Gaylord Powless
Encyclopedia
Gaylord Powless was a Mohawk
lacrosse
player from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve
near Brantford, Ontario
. His father Ross
was also a highly regarded player.
He won the Tom Longboat
Award as best First Nations athlete in Canada when he was 17. He was then recruited by the Oshawa
Green Gaels junior lacrosse team, which he led to four consecutive Minto Cup
s from 1964 to 1967; he was chosen as most valuable player in the series in 1964 and 1967. He went on to a long, successful career in professional and senior amateur lacrosse with teams in Detroit, Syracuse, New York
, Montreal
, Brantford, Coquitlam, British Columbia
, and Brampton
, Ontario
as well as with the Six Nations team.
He and his father are the only father and son both elected to the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The Ohsweken, Ontario
Arena is named for him.
A cousin, Delby Powless
, (b. 1980), played attack at Herkimer CC and Rutgers,where he was an honourable mention All-American, and now plays the box game professionally.
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
player from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
near Brantford, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. His father Ross
Ross Powless
Alexander Powless was a Mohawk lacrosse player from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation near Brantford, Ontario...
was also a highly regarded player.
He won the Tom Longboat
Tom Longboat
Cogwagee was an Onondaga distance runner from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario, and for much of his career the dominant long distance runner of the time...
Award as best First Nations athlete in Canada when he was 17. He was then recruited by the Oshawa
Oshawa, Ontario
Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. It is now commonly referred to as the most...
Green Gaels junior lacrosse team, which he led to four consecutive Minto Cup
Minto Cup
The Minto Cup is awarded annually to the champion junior men's lacrosse team of Canada.It was donated in 1901 by the Governor-General, Lord Minto, and from 1901 until 1909 awarded to the senior men's champion of Canada...
s from 1964 to 1967; he was chosen as most valuable player in the series in 1964 and 1967. He went on to a long, successful career in professional and senior amateur lacrosse with teams in Detroit, Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Brantford, Coquitlam, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and Brampton
Brampton
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.Brampton may also refer to:- Canada :* Brampton, a city in Ontario** Brampton GO Station, a station in the GO Transit network located in the city- United Kingdom :...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
as well as with the Six Nations team.
He and his father are the only father and son both elected to the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The Ohsweken, Ontario
Ohsweken, Ontario
Ohsweken, , is a village on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Approximately 300 of the 2,700 homes on the reserve are in Ohsweken, and it is the site of the reserve governmental and administrative offices...
Arena is named for him.
A cousin, Delby Powless
Delby Powless
Delby Powless , is a Mohawk lacrosse player from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation near Brantford, Ontario. He was born in Six Nations, Ontario, and is the grandnephew of Ross Powless and cousin of Gaylord Powless, both of whom are in the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame...
, (b. 1980), played attack at Herkimer CC and Rutgers,where he was an honourable mention All-American, and now plays the box game professionally.