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Gewas Schindler Category Athlete Tribe Oneida Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 3/28/1976 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. Home 2025 Banquet 2025 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

Kyle Ḵaayák’w Worl Category Athlete Tribe Tlingit, Deg Hit’an Athabascan and Yup'ik Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 3/16/1991 Kyle Ḵaayák’w Worl is an award-winning Arctic Sports athlete and coach currently residing in Juneau, Alaska. Worl is Tlingit of the Lukaax̱.ádi clan, Deg Hit’an Athabascan and Yup'ik. Over his 13 year career in the sport he has won over 100 medals, traveling through Alaska, Canada and Greenland to participate in various competitions. He is credited for spurring a renaissance in Arctic Sports in southeast Alaska as the first coach for Juneau in over 25 years to bring a team to the Native Youth Olympics in 2018. Along with training and coaching year-round in Alaska, Worl travels across the world to share Arctic Sports, including the Riddu Riddu Festival in Norway, Orenda Art International Gallery in Paris, and Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Currently, Worl works with the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska as the Wellness Coordinator, overseeing a region-wide Traditional Games program. A few of his accolades include being featured in October 2019 Men’s Health Magazine; 2018 & 2019 NYO Games Alaska Healthy Coach Award; 2021, 2018, 2017 & 2016 World Eskimo Indian Olympics Outstanding Athlete Award. Arctic Sports are a collection of Indigenous games based on hunting and survival skills of the north. The games trained both physical and mental abilities that allowed the indigenous people of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Chukotka to thrive in the Arctic for millennia. Today athletes from across the Arctic and beyond carry on the tradition of the games in events such as Native Youth Olympics, World Eskimo-Indian Olympic, and Arctic Winter Games. Photos: Nobu Koch, Sealaska Heritage and Greg Lincoln, Delta Discovery. Home 2025 Banquet 2025 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

< 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

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< 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

Jim Neilson Category Athlete Tribe Big River First Nation Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 11/28/1941 - 11/6/2020 Jim Neilson was one of the first Indigenous superstars in the sport of hockey, playing in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons. Born in Big River, Saskatchewan and raised at an orphanage in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Neilson honed his hockey skills through his youth. At 17 he played Junior A with the Prince Albert Mintos in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He made his professional debut at 19 for the Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers of the Eastern Professional Hockey League, named the league’s top rookie in 1962. That fall he joined the New York Rangers of the NHL for the next 12 seasons. He was named the Rangers top defenseman in 1966 and was runner-up to Bobby Orr for the Norris Trophy (top defenseman) in 1967-68. Neilson and the Rangers lost in the 1972 Stanley Cup Final to Boston in 6 games. In 1974 he was traded to the California Golden Seals, where he was named team captain and Team MVP in 1975-76. Neilson finished his NHL career with the Cleveland Barons for 2 seasons, where he again was the team captain. He was the team nominee for the Bill Masterton Award presented to the player who depicts perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication. His professional career concluded in 1978-79 when he played with the Edmonton Oilers in the World Hockey Association where he was a teammate of 17 year-old Wayne Gretzky. In 1,023 regular season NHL games, Neilson had 69 goals and 299 assists and was named to 4 NHL All Star Teams. Jim Neilson was inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Home 2025 Banquet 2025 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

Eddie Lone Eagle Category Athlete Tribe Red Lake Band of Ojibwe Year Inducted 2022 Eddie Lone Eagle grew up on the streets of Minneapolis as a young man and wanted to give his life more meaning by being a part of something much bigger than himself. In 2011 he witnessed local powerlifters at the Los Campeones Gym on Franklin Avenue in South Minneapolis and discovered his true calling. Lone Eagle is a citizen of the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation, a member of the Eagle Clan, and also a descendant of the White Earth Nation. After finding himself intrigued by the power of lifting, he started powerlifting in 2011 at the Los Campeones Gym. He knew he wanted to be committed to be one, too. In 2013, he won the International Powerlifting League (IPL) World Powerlifting Championships in the 165 lb. weight class with a 529 lb. squat, 352 lb. bench, and a 551 lb. deadlift, with a 1432 lb. total. He became a World Champion in the World Affiliate of United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Federation. In 2020, Lone Eagle was invited to lift at the Pro Day at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. His personal records were 925 lb. squat, 535 lb. bench, and 615 lb. deadlift for a qualifying total of 2075 lbs. in the 220 lb. weight class, qualifying him for the World Powerlifting Congress (WPC) World Championships in Illinois that following October. His future and main goals in powerlifting are to be invited to lift at the World Powerlifting Organization (WPO). Home 2025 Banquet 2025 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

< Back Asa Shenandoah Asa Shenandoah Lumbee/Tuscarora/Onondaga Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Asa Shenandoah, Daiaweñdodeh, represents two bloodlines. Her mother’s people, the Lumbee and Tuscarora Tribes of North Carolina, are river, swamp and coastal folk. Her father’s people welcomed the Peacemaker into Haudenosaunee territory on the Onondaga Lake. Though Shenandoah was adopted by her father’s nation at birth, her call to water comes from both sides. Shenandoah attended St. Andrew’s School in Delaware where she discovered rowing. She was moved to the top varsity boat as a sophomore, one of two underclassman on an all senior boat. That year she competed in the most prestigious high school rowing competition in the world, the 2004 Stotesbury Regatta. The team won with a time of 5:29:05 in the 1500m sprint. Their success secured them entry into the Henley Royal Regatta in England. Henley attracts Olympic and elite intercollegiate competitors from around the globe. Few high school programs participate. Her team set a divisional course record during the semifinals. They placed second in the finals. After college Shenandoah was approached to help create a Native crew team in Onondaga. At one time the lake had become one of the most polluted lakes in the world. She saw this as an opportunity to help to repair her community’s relationship with, and bring exposure to, the water. Shenandoah began coaching for the Syracuse City School crew team and Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club.These programs gave her the experience, certifications and support to grow the first indigenous crew team. Under her leadership the team gained representatives from across the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. She built connections that brought the team instruction from the head coach of Colgate University, training with Virginia Commonwealth University Women’s team and use of Syracuse University’s training facilities. They competed in several regattas within the first year. This crew of mothers, grandmothers, college students and aunties advocated for women and promoted wellness within their community. Since COVID, however, they are on hiatus. The goal for Shenandoah having a boathouse on the lake would be the first time the Onondaga People would occupy a place on the water in a very long time. <Back

Joy SpearChief-Morris Category Athlete Tribe Blackfoot (Blood Kainai) Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 3/17/1994 Joy is an Indigenous Black Canadian writer, advocate, and athlete. She is a proud member of the Kainai Blood Tribe and grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta. Joy is a retired 100m hurdler in athletics, three-time Canadian National Championship finalist and two-time Team Canada member. As a member of Team Canada, she is a 2014 North American Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 silver medalist and a fifth place finisher at the 2019 FISU World Universidad. She has sat on the AthletesCAN Board of Directors and Athletics Canada’s Athletes Council, and now sits on the AthletesCAN Diversity and Equity Advisory Committee. Joy has achieved several notable accolades. Most notably, she was the 2016 and 2017 OUA Female Track MVP, 2017 USports Student-Athlete Community Service Award winner, 2017 Tom Longboat Award winner and the featured cover athlete for the 2019 May/June issue of Canadian Running Magazine. Joy has a Bachelor’s degree in History and First Nations Studies and a Master’s degree in Political Science specializing in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction from Western University. Joy is now pursuing a career as a journalist, having bylines in The Globe and Mail and CBC Sports. She is currently in the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University. Home 2025 Banquet 2025 Banquet Sponsorship About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

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 Naomi Lang Strong Naomi Lang Strong Karuk Tribe of Northern California Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Naomi Lang was a competitive ice dancer, and represented the United States in numerous competitions around the world. She has five U.S. national titles, and has competed at five world championships, in which she placed in the top 10 each time. She is a member of the 2002 Olympic team, and became the first Native American woman to compete at the Winter Olympics. Naomi continued to skate professionally and appeared in several U.S. ice shows, including many of the Disson skating shows televised on NBC and the Hallmark Channel. She also toured extensively in Europe and Russia performing in Art on Ice, Kings on Ice with Evgeni Plushenko and composer and violinist Edvin Marton, and the Katarina Witt Farewell Tour. They performed at Jim Carrey's private Christmas party in Hollywood. She is a member of the Karuk tribe of northern California, and has Wiyot and Shasta decency. She was born in Arcata, California. Additionally, Naomi was inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. Naomi has been instructing figure skating for 18 years, and her goal in teaching figure skating is to inspire people, not only from her own experiences, but share everything she has discovered and learned along the way. Whether it be from her own amazing coaches or things she learned touring the world for figure skating, she wants to help make dreams come true, and strive to find the right path for everyone, and with the right balance of fun and hard work She believe dreams can come true. <Back

< Back Jim "Jake" Maloney Jim "Jake" Maloney Sipe’kneketik First Nation, Nova Scotia, Canada Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Jim “Jake” Maloney is a Karate Master Rank and 10th Degree Black Belt training uninterrupted for 55 years beginning in 1963. Jim is the first person in Canada to reach the rank of Black belt in Uechi Ryu Karate, in 1967, and in 1970 brought Uechi Ryu Karate to Canada. Jim grew up in Sipe’kneketik First Nation, Nova Scotia, Canada. At the young age of 16, Jim moved to Boston, Massachusetts and he soon found the Mattson Academy of Karate. The Academy was the founder of Uechi Ryu in the United States and when George Mattson took Jim in under his care, Jim found exactly what he was looking for. Jim studied alongside some of the most decorated competitors in the sport. Jim’s first instructor was Van Canna, one of the top tournament competitors in the Northeastern United States. Jim trained under George Mattson, when Mattson singled him out and provided special attention to his training. Jim began and quickly became, “one of the top kumite competitors”. Jim was an undefeated New England champion in free fighting and cement breaking competitions (1967 -1973). As an official representative to Okinawa, Japan for Canada in the Uechi Ryu Karate Association, Jim has trained more than 16,000 students internationally spanning over four decades, while developing and training hundreds of fighting champions on full contact basis. Jim Maloney has organized and operate the first independent, all Aboriginal training institute in Canada named the First Nation Tribal Justice Institute. The Institute is responsible for training hundreds of First Nation peoples across Canada. Jim Maloney is a living legend, having already been recognized, honored and inducted into the Mi’kmaq Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, the Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame in 2018 and the East Hants Sport Hall of Fame in 2020. <Back