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James Nells, left, running with the Sequoyah High School cross-country team.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - James Nells, an assistant track coach at Sequoyah High School, has been chosen to coach a men’s all-Indian track team at the USA Winter National Cross Country Championships in Vancouver, Washington, February 9-10.

Wings of America, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, sponsors the all-Indian team every year and is responsible for choosing the runners and the coaches.

This is the second year that Nells has been chosen to coach the team. Edison Eskeets, Wings Executive Director contacted Nells last year about accepting the challenge. At that time, Nells was also coaching the track team at Bacone College and it was ranked twelfth in the nation.

"I was very delighted and happy", Nells said. "I felt it would be an honor to coach this team."

Nells has been active with the Wings of America program for many years by helping to recruit outstanding high school runners from Oklahoma for the all-Indian team.

Team members and coaches receive an all expense paid trip to Vancouver courtesy of Carl and Wahleah Davis, Notah Begay III (through the Albuquerque Community Foundation), and the Greg and Jenny Swanson family. Eskeets also donated the proceeds from “Running from Generations” to assist with the trip expenses. Students will also visit the Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon where Nike employees will mentor to the runners through a special job-shadowing program. Nike also provides uniforms and shoes for the teams.

"It's a great experience for the kids, they get to meet a lot of different runners and Olympians", said Nells.

The top six runners in each division will advance on to represent the USA team in the World Cross Country Championships in Dublin, Ireland, March 23-24.

Nell says he learned a lot attending last year’s championship meet and plans to share that experience with the year’s team. Two runners from last year’s team have been chosen again this year. All of the other members of last year’s team were high school seniors and have all moved on to run at the college level on track scholarships.

Nells is no stranger to the track and teaches by example. A former All-American, Nells stays in shape by running with his team. He specializes in long distance running and coaches the long distance runners.

"I think he does a good job, he keeps us running, he motivates us and gives us advice,” said Lance England, a member of the track team at Sequoyah High School. “He cheers us up if we are down.”

Nells has been at Sequoyah High School since 1997. Nells feels like Sequoyah is a perfect fit for him because he too graduated from an Indian boarding school in Fort Wingate, New Mexico. After his high school graduation, he went on to serve in the United States Army and graduate from Haskell University and Central State University where he was a member of both of their track teams and a teammate of Sequoyah High School head track coach, Sam Horsechief.

Nells and wife Daisy have seven children, including one child they adopted while serving as foster parents for the Cherokee Nation. One of their daughters, Lena Nells, is the reigning Miss Indian Oklahoma. Four of his children have graduated from Sequoyah High School.

Nells and this year's Wings Of America team will compete in Vancouver, Washington, February 9 & 10 where they will be defending their 2001 championship titles.

Sequoyah High School "Home of the Indians!"       Sequoyah High School, an Indian boarding school, originated in 1871, when the Cherokee National Council passed an act setting up an orphan asylum to take care of many orphans that came out of the Civil War. Sequoyah High School's approximate 300 enrollment represents 42 tribes and 14 different states. Students are eligible to attend if they are members of federally recognized Indian tribes or one-fourth blood descendants of such members.