Month: May 2023

Categories
NDN All-Star Info

Cool new Children’s Book!!!

"Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series" book cover

Just came across some information about a cool new children’s book featuring the first World Series NDN All-Star face-off ever!

The book “Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series” – written by Traci Sowell and illustrated by Arigon Starr, tells the true story of NDN All-Star #5 Charles Albert “Chief” Bender (Ojibwe) and NDN All-Star #18 John Tortes Meyers (Cahuilla) and their meeting in the 1911 World Series between Bender’s Philadelphia A’s and Meyers’ New York Giants.

I haven’t read it yet, but as soon as my copy gets here, I will update this blog post with my thoughts.

Have you read this book?  Leave a comment and tell me what you thought!  I know – it’s a KIDS book!  But it’s a KIDS book about NDN ALL-STARS!!!

#NDNAllstars #ChiefBender #WorldSeries #JohnTortesMeyers #ChildrensBook #TraciSowell #ArigonStarr #MLB #Ojibwe #Cahuilla

If you enjoy the content here and would like to help support our mission of celebrating great Native athletes of the past and present, please take a look at our NDN All-Stars Shop. Proceeds from every purchase help us continue to retell these stories. Also, if you would like to donate to this effort, please visit our Patreon page.
Thank you for your support!

Categories
NDN All-Star Info NDN All-Star Profile

The Carlisle Indians – A Football Dynasty

Carlisle Indians Football Team

In this blog post, I want to change up a little bit and – instead of focusing on one individual athlete, I would like to talk about one the most influential football programs in the storied history of the gridiron.

And, while the tragedies that came along with the whole Indian Boarding School concept (and there were countless horrible things that occurred at those institutions) are still being uncovered, this post is about one of the more positive outcomes from that failed social experiment.

A lot has been written about the Carlisle Indians, Jim Thorpe, Pop Warner and more, and deservedly so.  What was created at Carlisle when you view things through a sports program lens, the accomplishments of the teams from Carlisle are astounding!

Instead of me rehashing a lot of facts and statistics, I would like to point you to some books written by a lot smarter people than me who have researched and dug and discovered all the great information we want to know about Carlisle football.

Check these out:

“Gridiron Gypsies” by Dr. Tom Benjey

“The Real All-Americans” by Sally Jenkins

“Carlisle vs Army” by Lars Anderson

There are many more books about some of the athletes who attended and played at Carlisle – Jim Thorpe, Chief Bender, Joe Guyon, Albert Exendine – the list goes on.  I will talk about some of those when I post about the individuals.

If you have a favorite book about the football program at Carlisle Industrial School, leave a comment and tell me which one and why.  I would love to hear about it.

And – in celebration of the Carlisle Industrial School and their dominant football team, here is the Carlisle School March.  (Imagine if the band played this after every touchdown like colleges do with their Fight Songs today… the band would be exhausted!)

#NDNAllstars #CarlisleFootball #JimThorpe #PopWarner

If you enjoy the content here and would like to help support our mission of celebrating great Native athletes of the past and present, please take a look at our NDN All-Stars Shop. Proceeds from every purchase help us continue to retell these stories. Also, if you would like to donate to this effort, please visit our Patreon page.
Thank you for your support!

Categories
NDN All-Star Profile

NDN All-Star #8 Tom Longboat (Onondaga)

NDN All-Star #8 Tom Longboat (Onondaga)

NDN All-Star #8 Tom Longboat (Onondaga) was a long-distance runner from Canada. I selected him for the NDN All-Stars line up because of his unbelievable accomplishments, including winning the Boston Marathon in 1907 – shattering the record by a staggering 5 MINUTES (a whole mile’s worth of running time). He also won two Canadian championships, two US championships, and represented Canada in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.

I will be honest… I didn’t know about Tom Longboat before I started doing research for this whole NDN All-Stars thing.  I could barely believe what I was reading when I came across information about Tom Longboat. I am glad that I found out about him – and can now share his story and accomplishments with all of you!

At the beginning of the 20th Century, long distance running was an international phenomenon – with races being held all over North America and Europe.  And these were not just ANY races… they were true feats of endurance.  Longboat beat an Italian runner named Dorando Pietri of Italy for the “World Professional Running Championship”. The race was held in Madison Square Garden on December 15, 190. Longboat won when Dorando collapsed with half a mile to go. When Longboat crossed the finish line, he had been running for 2 hours, 45 minutes, and 5.2 seconds, and he won a prize of $3,750.

His success as a long-distance runner made him one of Canada’s first sports celebrities and earned him the nickname “The Iron Man”. He was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1955 as part of their inaugural class of inductees.

Tom Longboat remains one of Canada’s most celebrated athletes to this day.  Here is a short animated story of NDN All-Star #8 Tom Longboat that is pretty entertaining…

During World War I, Tom Longboat was a messenger, running through heavy fire to deliver communications to Allied Forces.  There is a story that once, when he made a fast journey and delivered the message he was tasked with, the commanding officer said something to the effect of “Wow!  That was fast!  Who do you think you are? Tom Longboat?”  Tom replied simply, “Yes, as a matter of fact.”

A world famous long distance runner, Boston Marathon winner AND war hero!  NDN All-Star #8 Tom Longboat – an NDN All-Star everyone should know about!

If you enjoy the content here and would like to help support our mission of celebrating great Native athletes of the past and present, please take a look at our NDN All-Stars Shop. Proceeds from every purchase help us continue to retell these stories. Also, if you would like to donate to this effort, please visit our Patreon page.
Thank you for your support!

Categories
NDN All-Star Profile

NDN All-Star #7 Billy Mills (Oglala Sioux)

NDN All-Star #7 Billy Mills (Oglala Siouc)

NDN All-Star #7 Billy Mills, a member of the Oglala Sioux, was the winner of the Gold Medal in the 10,000 meter race at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. It was an extraordinary achievement, given his humble beginnings on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. His amazing come-from-behind victory has since become a source of inspiration for Native Americans everywhere. Click the link to see him pour on the speed to win the Gold Medal!  It gives me goose bumps every time I see it!

His story is one that shows that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and never give up – regardless of where you come from.  It has been told numerous times, and was even made into a movie in 1983 called “Running Brave“.

Billy has used his celebrity to good effect.  He is the national spokesperson for the “Running Strong for American Indian Youth” foundation, doing great work to provide better lives and opportunities for the next generations of Native youth.  Click the link and see how you can help their efforts.

As the only American to win the Gold Medal in the 10,000 meter race, NDN All-Star #7 Billy Mills is a true NDN All-Star!

If you enjoy the content here and would like to help support our mission of celebrating great Native athletes of the past and present, please take a look at our NDN All-Stars Shop. Proceeds from every purchase help us continue to retell these stories. Also, if you would like to donate to this effort, please visit our Patreon page.
Thank you for your support!