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Three Osages to play in first national Native American All-Star Football Game

Donnie “Trey” Bennett III, Colby John Crosby and Ryan West will play at the Dallas Cowboys’ Ford Center on Jan. 7. This is the first national football game for high school Native American seniors sponsored by the NFL, Nike and the Native American Athletic Foundation

Donnie “Trey” Bennett III, Colby John Crosby and Ryan West are headed to the Dallas Cowboys headquarters in Frisco, Texas.

The three Osage high school seniors were selected to play in the first-ever national Native American All-Star Football Game on Jan. 7. The game and training camp is sponsored by the NFL, Nike and the Native American Athletic Foundation (NAAF) and will take place at the Dallas Cowboys world headquarters and practice facility, the Ford Center.

A total of 70 players were selected.

“The Native American All-Star Football Game provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the diversity and talent within our game while fostering the development of the next generation of leaders,” said Roman Oben, NFL vice president of football development in a press release. “Through this partnership, we aim to create a lasting impact by giving Native athletes the same opportunities to succeed both on and off the field. This also reflects the NFL’s commitment to building character, promoting inclusivity and strengthening communities across the country.”

Bennett, Crosby and West will first participate in a training camp from Jan. 3-7, where they will receive mentorship, college preparation and leadership training. The players will also be treated to an awards banquet. The Ford Center is comprised of a multi-purpose, 12,000 seat, indoor stadium as well as the entire Dallas Cowboys football operations and practice fields. 

Nike will provide all the uniforms as an ongoing tenet of their Nike N7 operations, said Scott Hanson, Nike brand director. 

According to the NAAF, the NFL developed a pilot program in 2021 to create an exhibition game for high school Native players. The exhibition game was hosted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 and 2022.

Players

Donnie “Trey” Bennett III is a 6’4, 205 lbs Quarterback for Woodland High School in Fairfax, Okla. The Woodland Cougars just won the Oklahoma Class A-II State Championship. Trey is the son of Donnie and Kimetha Bennett.

Colby John Crosby is a 6’3, 180 lbs Wide Receiver for Broken Arrow High School in Broken Arrow, Okla. The Broken Arrow Tigers finished their season 4-7 in Class 6A-1. Colby is the son of Lindsey Hager.

Ryan West is a 5’11, 180 lbs Free Safety/Wide Receiver at Bethlehem High School in Bardstown, Ky. The Bethlehem Eagles finished their season 5-6 in Class 1A. Ryan is the son of JR and Robin West.

Author

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Shannon Shaw Duty
Shannon Shaw Dutyhttps://osagenews.org

Title: Editor
Email: sshaw20@gmail.com
Twitter: @dutyshaw
Topic Expertise: Columnist, Culture, Community
Languages spoken: English, Osage (intermediate), Spanish (beginner)

Shannon Shaw Duty, Osage from the Grayhorse District, is the editor of the award-winning Osage News, the official independent media of the Osage Nation. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a master’s degree in Legal Studies with an emphasis in Indigenous Peoples Law. She currently sits on the Freedom of Information Committee for the Society of Professional Journalists. She has served as a board member for LION Publishers, as Vice President for the Pawhuska Public Schools Board of Education, on the Board of Directors for the Native American Journalists Association (now Indigenous Journalists Association) and served as a board member and Chairwoman for the Pawhuska Johnson O’Malley Parent Committee. She is a Chips Quinn Scholar, a former instructor for the Freedom Forum’s Native American Journalism Career Conference and the Freedom Forum’s American Indian Journalism Institute. She is a former reporter for The Santa Fe New Mexican. She is a 2012 recipient of the Native American 40 Under 40 from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. In 2014 she helped lead the Osage News to receive NAJA's Elias Boudinot Free Press Award. The Osage News won Best Newspaper from the SPJ-Oklahoma Chapter in their division 2018-2022. Her award-winning work has been published in Indian Country Today, The Washington Post, the Center for Public Integrity, NPR, the Associated Press, Tulsa World and others. She currently resides in Pawhuska, Okla., with her husband and together they share six children, two dogs and two cats.

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