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Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith and Sequoyah High School senior Solomon HorseChief

TULSA, OKLAHOMA - Sequoyah High School senior Solomon HorseChief was recently honored as the Jim Thorpe Male Athlete of the Year at the Jim Thorpe Legends in Sports banquet.

HorseChief, an 18-year-old Cherokee and Pawnee athletic standout, received a trophy with the image of Jim Thorpe for his high achievements as being a four-year, four-sport star and an all-stater in football and basketball.

In his senior year on the Sequoyah football team, he led all high school receivers with an average of 31.9 yards per catch as the team won its second consecutive Class 3A-7 District title with an 11-2 record. He led the Indians basketball team in scoring and to a 25-2 record and the state playoffs. Earlier in the season, they defeated 6A state champion Tulsa Union in the Tournament of Champions before losing to the 6A Bartlesville Bruins in the finals and finishing second.

The Indians had a 52-4 basketball record in the last two seasons and won the 3A state title in HorseChief’s junior year when he scored 25 points against Metro Christian Academy of Tulsa in the championship game and was named most valuable player of the tournament.

HorseChief was also a member of the school’s Class 2A cross-country state champions last year, and he is now playing on the baseball team.

HorseChief said he never expected to win the Jim Thorpe bust for Male Athlete of the Year.

"I was surprised when my dad (SHS track and cross-country coach Sam HorseChief) told me I was named", he said. "I feel that there are many athletes out there that are more talented than me, but my dad helped me dedicate myself and helped me relax through the tough times. I was very honored to get an award in (Jim Thorpe’s) honor. I idolized Jim Thorpe as a younger kid, and my dad taught me a lot about him."

Thorpe, a Sauk and Fox from Prague, Okla., considered by many to be the greatest athlete of all time, was an All-American halfback at Carlisle Indian School and the only athlete to win the decathlon and pentathlon in the Olympic Games. He played professional football with the Canton Bulldogs and was instrumental in establishing professional football; and he played professional baseball with the New York Giants.

HorseChief also credited his three older brothers and a sister for his athletic success.

He said he is considering scholarship offers from Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla.; Oral Roberts University in Tulsa; Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Miami, Okla.; the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Ark.

Sequoyah High School "Home of the Indians!" P.O. Box 520, Tahlequah, OK 74465             Sequoyah High School Alumni P.O. Box 187, Park Hill, OK 74451-0187 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.