In Historic First, Native American Brothers Win Lacrosse Trophy : Code Switch : NPR: The Tewaaraton Award is college lacrosse's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, given to the best player in the country each year. The award takes its name from the Mohawk word for lacrosse, as a way to honor the sport's Native American origins. The bronze trophy depicts a Mohawk man with a lacrosse stick, surging forward.
But no Native player had ever won the award before Thursday night's ceremony at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. The Thompson brothers — Lyle and Miles, record-setting brothers who play at the University at Albany-SUNY — were among the five finalists this year. They are members of the Onondaga Nation, and if either of them won, it would have been a historic first.
