Contact Us

Best Native American Athletes of All Time

In this article, we look at some of the best ever native American athletes to have graced the earth. See who made the list now.

Ankit Kanaujia
Last updated: 24.10.2022
Best Native American Athletes of All Time

Native American Athletes


Native American names are rarely mentioned in discussions about influential sports figures in the United States. Nonetheless, numerous Native athletes have broken records while also breaking social barriers. Here are some people who have had a significant impact on their individual sports as well as the world.

 

Naomi Lang

 

Lang, whose native name is Maheetahan, is a former competitive ice dancer. She is a two-time Four Continents champion and a five-time US national champion with her partner Peter Tchernyshev. Their partnership was like no other. Think of NBA Duos like Jordan and Pippen or Soccer Duos like Ronaldo and Rooney. Skaters from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania compete in the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. Lang won the United States Novice title in 1995 and silver in the United States Junior competition in 1996. She was the first Native American female athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics in 2002, though she did not make the podium.


 

Billy Mills

 

Billy Mills, an Oglala-Lakota-Sioux American Indian from South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, is best known for becoming the first American athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in the 10,000 meters footrace. When Billy Mills won his Olympic gold medal in 1964, he was a First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Mills was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant from the military after serving his country during the Vietnam War. Mills is the national spokesman for RUNNING STRONG FOR AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH, an organization whose mission is to assist American Indian people in meeting their immediate survival needs - food, water, and shelter - while also implementing and supporting programs that promote self-sufficiency and self-esteem.

 

Jim Thorpe

 

Jim Thorpe was a football All-American at Carlisle Indian School and won the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games. Thorpe is considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern times, having competed in American football, professional baseball, and basketball. Thorpe was named to the United States team for the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, and won the gold medal in the pentathlon by winning four of five events. A week later, despite competing in mismatched shoes, he dominated the field in the decathlon, winning the high jump, 110-meter hurdles, and 1,500 meters.

 

Louis Tewanima

 

What is often forgotten is that Hopi runner Louis Tewanima won silver in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics as a Carlisle teammate of Thorpe. Tewanima's 10,000-meter medal was the best by an American until Mills surpassed it. Tewanima competed in the Olympic marathon races in both 1908 and 1912. Louis Tewanima is a national hero among the Hopi, who honor him with a race every Labor Day. For a few years, the Carlisle School had Tewanima, Frank Mount Pleasant, and Thorpe, who beat elite college teams as a three-person team.

 

 

Spencer O’Brien

 

Spencer O'Brien, one of the most decorated female snowboarders of all time, is proud of her Haida and Kwakwaka'wakw ancestors. Despite having rheumatoid arthritis for much of her career, O'Brien won the world championship in 2013 and has five Winter X Games medals. When she isn’t competing and jetting to wherever the snow is the best, she can be found in the most prominent snowboard magazines and movies.

 

Taffy Abel

 

Taffy Abel had spent his entire life masquerading as White. He had no trouble concealing his identity with light-colored skin and brown eyes. As a result, when he became the first Native American to play for the United States hockey team in the Winter Olympics in 1924, he kept his Chippewa heritage a secret. As a child growing up in the northern Michigan town of Sault Ste. Marie, Abel began hiding his Native American heritage out of fear of being taken from his home and sent to one of the region's boarding schools for Native American children. Children were forced to stop speaking their native languages and practicing their culture and traditions at these schools.

Chase Your Sport

Stay up-to-date on the latest sports news, stats, expert analysis and trends, including cricket, football, wrestling, tennis, basketball, Formula One and more. Find previews, schedules, results of upcoming events, and fantasy tips on Chase Your Sport.