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Sam McCracken Sioux and Assiniboine Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2022 <Back Sam McCracken, is a member of the Sioux and Assiniboine tribes in northeastern Montana on the Ft. Peck Indian Reservation and the General Manager of Nike N7. He also serves as the Vice Chair of the board for the Center for Native American Youth. McCracken started with Nike in 1997. He became the Manager of Nike’s Native American Business in 2000 and led the development of the Nike Air Native N7 shoe, the retail collection and the fund which provides access to sport for Native American and Indigenous youth in North America. Since 2009, the fund has awarded more than $8 million in grants to Tribal communities, reaching more than 500,000 youth. McCracken received Nike’s Bowerman Award in 2004, named after Nike co-founder and track and field coach Bill Bowerman. He was honored by the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge with the George Washington Honor Medal in 2004. In 2007, he was coined a "corporate change maker" and named among the 20 most innovative global “Intrapreneurs” by sustainability.com. He worked with Nike to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Indian Health Service in 2003 and 2009, and with the Bureau of Indian Education in 2010 bringing access to sport for Native American communities. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Advisory Council on Indian Education in 2010 and received the President’s "Leadership Award" from the National Indian Gaming Association in 2010. More recently, McCracken and N7 received the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s 2019 Corporate Business of the Year award and in 2020, McCracken was inducted into the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2022, McCracken was honored by the World Economic Forum as the Schwab Foundation’s Social Intrapraneur of the Year.

< 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

< Back Brady Fairbanks Brady Fairbanks Leech Lake Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Brady Fairbanks, 2007 graduate of Cass Lake Bena High School (MN), was a Minnesota High School All-State athlete in football and basketball. During his high school career, Fairbanks was a three-year starter on the basketball team leading CLB to an 83-11 record, including 42-0 in conference play. In 2006-2007, he led CLB to the Class A State Championship game where the team came up just shy of victory in a memorable game. Accomplishments include: • Conference MVP (‘06 and ‘07), • Section 6 MVP (‘06 and ‘07), • Honorable Mention State (‘06), • 2nd Team All State (‘07), • McDonald’s All-American Nominee, • Minnesota Native American Athlete of the Year, • National High School Player of the Year (Native Elite Showcase) Fairbanks accepted a full scholarship to NCAA DII Bemidji State University, becoming a starter and earning a spot on the All-Freshman Team in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Transferring to Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) after his junior year, Fairbanks had a historical year becoming the school’s first male athlete to become a NAIA All-American. Accomplishments include: • 7th nationally in scoring (20.9), • 14th in rebounding (6.3), • First Team All-Conference, • Conference New-Comer of the Year, • Team MVP, • 1,000+ Points (Collegiate Career). Photos: Haskell Athletics and Ryan White <Back

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

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.

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

Builders 7G Foundation Bennae Calac Denise Waterman Ernie Stevens Jr. Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians Oneida Oneida Oren Lyons Onondaga Sam McCracken Sioux and Assiniboine Wilton Littlechild Cree

North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF) Banquet Saturday, September 9, 2023 from 9 am to 3 pm at Canterbury Park Expo Center: https://www.canterburyparkevents.com/venues/expo-center/ The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame will recognize the inaugural 2022 and second class of 2023 inductees in a ceremony and lunch on Saturday, September 9, 2023. By honoring and celebrating the empowered journey of these individuals and teams, the hope is their stories may inspire future generations to follow their dreams in athletics. Please join us in our efforts to honor and recognize the elite indigenous athletics leaders in North America by becoming a sponsor or hall of fame program advertiser of our first North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony and Dinner. All proceeds will offset the event expenses including providing gifts to the inductees. This is the NAIAHF website: https://www.naiahf.org/ Dr. Dan and Susan Ninham, Directors, NAIAHF, PO Box 652, Red Lake, MN, USA, 56671, coach.danninham@gmail.com Gold Sponsor $5,000 Three reserved VIP banquet tables for 10 per table and 30 total Logo on the Welcome signage Logo on both sides of the Autograph Card Logo and website link on the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame webpage Video screen logo at the banquet One sponsor spokesperson will be speaking for five minutes at the afternoon banquet session Announcement of Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors at the banquet Silver Sponsor $3,000 Two reserved VIP banquet tables for 10 per table and 20 total Logo on the Welcome signage Logo on both sides of the Autograph Card Logo and website link on the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame webpage Video screen logo at the banquet One sponsor spokesperson will be speaking for five minutes at the afternoon banquet session Announcement of Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors at the Banquet Bronze Sponsor $1,000 One reserved VIP banquet table for 10 total Logo on the Welcome signage Logo on both sides of the Autograph Card Logo and website link on the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame webpage Video screen logo at the banquet One sponsor spokesperson will be speaking for five minutes at the afternoon banquet session Announcement of Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors at the Banquet Hall Of Fame Table Sponsor $400 per 10 seat table Logo or words on the bottom of both sides of the Autograph Card Sponsor may designate who will be seated or allow Dr. Dan and Susan to seat people Announcement as a Table Sponsor at the Banquet Hall of Fame Banquet Drawing Prize Sponsor $500+ retail value of drawing prizes Logo or words on the bottom of both sides of the Autograph Card Announcement as a Drawing Sponsor at the Banquet If retail value of drawing prizes are at the Gold, Silver or Bronze levels above, the same Medal perks are included Sponsorship Details The deadline to receive sponsorship is noon central time on August 18, 2023. The deadline to receive payment and copy ready ad for the Hall of Fame Program is also noon central time August 18, 2023. Payment can be made in a check or money order and sent to Empowered Youth Development Initiatives, C/O NAIAHF Banquet Sponsor, PO Box 652, Red Lake, MN, USA, 56671. Payment can also be made by PayPal - use code: coach.danninham@midco.net . All payments are in USD. Contact Dr. Dan Ninham at 218.368.6430 (text preferred) or coach.danninham@gmail.com to receive additional details about the sponsorship and Hall of Fame program advertising.

< Back Angel Goodrich Angel Goodrich United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Angel Goodrich was born in Glendale, Arizona, to parents Jonathan and Fayth Lewis. She has two siblings, an older brother Zach and a younger sister Nikki. She is a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Goodrich attended Sequoyah High School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where she was the first Division 1 athletic scholarship recipient in school history. During her time at the Cherokee-operated school, she led the Lady Indians to three consecutive Class AAA state titles and a runner-up finish. She scored over 2,000 points in her illustrious career. As a senior, Goodrich was named 2007 Gatorade Player of the Year in Oklahoma and received the honor of being a WBCA/State Farm All-American. After high school, Goodrich went on to play basketball at the University of Kansas. During her freshman year, Angel tore her left ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), which kept her on the sidelines for the entire season. The following year she tore her right ACL after only 15 games. Despite these bumps in her basketball journey, she still scored over 1,000 points in her career as a Jayhawk, and became the Jayhawks’ all-time career assists leader. Goodrich’s total of 771 assists ranks her as the third-highest in Big 12 Conference history. In her senior year, Goodrich was a finalist for the Naismith Award, Wade Trophy, Wooden Award, Nancy Lieberman Award, and the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. She also earned First Team All Big 12 honors, and was a member of the WBCA All-Region 5 Team. In 2013, Goodrich was selected in the third round of the WNBA draft (29th pick overall) by the Tulsa Shock. At the time she was the highest-drafted Native American player in the history of the WNBA. In 2014, she completed her second and final season with the Shock. In 2015, she was picked up by the Seattle Storm. With the Storm, she registered her first double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in her WNBA career. Goodrich’s WNBA career ended in 2016. During these years, she also spent time playing overseas in both Poland and Russia. Angel currently resides in Oklahoma as a firefighter for the Tulsa Fire Department and in her spare time, officiates youth basketball games. Photo Credit: The Seattle Storm <Back

< Back Lindy Waters III Lindy Waters III Kiowa/Cherokee Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Lindy Waters III is a Native American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association. He was born in Boulder, Colorado to Lisa and Lindy Waters, Jr. At age four, Lindy, his parents and his three sisters, Leana, Loren and Lindsey, moved to Norman, Oklahoma where he attended school and played several sports, including basketball, baseball, and football. After graduating from high school, Lindy was offered multiple college basketball scholarships. He attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma where he started in over 100 games and finished his college basketball career with over 1,000 points, 250 assists and 100 steals. Lindy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management. He is a citizen of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation. In 2018, Lindy was named “Indian of the Year” by the American Indian Exposition, one of the nation’s oldest and largest intertribal celebrations. In 2022, he founded the Lindy Waters III Foundation whose mission is to enhance and support Native American youth and Indigenous communities through sports, health and wellness, and leadership programs. The foundation is committed to providing a platform for individual improvement, opportunity, exposure and access for all Native youth. Action shot photo credit: Getty Images Profile photo credit: Loren Waters, Waters Media <Back

< 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 Teton Saltes Teton Saltes Oglala Lakota Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Teton Saltes is a remarkable individual whose list of accomplishments is nothing short of extraordinary, all achieved by the age of 25. He stands as a symbol of unwavering dedication and the potential for change and impact at a remarkably young age. During his college football career, Saltes earned two Mountain West All-Conference honorable mentions and was twice honored as a Mountain West All-Academic. Notably, he holds the distinction of being the only college football major award winner in University of New Mexico history as the recipient of the prestigious Wuerffel Trophy. His four-year stint as a starting offensive lineman for the University of New Mexico football team showcases his exceptional athletic abilities and cemented his legacy as one of the best offensive lineman to ever play at UNM. In 2021, Saltes joined the NFL and was a member of the New York Jets. He played in the USFL in 2022 for the Michigan Panthers and secured a championship in the XFL in 2023 with the Arlington Renegades. Beyond his sporting achievements, Saltes's advocacy efforts are equally noteworthy. He addressed the United States Congress and testified before the New Mexico state legislature, passionately advocating for mental health support for student-athletes. His role as a board member in the BEAR Project in Pine Ridge, SD, demonstrates his unwavering commitment to community betterment. Saltes's academic accomplishments are as impressive as his athletic and advocacy feats. He graduated with a degree in political science and entered into a master of law graduate program, with intentions to eventually receive his Juris Doctorate. Saltes' legacy is a testament to the incredible impact an individual can have with determination, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to their goals. <Back