Photo courtesy: Trevor Hagan/CFL

Former CFL quarterback Dane Evans has been inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026.

Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, Evans is of Wichita descent. His great-grandmother, Doris McLemore, was the last fluent speaker of the Wichita language.

Evans joined the CFL as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2017 and spent five seasons with the club, first becoming its starter in 2019 after Jeremiah Masoli suffered a season-ending knee injury. He helped lead the club to a 15-3 record that year and a berth in the 107th Grey Cup.

The six-foot-one, 218-pound passer served as Masoli’s backup to start the 2021 season but eventually took over the starting role before suffering an injury. Evans took over from Masoli in a relief role during the East Final and helped lead Hamilton to an upset victory over the Toronto Argonauts. He started the 108th Grey Cup the following week but was replaced by Masoli after suffering an injury in the second quarter.

Evans became the team’s unquestioned starter in 2022 after he signed a two-year contract extension and Masoli departed for the Ottawa Redblacks. The Tulsa product regressed in his first full year as Hamilton’s starter, throwing for 3,883 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He was benched at various times for Matthew Shiltz, including the East Semi-Final against the Montreal Alouettes.

In February 2023, Evans was traded to the B.C. Lions in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft after Hamilton acquired Bo Levi Mitchell to serve as their franchise quarterback. He renegotiated his contract as part of the deal and served in a backup role to Vernon Adams Jr. Evans made two starts while Adams was out due to injury and posted a 1-1 record.

Evans retired that offseason and finished his CFL career with 9,636 passing yards, 49 touchdowns, and 40 interceptions over 79 games. He also carried the ball 131 times for 451 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The 32-year-old has since found success in the college coaching ranks and most recently served as the assistant quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator at Texas State in 2025.

Prior to his CFL career, Evans attended the University of Tulsa, where he set new program records for career passing yards (11,680), passing touchdowns (84), completions (904), and attempts (1,567). He spent training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 before heading north.

Launched in 2022, the NAIAHF honours individuals across North America for outstanding leadership and achievement in individual or team athletics. Those eligible for induction include athletes, coaches, builders, officials, trainers, media members, and teams.

Evans is the third CFL alumnus to be inducted into the NAIAHF, joining referee Brian Chrupalo and former Ticats defensive lineman John MacDonald. The 2026 induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 30, at the Oneida Hotel and Conference Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.