The first 14, Indian athletes named to the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame at Lawrence, Kansas, will be formally inducted November 25, according to the Board, which includes representatives from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Nine of the Athletes will be inducted posthumously.
Ceremonies marking the occasion will be held in the Student Union Building of Haskell Indian Junior College, Lawrence, Kansas. A display room has been set aside to house the memorabilia on Indian sports heroes until the Hall of Fame Building can be erected on the famed Haskell campus.
The American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame will stand as a historical record and tribute to the abilities of Indian athletes and as art inspiration for Indian youth seeking to develop rewarding and productive lives. The Hall of Fame was incorporated as a non-profit organization in August 1972 in the State of Kansas. It will be supported by private donations.
Haskell Indian Junior College was selected as the home of the Hall of Fame because of its prominent history. The great Haskell Institute teams of the late 1920's won nationwide acclaim for their football prowess.
Billy Mills, Oglala Sioux Indian and Director of Recreation, Physical Education and Athletics for the BIA, is representing Commissioner Louis R. Bruce on the Hall of Fame Board to bring plans to fruition. He is a Haskell graduate who became the first American ever to win the Olympic 10,000-meter run in 1964.
The fourteen athletes to be inducted were selected in September by a five-member committee from the Board consisting of George LaVatta, Portland, Oreg.; Harold Schunk, Rapid City, S.D.; Albert Hawley, Phoenix, Ariz.; Elijah Smith, Riverside Calif.; and Mills.
Other members of the Board are Clarence Acoya, Denver, Colo.; Walter McDonald, Billings, Mont.; Dr. Walter Soboloff, Juneau, Alaska; Roger Jourdain, Minneapolis, Minn.; Joe Watson, Navajo Area; Overton James, Anadarko, Okla.; Clarence Tallbull, Phoenix, Ariz.; and Fred Owl, Cherokee, .N. C.
The nine to be inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame include:
Jim Thorpe -- Potawatomi/Sac & Fox Tribe. Born Prague, Okla., 1888, died 1953. Attended Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle, Pa., and Cumberland Valley College, Fa. Named All-American halfback at Carlisle 1908, 1911 and 1912. Gold Medal winner in the Pentathlon and the Decathlon at the 1912
Olympic games. Voted greatest athlete of the 1st half century.
Charles A., "Chief" Bender -- Chippewa Tribe. Born Brainard, Minn., 1884, died 1954. Attended Carlisle Indian School. Major league pitcher for Philadelphia, 1903 - 1917. Played in World Series· of 1905, 1909, 1911, 1913 and 1914. Named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, 1953.
John Levi -- Arapaho Tribe. Born Bridgeport Territory, Okla., 1898, died 1946. Attended Haskell Institute, Lawrence, Kansas, 1921 - 1924. All-American fullback in football and named Haskell's greatest all-around athlete. Jim Thorpe called him "The greatest athlete I have ever seen."
Rueben Sanders -- Tututni, Rogue River Indian. Born Corvallis, Ore., 1876, died 1957. Attended Chemawa Indian School, Ore., excelled in football, baseball, track and bike riding. Achieved the distinction of being one of the greatest all-time football players and all-around athletes in the State of Oregon.
John "Chief" Meyers -- Cahuilla Band. Born Riverside, Calif., 1880, died 1970. Attended Riverside High School and Dartmouth College. Played major; league baseball with New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1908 - 1916. Batted 358 with 1913 Giants. Earned title of "Ironman" as Giant catcher from 1911 - 1913.
Joseph N. Guyon -- White Earth Chippewa Tribe. Born White Earth, Minn., 1892, died 1971. Attended Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle, Pa., 1911 -1914; Georgia Tech, 1917 - 1918. Named All-American at Carlisle 1913 and 1914 and All-American at Georgia Tech 1917 and 1918. Played professional football with Kansas City Cowboys and New York Giants. Named to National Professional Football Hall of Fame, 1966.
Louis Tewanima -- Hopi Tribe. Born Second Mesa, Ariz., 1877, died 1969. Attended Carlisle Indian School, 1907 - 1912. Member of the 1908 Olympic Team, ninth in the Marathon. Member of the 1912 Olympic Team, second place in 10,000-meters. Named to Arizona sport Hall of Fame, 1957; Helms Foundation member to the all-time U.S. Track and Field Team, 1954. Established a new world record in the ten-mile run, 1909.
Alexander Arcasa -- Colville Tribe. Born Orient, Wash., 1890, died 1962. Attended Carlisle Indian School 1909 - 1912. Excelled in football and lacrosse. Named to Walter Camp's All-American team of 1912. Camp's second choice after Jim Thorpe.
