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- Jordan Brewer, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
< Back Jordan Brewer Jordan Brewer Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2025 Jordan Brewer was born in Saint Joseph, MI, and grew up excelling as a three-sport athlete, competing in baseball, football, and basketball. He was recruited by the University of Michigan for football, but a shoulder injury during his senior season derailed those plans. Undeterred, Jordan took the opportunity to play baseball at Lincoln Trail Junior College, where he had a standout two-year career, earning All-Region honors. His performance caught the attention of the University of Michigan’s baseball program, where he quickly made his mark. In his first year, Jordan had an outstanding season, earning Big Ten Player of the Year and helping his team reach the finals of the College World Series. Following this success, Jordan was drafted by the Houston Astros in the third round. He advanced through the Astros minor league system to their Double-A team, overcoming several surgeries along the way. Despite these challenges, Jordan has enjoyed a successful professional baseball career and is excited about what future opportunities lie ahead. Photos: Houston Astros Media Team and Meza Photos <Back
- Dustin Quinn Martin, Navajo
Dustin Quinn Martin Navajo Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2023 <Back Dustin Quinn Martin was born in Chinle, AZ. His mother is of German and Russian descent. His Father is Diné and Red Running into Water Clan born for the Towering House Clan. Dustin’s passion for running began at an early age, when he tagged along to track practice with his mother, Claudia, who was an assistant coach at Gallup High School. Native distance runners quickly became his idols. After attending high school in Albuquerque, Dustin ran four years of NCAA Division I cross country and track at Columbia University. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in anthropology in 2011. In the fall of 2011, he returned to New Mexico to serve as the Program Director of Wings of America, an organization founded in 1988 to create opportunities for talented Native American runners. During his early years with Wings, Dustin used his youthfulness and willingness to travel to reinvigorate the Wings network and expand the reach of the organization’s summer programs to provide mentorship and learning opportunities for Native youth from coast to coast. Apart from continuing to lend a hand to some of the most-talented runners across Indian Country, Dustin developed programs, such as “Flight Club” and “Pursuit” that do not require participants to race one another. Regular movement and connection to the Land are what are most important. Under his leadership, the Wings organization purchased a headquarters in Albuquerque, NM, that houses the Wings Elite Program, an opportunity for the best post-collegiate runners from across Indian Country to run at a professional level with the support of a Native coach and Native-lead organization. Photo Credits: Benjamin Weingart and Joy Godfrey
- Tanner Albers, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
< Back Tanner Albers Tanner Albers Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Tanner Albers was a team captain for the 1994 and 1995 Boys Basketball Teams at Takini High in South Dakota. In both of those years he was the team’s leading scorer, earning All-State and All-Tournament honors while leading the Skyhawks to back-to-back state tournament appearances. He was also a team captain for the 1997-98 United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) Thunderbirds where he led them to the school’s first Junior College National Tournament appearance. That year he earned 1st Team Mon-Dak All-Region, Mon-Dak Region 8 Player of the Year, and was the school’s first, 1st Team All-American. Tanner is currently still the school’s all-time leading scorer UTTC. Tanner played for the Division I Delaware State University Hornets for the 1998-99 season and finished up his collegiate basketball career at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. Up until his passing in 2010, Tanner had traveled across North America, playing in many basketball tournaments with teams Iron 5, Iron Boy, Rim Rats, Pure Method, and many others. He would often receive MVP, All-Star, and others honors because of his amazing scoring and shooting talents. He had the opportunity to coach at the collegiate level and was a co-creator of HOOPGOD Basketball Camps. <Back
- Rob McClain | NAIAHF
Rob McClain Category Athlete Tribe Muscogee Creek/Red Lake Ojibwe Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 10/11/1998 Rob McClain started his athletic career in Red Lake, Minnesota. There he was a three sport athlete that excelled in Football, Golf and especially Basketball. Red Lake High school is where Rob played on the team varsity team for four years and went to the state tournament each of the four years. In his final two years of high school his team finished with a top four finish at state. He concluded his high school career with over 1500 points and 1300 rebounds. Rob played junior college basketball at United Tribes Technical College the next two years. He scored over 1000 points, was named all-conference two years in a row and also named an All-American in his second year playing there. He played well enough to garner attention from many NCAA Division I and II schools. He played his final two years of college basketball for the NCAA Division 1 school University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) coached by the late Lew Hill. Rob graduated from UTRGV in May of 2021 with his degree and is now back at United Tribes as an assistant coach on the Men’s Basketball team. Home 2027 Banquet 2027 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More
- Carolyn Darbyshire-McRorie | NAIAHF
Carolyn Darbyshire-McRorie Category Athlete Tribe Metis Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 12/6/1963 Carolyn was a contributing member of four provincial championships in 1985, 2007, 2009, and 2020. Playing with her mother in 1985, the team represented Manitoba at the Canadians. She moved to Calgary and played in many competitive play downs and an Olympic Trials spot in 2001, where she played all positions on mixed and ladies teams in that time period. Curling with Team Bernard in 2006, they played in various spiels and went on to win two provincial championships, the Olympic Trials in Edmonton and the Silver Medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, BC. In 2020, she went on to win the Senior Provincial Championship and went to play at the Canadians in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. In 2017, Carolyn went on to get her coaching certificate to give back to her curling community which has given her so much. She has coached a women’s team to their first Alberta Championship and an Olympic Trials spot. In 2018-19, she went on to work in China as the National Women’s curling coach, working with five teams at their Centre located in Beijing. Working closely with two teams, taking them throughout the World Curling Tour events, moved one team from a rank of 50th and 104th to a 24th and 26th ranking in the World Curling standings and a 5th place standing at the World Curling Championships. Carolyn is now back in Canada coaching junior teams for the past two years. Her hopes are to continue curling competitively and working with teams to help give them the knowledge of the game that has given her so much joy and happiness in her life. Home 2027 Banquet 2027 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More
- Kim Squire, Mohawk
< Back Kim Squire Kim Squire Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 Kim Squire, a member of the Ontario Raiders and Toronto Rock from 1998-2003, played a pivotal role during the Rock’s championship-winning dynasty in the early 2000s. Squire was a major part of four NLL championships. In 2001, Squire was second on the team in points during the regular season and first on the team in points during the postseason. Squire had almost 100 loose balls as a forward. He was named to the 2001 All-Pro Second Team. Squire scored 112 goals and recorded 107 assists in his 80-game career with the Ontario Raiders, Toronto Rock, Rochester Knighthawks and Buffalo Bandits. Squire was also ranked 10th in scoring with 14 goals in the all time Toronto Rock playoff career record book. He was on the 1998 Minto Cup and 2001 Mann Cup championship teams. In the first World Indoor Lacrosse Championship in 2003, Squire was a forward on the Iroquois Nationals silver medal team. Photos: Graig Abel/Toronto Rock <Back
- Bennae Calac, Pauma Band of Luiseño Indian
Bennae Calac Pauma Band of Luiseño Indian Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2022 <Back Bennae is a strong Native woman, mother, business owner, mentor, teacher, and leader. Over the last 35 years, Bennae Calac has represented Pauma in various political, cultural, and administrative capacities. She has served as the repatriation chair since the age of twenty-one and her life’s work is to preserve the culture and traditions of her people. She is dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of Luiseño songs and dances and works with her own children and local youth programs to ensure that this traditional knowledge is instilled in the younger generation. Bennae was elected as Committee Member to the Pauma Band’s Tribal Council in December 2008 and served another two-year term as Secretary and Treasurer. Through her various Tribal roles, Bennae interacts with the youth, culture, public and political relations. Bennae continually answers the community’s call to speak on topics ranging from native wellness, health advocacy, domestic violence, women’s issues, and cultural preservation. Bennae serves on numerous boards and committees, including as the Co-Founder of the 7G Foundation, a (501)(c)(3) organization providing Native Americans, and other Indigenous people and communities, assistance in reaching their goals through Athletics, Education, Health-Mind-Body Practices, and Community. She has also established and serves as Board Chair for Onoo Po Strategies, a multifaceted consultancy and holding company with capabilities in Economic Development, Technology, Procurement and Distribution, Business Strategy and Marketing, and Environmental and Agricultural Management. Photo: Mom (left) and daughter at the US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis.
- Sunnie R. Clahshischilgi | NAIAHF
Sunnie R. Clahchischilgi Category Media Tribe Diné (Navajo) Year Inducted 2022 Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi is a longtime storyteller from the Navajo Nation. She spent over a decade as sportswriter for the Navajo Times, telling stories of high school, college, and professional Navajo athletes. Clahchischiligi, a former athlete, developed an admiration for sports and storytelling at a young age. She completed six internships in three years, one at Sports Illustrated magazine in New York City. Clahchischiligi earned multiple awards for her writing in sports, editorial, community coverage, elder coverage, and investigative reporting. She wrote for the St. Cloud Times, the Albuquerque Journal, the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Osage News, Searchlight NM, and the Salt Lake Tribune. From her extensive coverage of basketball on the Navajo Nation, she has been dubbed an expert in rezball, a fast-paced style of basketball played throughout Indian Country. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, to name a few. Clahchischiligi has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the University of New Mexico, a master’s degree in rhetoric, writing, and digital media studies from Northern Arizona University, and is currently a PhD candidate in rhetoric and writing at UNM. She also teaches composition in the English department. Home 2027 Banquet 2027 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More
- Roger Vyse, Mohawk
< Back Roger Vyse Roger Vyse Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Roger Vyse is Mohawk, and member of the turtle clan from Six Nations, Ontario Canada. Growing up on the Six Nations reserve, lacrosse was the dominant sport especially in Vyse's family. Vyse played lacrosse for over 30 years starting at the age of four years old until he retired at the age of 36. Along the way Vyse was a long-standing member of the Iroquois Nationals box and field lacrosse teams starting in 1999 with the under 19 bronze medalists in Adalaide, Australia. Vyse attended Herkimer Community College where he started on attack and was a 2x All American. In his second and final season at Herkimer in 2003, Vyse and his teammates won the NJCAA championship going 18-0 on the season. Vyse played lacrosse at Limestone College Division II. Limestone would make the Division II finals both seasons (2004, 2005) but come up short losing both games in overtime. In Vyse's final season at Limestone, he broke the Division’s 34-year-old goals per season record by one goal (71). He led the team in goals and tied for most assist (71 goals, 29 assists = 100 points) in his final season of college lacrosse. Vyse would be drafted into the National Lacrosse League 13th overall in 2006 by the Buffalo Bandits. Vyse would help the team win the NLL title in 2008. He played six seasons with the Bandits and was nominated to play in the All Star game in 2009. He also played a season in Toronto and Philadelphia to end his NLL career. In the summer's he played for the SR A Six Nations Chiefs during 2002-2016 and also the Sr B Six Nations Rivermen during 2015-2017. While playing for the Chiefs, Vyse and his teammates won the Mann Cup (Canadian Box Lacrosse Championship) three times in ‘13, ‘14 and ‘16. In the same time period in 2015, Vyse helped the Six Nations Rivermen win their first Presidents Cup (Canadian National Title) and was selected to the 1st All Star team as well as being tournament MVP. Vyse still resides from his hometown of Six Nations with his wife and four children with one on the way this summer. Vyse is a Student Mentor at Ogwehoweh Skills and Trade training Center which is also located on the Six Nations of the Grand River. <Back
- Dano Thorne,’kwaliquinum’, Coast Salish Cowichan and Nez Perce
Dano Thorne,’kwaliquinum’ <Back Coast Salish Cowichan and Nez Perce Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2022 A First Nations life-long advocate for sport, recreation, youth, and sport from grassroots to international level. A national level coach and coach instructor and founding member national aboriginal coaching modules the first master coach in this program, instructor in national coaching certification program, life skills coach mentor, suicide prevention mentor, physical literacy and multi-sport mentor, technical advisor to national and provincial sports groups and technical advisor and interim board member of world games movement. A lifetime professional commitment to create and develop sports and recreation for youth across North America. As an athlete, Indigenous Team Canada Indoor Soccer 1989-1998, Pro Soccer 1986-1988, Premier League Men’s Soccer 1979-1999, Duncan United Indigenous Men Provincial Champions and numerous MVP honors, and British Columbia (BC) Champions in 1990 and 1991. As a head coach, men’s teams won BC Champions 3 times in 1990, 1991, and 2001 and women in 1992. Men national runner-up 2001, women world champions 2015, 2017, Cuba U20 2019 and women North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) champions in 1993 and 1995. As an advocate and leader including being a board member, NAIG Council, Aboriginal Sport Circle, Team BC chef de mission, Special Olympics North America, National Indigenous Physical Activity Cultural Circle, founder NIFA Soccer Society, member of national sports committee appointed by sport minister and numerous other committees. Awards and honors include five-time BC Coaching Awards, three-time National Coach Awards, first ever Indigenous National Coach of the Year 1999. Graduate National Coaching Institute 1995 and presently completing the Canada Sport Institute Master Coaching Diploma. A two time athlete of the year as Cowichan Tribes Athlete in 1976 and 1979. With his 2015 team world champions he was inducted into the BC Soccer Hall of Fame in 2021. Dano has holistic approaches and remembers his cultural teachings of his family and elders. He is recognized for humility and integrity, respect of diversity and working for all people of indigenous ancestry and beyond. Believe who you are and live your dreams to all youth. Dano has been walking the red road for 33 years and enjoys his life daily. Has a strong spiritual belief with the Creator.
- Laticia DeCory, Oglala Lakota
< Back Laticia DeCory Laticia DeCory Oglala Lakota Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Laticia "Doni" DeCory's life journey is the epitome of excellence that has resonated across multiple domains. DeCory's early years were marked by exceptional accomplishments in high school. A three-time first team South Dakota all-state athlete in basketball, she was bestowed with the honor of being part of the All-USA Today South Dakota team and the USA Today Athlete of the Year for South Dakota. Notably, she was a three-time state shot put champion and held a state record in shot put. She was named valedictorian from Pine Ridge High School. Her collegiate journey continued the legacy of triumph, with DeCory playing basketball at Brigham Young University (BYU) and excelling in track and field at Utah State. Her achievements included being a part of the 1994 Big West conference team champions and establishing a Western Athletic Conference Shot Put record. She continued to carve her legacy, becoming the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year for BYU women's basketball. DeCory diligently training for the US Olympic track and field team as a heptathlete and contributing to the inaugural Indigenous nation handball development team. She was recognized as a Converse All-American in high school and an Academic All-American in college at Utah State. She also was a Divison 1 assistant coach for the University of South Dakota. DeCory's prowess was not confined to the sporting arena. In her professional career, her influence extended into public health and medical care, with notable roles at the CDC and two decades of service as a respected pulmonologist and respiratory care specialist. She further made her mark in corporate healthcare as a Quality and Compliance Director for the Indian Health Service (IHS) and other private facilities. However, it's her enduring commitment to youth development that sets her apart. As the director of Youth Opportunity and the co-founder of the BEAR program, she has directly impacted the lives of over 3,000 young individuals, guiding them towards professional careers in fields ranging from medicine to academia. Laticia "Doni" DeCory's life is a testament to the heights that can be reached through unwavering dedication and a commitment to excellence. <Back
- Ted Nolan, Ojibwa
< Back Ted Nolan Ted Nolan Ojibwa Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Ted Nolan was born into a large family on the Garden River First Nation in northern Ontario in 1958. Nolan grew up playing minor hockey in Sault Ste. Marie, ON and left home at the age of 16 to play junior hockey in Kenora, ON. A year after leaving home to play in Kenora, he returned to play for his hometown Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League from 1976 to 1978. Nolan was drafted into the NHL in 1978 by the Detroit Red Wings. After a brief stint in the Red Wings organization, which saw him raise the Calder Cup Championship with their minor league affiliate, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins appearing in 78 NHL games before having his career cut short by a serious back injury at the age of 26. After being forced to retire in 1986, Nolan knew he wanted to stay involved in hockey, and it was his first coaching job in 1989 with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL. After a couple tough seasons of not making the playoffs, Nolan found his groove and took his Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to three straight Memorial Cup appearances, eventually winning the prized possession in 1993. A year after winning the Memorial Cup, Nolan was hired as an assistant coach for the Hartford Whalers in the National Hockey League (NHL). After one season with the Whalers, he would then coach the Buffalo Sabres (1995-1997 and 2013-2015) and the NY Islanders (2006-2008). During the Buffalo Sabres season in 1996-1997, which saw them capture first in the Northeast Division, Nolan was awarded the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. Nolan also has international coaching experience, leading the Latvian Men’s National Ice Hockey Team to the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The Latvian’s would go on to finish 8th in the Men’s Ice Hockey Olympic Games. Nolan is so grateful for the opportunities hockey has created in his life, and most importantly, the opportunity it has created to become a positive role model for First Nations people all across Canada. <Back








