| The Iroquois are a unique entity, comprising the only Native American team sanctioned to compete in any sport internationally. Prior to the induction of the Nationals into the International Lacrosse Federation, the Iroquois responded to a request by the NCAA to field a team for exhibition play with Canada and the United States NCAA national champions. The Haudenosaunee Six Nations Confederacy formed a committee and a National Iroquois field Lacrosse team reemerged. We absorbed early defeat but our players enjoyed the competition and were inspired to take on the challenge of becoming a world-class team. Through the difficult developmental years, and the transition from box lacrosse to the field game, our men never lost faith. Those early players serve as inspiration to the Iroquois teams of today. | |
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1990 was a turning point for all indigenous peoples when the International Lacrosse Federation accepted the Iroquois
as a full member nation along with the other ILF member countries. Currently, the
Iroquois Nationals are the team to watch for consistent and rapid progression among
the international ranks. Here is a look at how team Iroquois has progressed during
the last five years of international competition: |
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| London, Ontario - 2006 1. Canada 2. United States 3. Australia 4. Iroquois 5. England |
Halifax, Nova Scotia - 2007 1. Canada 2. Iroquois 3. United States 4. England 5. Scotland |
Coquitlam, British Columbia - 2008 |
| Our individual team members
have also achieved great success. We have NCAA All-Americans, professional players in the
National Lacrosse League, and many International Lacrosse Federation World Team members. An indication of the quality of our players is that they are being recruited by national powerhouses in lacrosse, not only universities and colleges in the USA but also in Canada. Gewas Schindler has competed in three World Championships. He led his Loyola Greyhounds to 4 NCAA Tournaments, and is a three time All-American. Gewas was picked in the first round of the National Lacrosse League 1999 draft. |
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| Cam Bomberry and Neal Powless are both three time All-Americans at Nazareth. Powless led Nazareth to two Division III Championships. Marshall Abrams, a standout defenseman on the Iroquois team has also made a name for himself at Syracuse University, earning three time All-American honors, and most notably, Defenseman of the Year in 2000. Marshall is a first-round draft pick for both box and field professional leagues. | |
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Team members Rex Lyons and Drew Bucktooth
have also made notables strides for the Iroquois. Rex is the only Iroquois player who has competed in all
of the International games since 1983, scoring the most goals at the ILF World Games in Baltimore in 1998.
Drew made the 1996 All World Team in Tokyo, Japan (at the age of 15) and made history when he was named to
the World Team again 1999, making him the only player in the world to be selected to the ILF
U-19 World Team twice! |
| The International Lacrosse
Federation is the governing body of modern world lacrosse. The ILF
Championships are held biannually between national teams from eleven countries of the world, including;
Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Iroquois, Japan, Scotland, Sweden, United States,
and Wales. In July of 1998, the ILF Men's Championship in Baltimore, Maryland was a wonderful experience for the Iroquois, as they move up one giant step to fourth place in the world. Their play in 1998 served notice that the Iroquois Nationals are coming! Our progress continued, in the 1999 at the Under -19 World Games in Adelaide, Australia, where we moved up again. Three of our players, Drew Bucktooth, Lance Mitchell, and Rodney Redeye were named to the ILF World Team. Delby Powless of Six Nations Territory, Ontario, was one of the top five leading scorers in the entire international competition. Delby was chosen first overall by the Buffalo Bandits in the 2004 National Lacrosse League draft. | |
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The Coaching Staff: Freeman Bucktooth (Onondaga), Gewas Schindler (Oneida), Dave White (Mohawk), Regy
Thorpe, and Rory Whipple, overcoming the extraordinarily difficult circumstances of travel fatigue and
acclimating to the regional conditions, did a fantastic job of motivating the team into a cohesive unit.
The Iroquois Nationals won the Bronze Medal in Australia, moving them up another step and ranking them
3rd in the world! In November of 1999 the Iroquois Nationals U-19 team was presented with the Native
American Music Award's inagural "Jim Thorpe Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sports." It truly was a great year for
the indigenous peoples.
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