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Former Keys High School student Jake Phillips drops back to pass during the Native All-Star Football Classic on July 7 in Tahlequah, Okla. Phillips led the Blue Eagles to a 16-0 win over the Red Hawks and won the game’s MVP honors. TODD CROW/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
 
 




BY TODD CROW
Reporter

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Native Revision held the 11th annual Native All-Star Football Classic on July 7 at Northeastern State University, pitting two teams of Native American athletes from 19 tribes against each other so they could showcase their talents for university scouts.

In the end, the Blue Eagles shout out the Red Hawks, 16-0.

Native Revision is a non-profit organization based with a mission to “support and guide American Indian student athletes to identify unique talents, set goals and achieve their dreams.”

Steve Cardwell (Southern Cheyenne) founded Native Revision after seeing the football game played in 2009 at Washington State University in front of a crowd of 50 people.

“I kind of didn’t like that,” Cardwell said of the 2009 attendance. “I thought it was a pretty cool game and fell in love with it and decided to sponsor them from my company in Dallas. And then we decided to go mainstream and bring this thing out, you know, ESPN2, Fox Sports, and so I formed a non-profit and took it over under the Native Revision banner and here we are.”

Cardwell said his organization chose NSU for this year because it is “Indian Country.” He said NSU was receptive to them, and it is important to give the students a feel of what it’s like to be on a college campus.

“This is by far the best football that I’ve seen, because it’s tribal,” Cardwell said. “These kids are playing for tribal pride, school pride and then family pride. It’s really cool. The kids get to meet other kids from all over the United States, from different cultures, reservations, and they’re jawing at each other all week training.” 

Cherokee Hicks, Cherokee Nation citizen and Native Revision vice chairwoman, said the students were in Tahlequah for a week full of intense scheduling. Hours of training were separated only by an hour for lunch and training didn’t end until early evening. The students participated in several evening activities throughout the week such as going to the movies, fireworks displays and tug-o-war competitions.

“During the week we give them a field break. This year we took them down the Illinois River for a canoe competition, Blue Eagles versus Red Hawks. It was pretty exciting,” Hicks said.

Hicks said she’s a NSU alumnae and that bringing the game to her “back yard” was exciting because not only is she familiar with the area, but she’s proud to show the kids how the people in Tahlequah care about Native youth.

“It’s not a façade. They really do care about Native youth around here, and we want to keep the retention here,” Hicks said. “We knew it was a right fit for these kids because they already had the sensitivity here from the staff, from the town, the community and of course from Cherokee Nation. Our culture is very very strong, and our tribe has thrived. I want the kids to see that.”

Hicks said six of last year’s players signed with colleges after playing in the Native All-Star Classic.

Muscogee Creek citizen John Harjo, who served as game director for nine years and coached one of the teams in 2011, now helps with player operations. He said the name, Native All-Stars, was created to differentiate them from any others because it is the only all-Native national all-star game.

“We have kids come from anywhere, from Florida to Alaska,” Harjo said. “Throughout the season we keep track of the reservation schools, schools close to the reservations and different parts of Indian Country that we know there’s a lot of players. We talk to coaches, and that’s how we find the majority of our kids, through coaches’ referrals.”

He said players develop friendships throughout the week, but come game time it is all about winning.

“Really, it is about the kids. It’s getting everybody the experience. It’s about having fun, the camaraderie and everything else,” Harjo said. “These guys are all friends on both sides of the ball, but come Saturday night they all hate each other. And they talk trash all week long. It’s fun.”

todd-crow@cherokee.org

918-453-5000 ext. 5903