by ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The first member of the Navajo Nation to play in the NFL received a hero’s welcome Monday in New Mexico, where he signed footballs and jerseys and posed with fans for photos on Indigenous Peoples Day.
Hundreds of people dressed in ribbon skirts, turquoise jewelry and Cowboys gear gathered in a park in Albuquerque to honor Shiyazh Pete, who played briefly with the Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys fan Norman Smith said he traveled more than two hours from the Navajo community of Pueblo Pintado to shake hands with the young man he described as a celebrity in his family.
“We’re just proud that somebody from the reservation had a chance like that,” Smith said.
Dominic Riley, a 16-year-old citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna and starting center on his high school team, was starstruck after Pete signed his baseball cap.
“He’s my inspiration,” Riley said. “Hopefully someday I’ll be there.”
Pete played two preseason NFL games as an offensive tackle. Against the Arizona Cardinals in August, he was greeted by thousands of Navajo Nation fans who cheered, waved tribal flags and yelled “yéego,” an affirmation that translates roughly to “with great effort, do it.” Then he returned to the sideline to a standing ovation after six snaps.
Now a free agent after being waived by the Cowboys, Pete has returned home to the Navajo Nation where fans say they hope he will return to the NFL before long.
This story is published through the Global Indigenous Reporting Network at The Associated Press.
