s game, this game has world-renowned origins within the Haudenosaunee culture known as Dehontsigwiseh - "bumping hips" is called lacrosse, currently played collegiately, internationally, and at pre-Olympic levels today. Gewas worked for the National Hockey League Phoenix Coyotes and the National Lacrosse League Arizona Sting in marketing, the professional Rochester Nighthawks Lacrosse organization as Governor and he served five years on the National Lacrosse League Board of Governors along with serving on their Marketing Committee, Player Relations Committee, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement Unit. In 2012 Gewas Schindler received the NCAIED (The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development) 40 Under 40 National Business Award, and the Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce Award in 2010. Gewas Schindler attended Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland, concentrating in Communications and Marketing. As a student-athlete at Loyola, he earned lacrosse accolades earning 3X Division 1 All American Attackman awards. He was a 3X Iroquois Nationals World Team Captain who worked as a professional athlete in the National Lacrosse League and the Major Lacrosse League for eight years. Gewas Schindler competed in seven more World Lacrosse Championships and made eight Iroquois National World Team Rosters. In 2021, as General Manager, the Haudenosaunee U-15 Team won a Gold Medal in the IIJL World Championship, and the Haudenosaunee U-17 Team followed with a Gold Medal. Gewas’ role as an organization builder for youth lacrosse led him to serve as a Lacrosse Ambassador traveling to numerous countries such as Australia, Japan, Thailand, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, England, Mexico, Switzerland, Haudenosaunee, Indigenous Territories, Canada, and the United States to support, advise, and to leave a sport the indigenous people gave to the world community of lacrosse. Gewas’ family includes his wife Tia, and four children, Lawson, Madex, Kohen, and Kimaura. <Back

Kayla Gardner Category Athlete Tribe Eagle Lake First Nation Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 11/16/1994 Kayla Gardner was a two-time girls’ hockey state champion with the Warroad Warriors, earning back to back titles in 2010 and 2011. Gardner was a contributing member of five section 8A championships. Off the ice, Gardner was a member of the National Honor Society. After graduating from Warroad High School, Gardner attended the University of North Dakota from 2013-2017, where she received a full hockey scholarship. During her time at UND, Gardner was a three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete. After earning her Bachelors of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 2017, Gardner went on to play professional hockey with the Calgary Inferno of the CWHL. After a successful year with the Calgary Inferno, Gardner continued her professional hockey career in Sweden, playing with the Brynäs IF in the SDHL. Home 2026 Banquet 2026 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

< Back Patti Dillon Patti Dillon Mi'kmaq Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Patti Dillon was one of the most storied and accomplished runners of her era. Rising from complete obscurity to win the 1976 Ocean State Marathon, she quickly established herself as the best female runner in the Boston Area. By 1979, however, she was one of the most fearsome competitors in the United States. The next three years would see her finish runner up at the Boston Marathon three times in succession; finish behind Grete Waitz in the 1980 NYC Marathon becoming the first American woman to break 2:30; set multiple American and world records; and help to usher in professional running in the United States, often at great cost to herself. Along the way, Patti was signed by Nike as their first sponsored female runner and was pivotal in pushing for and accepting prize money in road races. In one glorious stretch, Patti entered 48 road races and won 44 of them. She set world records in the 20k, half-marathon and 30k and a world record in the women’s only marathon. Patti also won the Honolulu Marathon 4 times, winning in course record times with each successive race. After retiring in 1986, Patti married US Cross-country National Team standout Dan Dillon. They have two wonderful children, Aaron and Raven, and a growing pack of golden retrievers. Patti is now the Head Coach of the first professional Native American running team in US history with the intention of developing world class talent across Native Americans communities. Patti held the World Record for 5 miles, 20k, 13.1 miles, 30K twice, and 26.2 miles. American records included the 10k 6x, 15k 2x, and 10 miles. She broke the American Marathon record three times and held them all at the same time. <Back

< Back Elizabeth (Liz) Mary Duval Elizabeth (Liz) Mary Duval Metis Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Liz was born and raised in Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada. From a very early age her athletic prowess preceded her in all the sports she played. At the age of 10 years, she began playing ice hockey and at the time she was one of only two girls who were given permission to play with “the boys” in her local hockey association. Her hockey skills were above average and soon many people took notice of her exceptional play. While still in her teens she was selected by Hockey Ontario to compete in the 1988 Ontario Winter Games. After graduating from secondary school, she was recruited to play women’s varsity hockey for the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. Liz served as Captain for her final three years while also leading her team-mates in scoring for that same period. In the 1994-95* season, she led the Gryphons to the Ontario Women’s Interuniversity Athletic Association Championship. Also in that year, and as the team’s MVP, she was a finalist for the University of Guelph’s Sportswoman of the Year. It’s also worthy to make note of the fact that Liz was selected as an OWIAA All-Star for each of her four years she suited up for the Gryphons. Upon graduation from university, Liz starred for the Mississauga Chiefs of the Central Ontario Women’s Hockey League from 1993 through to 2000. In 1996, she scored the overtime winning goal and led the Chiefs to capture the Ontario Senior AA hockey title. Liz finished her hockey career by playing professional women’s hockey in France. In 2016 the 1994-95 Gryphons women’s hockey team was inducted into the University of Guelph’s Sports Hall of Fame. <Back