Sam Johnston

Hall of Fame

Honour. Trust. Respect. Integrity. These are the leadership values Sam Johnston instills in his athletes. Born and raised in Teslin, Yukon, Sam immersed himself in Dene Games, Archery and Dog Mushing, and has dedicated his life to working with and coaching athletes of all ages and abilities.

Sam is a respected elder of the Ishkitan Clan of the Teslin Tlingit Council. His involvement in sports dates back to the early sixties when he was competing in Dog Mushing and taught younger people how to run and care for race dogs. He began teaching them the traditional game of stick gambling as well, and led him to coach and officiate Dene Games in the Arctic Winter Games for decades. He demonstrated how vital it is to embrace one’s efforts — not simply the outcome.

In archery, Sam proved to be as valuable a coach as he was an athlete, and he has coached at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) since the early 1990s. He is spotted with his bow with each community visit, encouraging up-and-coming athletes to pick up the sport and advance. His energy led him to be an active Tlingit dancer, spreading skills and heritage to young and old around the world.

Sam kept a life parallel to his athletic and coaching one and transferred his leadership values to the political arena. For over a dozen years Sam served as the Chief of the Teslin Tlingit Council and was elected as an MLA. Sam holds the honour of being the inaugural First Nation Speaker of the Legislative Assembly for the Yukon Government.