Post by Okwes on Sept 27, 2006 13:36:49 GMT -5
Upholding heritage
Posted: Monday, Sep 18, 2006 - 11:32:52 pm PDT
By ROD HARWOOD � Sports writer
www.cdapress.com/articles/2006/09/19/sports/sports01.txt
<http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2006/09/19/sports/sports01.txt>
JEROME A. POLLOS/Press
Wade McGee, center, directs hitting drills Monday at Lakeside High
School in Plummer. McGee, who set numerous football records while
attending Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., is the
tribal sports coordinator for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe as well as a
running backs coach for the Lakeside football team.
American Indian football star helps out youths with football, life in
Plummer
PLUMMER -- Wade McGee used to spend a lot of time walking through the
American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame at Haskell Indian Nations
University in Lawrence, Kan.
The names and accomplishments of former Haskell students Jim Thorpe (Sac
and Fox Nation), who is considered one of the most versatile athletes in
modern sports, and Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota)
touched him in a good way.
"Jim Thorpe has always been my hero," McGee said quietly, sitting his
office at the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Wellness Center in Plummer. "I
remember seeing pictures of Jim Thorpe and John Levi (Cheyenne and
Arapaho) and all these famous Indian athletes. One of my goals is to be
in the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame some day."
<http://adsys.townnews.com/c57285432/creative/cdapress.com/+instory/5218\
8.jpg?r=http://www.cdarealty.com>
By the time he was done at Haskell, which was a junior college when he
played the 1991 and 1992 seasons, the 37-year-old Cherokee from
Delaware, Okla., left his name all over the record book and took one
step closer to that dream.
McGee, who is the sports coordinator and sports performance trainer for
the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and the newest member of the Lakeside High
School coaching staff, still holds seven Haskell football records.
He has the record for the longest touchdown run from scrimmage (87
yards), most touchdowns in a single game (4), most touchdowns in a
season (19) and most touchdowns in a career (36).
McGee, who averaged 9.8 career yards per touch in total offense, also
holds the record for most yards in a game (242), most yards in a season
(1,284) and career yards rushing (2,417).
He finished the 1992 season as the No. 1 rusher in the NJCAA, as well as
the national leader in scoring and total offense. He was all-Region VIII
and honorable mention All-American. He was also an NJCAA academic
All-American.
What McGee's doing these days might be even more important than the 9.8
yards per touch he had in 1992.
Today, he's touching the spirit and developing the character of young
people on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation.
He is currently the tribal sports coordinator in charge of youth sports.
He's also been working with former NFL player Jim Warne's Warrior
Society Development program, which travels around the country teaching
and coaching young American Indian football players.
This past summer, he assisted with a series of camps that included the
Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and another at Arizona State
University in Tempe, Ariz. In 2005, they did a football camp for the
Coeur d'Alene Nation in Plummer.
In his latest endeavor, McGee joined Ron Miller's staff at Lakeside,
coaching running backs.
"Wade really brings an enthusiasm and knowledge, along with that
college-level experience we haven't had in an assistant coach before,"
said Miller, who's in his 14th season at Lakeside. "He's a great
inspiration for the kids and already put in hours and hours this fall. "
Hours and hours doesn't begin to describe McGee's day. He puts in a full
day at the Wellness Center, then he's off to Lakeside practice from 3:30
p.m. to 5. From there, he works with the tribal youth programs until 7
p.m. On game nights, Tuesdays and Thursdays, it goes even later.
But the bottom line is, everything he does is for the young ones -- no
matter what the age group.
"I really enjoy working with the high school kids," he said. "The
program has only won one game in the past couple of years, so we're also
working on developing a winning attitude."
McGee hopes his work at both the high school and youth levels will help
the younger guys be better prepared to compete at the high school level.
"I got to looking at the other schools in (the North Star League) and
they have athletics from the time they're little all the way through
high school," he said. "I could see we needed to start teaching our kids
the basic fundamentals much earlier, so when they get to (high school),
it's already ingrained.
"Coaches are spending too much time teaching fundamentals, but if they
get these kids with the basic fundamentals down, they can nurture their
true athletic ability."
The Coeur d'Alene Warrior youth football program started as a flag
football program in 2003 and had 80 players in its first year as a
tackle football program in 2004. It now has 150 players and includes
teams from St. Maries, Fairfield, Wash., and Harrison Flats.
McGee is working to keep that circle complete, developing character and
skills along the way. In some ways, he's been doing that all along,
former Haskell football coach Gary Tanner said.
"He went to Oklahoma State at first, but they had a guy named Barry
Sanders at that time," Tanner said with a laugh. "He's pretty smart and
figured out he might not see too many reps. So when he came here, he was
already 21.
"I've had some great players over the years, but I don't think I've had
one better than Wade McGee. He is such a great human being. Being older
than most of the guys on the team, he was an elder-type and a natural
leader. He led by example and the guys always respected him for that."
Warne, who started for Arizona State in the 1987 Rose Bowl and later
played in the NFL, World League (now NFL Europe) and Arena Football
League, said McGee brings a great deal to the Warrior Society
Development teachings.
"I always tell the kids if I was counting on the NFL and Hollywood, I'd
be a bouncer today if I didn't have my education," said Warne, who is a
member of the Screen Actors Guild and has a bachelor's degree in
exercise physiology and a master's in rehabilitation administration.
"I think both Wade and I are examples of Indian men that have utilized
athletics to get the education, so we can be successful in life. We both
have a connection with the medicine wheel philosophy -- traditional
knowledge and balance in life. We utilize the balance of the medicine
wheel with our lecture part of our program," Warne explained.
"We discuss football, of course, but we bring it into what's important
about life. We try to show the kids some ways they can apply their
culture, as well as, education, using athletics as the motivation to
learning in school."
Warne said Arena football was his summer job during graduate school and
making money in professional football helped fund both his bachelor's
and master's degrees.
"I think it's important for a kid to have someone to talk to about
anything that's going on. I come from a broken home -- living with mom
some times, then dad," said McGee, who has associate's degrees in
education and natural resources. "I still call and talk to coach Tanner.
"I believe in the old ways. I believe in the sweathouse. I believe in
our ceremonies. We teach the kids that all things are connected in the
wheel. We must strive to discipline ourselves to be centered and make
good choices in all aspects of our lives."
McGee came to the Coeur d'Alene Reservation when he married his wife
Debbie (Louie), who is a tribal member. He has three boys -- Tucker,
Jerry and Kenny.
"Football is just one positive aspect of reaching Indian kids with what
matters most -- culture, language and our traditions
Posted: Monday, Sep 18, 2006 - 11:32:52 pm PDT
By ROD HARWOOD � Sports writer
www.cdapress.com/articles/2006/09/19/sports/sports01.txt
<http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2006/09/19/sports/sports01.txt>
JEROME A. POLLOS/Press
Wade McGee, center, directs hitting drills Monday at Lakeside High
School in Plummer. McGee, who set numerous football records while
attending Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., is the
tribal sports coordinator for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe as well as a
running backs coach for the Lakeside football team.
American Indian football star helps out youths with football, life in
Plummer
PLUMMER -- Wade McGee used to spend a lot of time walking through the
American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame at Haskell Indian Nations
University in Lawrence, Kan.
The names and accomplishments of former Haskell students Jim Thorpe (Sac
and Fox Nation), who is considered one of the most versatile athletes in
modern sports, and Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota)
touched him in a good way.
"Jim Thorpe has always been my hero," McGee said quietly, sitting his
office at the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Wellness Center in Plummer. "I
remember seeing pictures of Jim Thorpe and John Levi (Cheyenne and
Arapaho) and all these famous Indian athletes. One of my goals is to be
in the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame some day."
<http://adsys.townnews.com/c57285432/creative/cdapress.com/+instory/5218\
8.jpg?r=http://www.cdarealty.com>
By the time he was done at Haskell, which was a junior college when he
played the 1991 and 1992 seasons, the 37-year-old Cherokee from
Delaware, Okla., left his name all over the record book and took one
step closer to that dream.
McGee, who is the sports coordinator and sports performance trainer for
the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and the newest member of the Lakeside High
School coaching staff, still holds seven Haskell football records.
He has the record for the longest touchdown run from scrimmage (87
yards), most touchdowns in a single game (4), most touchdowns in a
season (19) and most touchdowns in a career (36).
McGee, who averaged 9.8 career yards per touch in total offense, also
holds the record for most yards in a game (242), most yards in a season
(1,284) and career yards rushing (2,417).
He finished the 1992 season as the No. 1 rusher in the NJCAA, as well as
the national leader in scoring and total offense. He was all-Region VIII
and honorable mention All-American. He was also an NJCAA academic
All-American.
What McGee's doing these days might be even more important than the 9.8
yards per touch he had in 1992.
Today, he's touching the spirit and developing the character of young
people on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation.
He is currently the tribal sports coordinator in charge of youth sports.
He's also been working with former NFL player Jim Warne's Warrior
Society Development program, which travels around the country teaching
and coaching young American Indian football players.
This past summer, he assisted with a series of camps that included the
Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and another at Arizona State
University in Tempe, Ariz. In 2005, they did a football camp for the
Coeur d'Alene Nation in Plummer.
In his latest endeavor, McGee joined Ron Miller's staff at Lakeside,
coaching running backs.
"Wade really brings an enthusiasm and knowledge, along with that
college-level experience we haven't had in an assistant coach before,"
said Miller, who's in his 14th season at Lakeside. "He's a great
inspiration for the kids and already put in hours and hours this fall. "
Hours and hours doesn't begin to describe McGee's day. He puts in a full
day at the Wellness Center, then he's off to Lakeside practice from 3:30
p.m. to 5. From there, he works with the tribal youth programs until 7
p.m. On game nights, Tuesdays and Thursdays, it goes even later.
But the bottom line is, everything he does is for the young ones -- no
matter what the age group.
"I really enjoy working with the high school kids," he said. "The
program has only won one game in the past couple of years, so we're also
working on developing a winning attitude."
McGee hopes his work at both the high school and youth levels will help
the younger guys be better prepared to compete at the high school level.
"I got to looking at the other schools in (the North Star League) and
they have athletics from the time they're little all the way through
high school," he said. "I could see we needed to start teaching our kids
the basic fundamentals much earlier, so when they get to (high school),
it's already ingrained.
"Coaches are spending too much time teaching fundamentals, but if they
get these kids with the basic fundamentals down, they can nurture their
true athletic ability."
The Coeur d'Alene Warrior youth football program started as a flag
football program in 2003 and had 80 players in its first year as a
tackle football program in 2004. It now has 150 players and includes
teams from St. Maries, Fairfield, Wash., and Harrison Flats.
McGee is working to keep that circle complete, developing character and
skills along the way. In some ways, he's been doing that all along,
former Haskell football coach Gary Tanner said.
"He went to Oklahoma State at first, but they had a guy named Barry
Sanders at that time," Tanner said with a laugh. "He's pretty smart and
figured out he might not see too many reps. So when he came here, he was
already 21.
"I've had some great players over the years, but I don't think I've had
one better than Wade McGee. He is such a great human being. Being older
than most of the guys on the team, he was an elder-type and a natural
leader. He led by example and the guys always respected him for that."
Warne, who started for Arizona State in the 1987 Rose Bowl and later
played in the NFL, World League (now NFL Europe) and Arena Football
League, said McGee brings a great deal to the Warrior Society
Development teachings.
"I always tell the kids if I was counting on the NFL and Hollywood, I'd
be a bouncer today if I didn't have my education," said Warne, who is a
member of the Screen Actors Guild and has a bachelor's degree in
exercise physiology and a master's in rehabilitation administration.
"I think both Wade and I are examples of Indian men that have utilized
athletics to get the education, so we can be successful in life. We both
have a connection with the medicine wheel philosophy -- traditional
knowledge and balance in life. We utilize the balance of the medicine
wheel with our lecture part of our program," Warne explained.
"We discuss football, of course, but we bring it into what's important
about life. We try to show the kids some ways they can apply their
culture, as well as, education, using athletics as the motivation to
learning in school."
Warne said Arena football was his summer job during graduate school and
making money in professional football helped fund both his bachelor's
and master's degrees.
"I think it's important for a kid to have someone to talk to about
anything that's going on. I come from a broken home -- living with mom
some times, then dad," said McGee, who has associate's degrees in
education and natural resources. "I still call and talk to coach Tanner.
"I believe in the old ways. I believe in the sweathouse. I believe in
our ceremonies. We teach the kids that all things are connected in the
wheel. We must strive to discipline ourselves to be centered and make
good choices in all aspects of our lives."
McGee came to the Coeur d'Alene Reservation when he married his wife
Debbie (Louie), who is a tribal member. He has three boys -- Tucker,
Jerry and Kenny.
"Football is just one positive aspect of reaching Indian kids with what
matters most -- culture, language and our traditions