Native Threads Profile: Sam McCracken

Manager of Nike’s Native American Business
Sioux/Assiniboine Tribes, Ft. Peck Montana

Sam McCracken grew up on the Fort Peck Assiniboine/Sioux Reservation in Montana. He went to high school in nearby Wolf Point, where his love of basketball sparked an interest in coaching.  McCracken coached high school basketball in Oregon and California for 20 years. It’s an experience that taught him a great deal about understanding and motivating people.

“Spending time with high school kids really teaches you a lot,” says Sam. “It’s especially rewarding when your student-athletes keep in touch over the years and remind you that you had a positive impact on their lives.”

Sam started his Nike career in 1997 as a warehouse worker at the company’s Wilsonville Distribution Center. Shortly thereafter, he was asked by Nike’s director of human resources to “revitalize the organization’s Native American Employee Network, one of several Nike divesity programs. In 2000, Sam became the manager of Nike’s Native American Business.

McCracken wrote a business plan that is focused on building relationships between Nike and the 250 Indian tribes that have received grants for diabetes education, plus 188 schools that are enrolled in the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP).

As a result of his dedication to improving Indian health, Sam helped establish Nike’s Native American Diabetes Program. He is also working in conjunction with Indian Health Service (IHS) and the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) on their “Just Move It” program—a unique alliance that promotes physical fitness on Indian Reservations.

Sam McCracken is a prime example of a successful Native leader who is focusing on the big picture—in this case, Indian Health—and giving back to Native American Communities.

“Through our Native American Business programs, Nike is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of Indian people,” McCracken says.

Sam wrote a business plan that is focused on building relationships between Nike and the 250 Indian tribes that have received grants for diabetes education, plus 188 schools that are enrolled in the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP).

As a result of his dedication to improving Indian health, Sam helped establish Nike’s Native American Diabetes Program. He is also working in conjunction with Indian Health Service (IHS) and the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) on their “Just Move It” program—a unique alliance that promotes physical fitness on Indian Reservations.

In July of 2004, McCracken was honored with Nike’s Bowerman Award—the company’s most prestigious form of employee recognition. Named for influential Nike co-founder and revered track & field coach Bill Bowerman, the annual award honors the Nike employee who best exemplifies the Bowerman legacy of tireless motivation, innovation, and inspiration.

According to Sam, the relationships Nike is building with the tribes and its alliances with Native organizations are the keys to his programs’ success. Native Threads is extremely proud to be part of Nike’s alliances in Indian Country.

Native Threads applauds Sam McCracken for his dedication to the Native Community. We are extremely grateful that he has given Native Threads the opportunity to build a relationship with Nike and to support his unique health and wellness programs in Indian Country.

As a Nike-approved manufacturing supplier, Native Threads is providing screen printing and embroidery services to support and promote the “Just Move It” program, as well as other initiatives to promote fitness and health awareness in the Native Community.

Sam’s Favorites

Favorite Drink: Diet Coke

Favorite Sport: Basketball

Favorite Movie: Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Favorite Band: Jimmy Buffett

Favorite Place: Maui

Favorite Food: Grilled Tri Tip...only on a Weber grill - No Gas Grills allowed!

Role Models: My Mother. She was an amazing woman!

Family Life: I have a great wife of 11 years and a 4 year old chocolate Lab named Brandy.

Abenaki, Algonquin, Apache, Arapaho, Atsugewi, Beothuk, Blackfeet, Caddo, Cahuilla, Catawba, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chickasaw, Chinook, Choctaw, Chumash, Comanche, Creek, Cree, Crow, Flathead, Gabrielino, Hopi, Houma, Hupa, Huron, Inuit, Iowa, Iroquois, Kickapoo, Kiowa, Kumeyaay, Dakota, Lenape, Mahican, Mattole, Menominee, Miami, Micmac, Miwok, Modoc, Mohican, Mohawk, Mohegan, Montagnais, Mojave, Narragansett, Navajo, Nez Perce, Nunavut, Ojibwe, Ohlone, Omaha, Oneida, Osage, Otoe, Ottawa, Pawnee, Penobscot, Peoria, Pequot, Plains Indian, Pomo, Poncas, Potawatomi, Powhatan, Pueblo, Quapaw, Seminole, Seneca, Shawnee, Sioux, Shoshone, Taos, Timbisha Shoshone, Tolowa, Tonkawa, Ute, Wampanoag, Wailaki, Wichita, Wyandotte, Yokut, Yorok, Yuchi, Zuni