Bev Beaver facts for kids

Beverly Beaver (born 1947 – died 2025) was an amazing athlete from the Mohawk Nation in Canada. She grew up on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario. Beverly was famous for being great at fastball, hockey, and bowling.

She started playing sports as a child, often with boys. By age 13, she was a strong player on a boys' bantam hockey team. Beverly played professionally from 1961 to 1994. She played only on Native fastball teams. However, she joined non-Native teams for other sports. Her achievements include the Regional Tom Longboat Award in 1967 and the National Tom Longboat Award in 1980. Beverly won many other awards for her skills in fastball, hockey, and bowling. Some of her hockey items are even displayed in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Beverly Beaver's Softball Career

Beverly Beaver was a star pitcher for the Ohsweken Mohawks, an all-Native fastball team. She was known for being excellent at both pitching and hitting the ball. In 1980, her team, the Mohawks, went to the National Indian Activities Association women's softball tournament. This big event took place in Anadarko, Oklahoma.

Beverly was the pitcher for the Mohawks during this tournament. Her team won five games in a row, taking first place! Even though she was offered a spot on a non-Native team called the Toronto Carpetland, Beverly chose to play only on all-Native softball teams. She really admired the Ohsweken Mohawks. She said the team showed the true spirit of competition with only players from their own community.

Beverly Beaver's Hockey Achievements

Beverly Beaver played professional hockey for almost 30 years. She played within the Euro-Canadian sport system. During her career, she was a member of teams like the Burlington Gazettes and the Brantford Lady Blues.

In 1990, the Brantford Lady Blues won the Ontario Ladies Hockey League Championships. This was a special win because both Beverly and her daughter were on that championship team!

Beverly Beaver's Bowling Skills

Beverly Beaver was also a very talented bowler. From 1969 to 1974, she held a high average score for women almost every year. She also achieved a "high triple score" in the Ontario Indian Bowling Championship in 1973. This shows how consistently good she was at bowling.

Awards and Recognition

Beverly Beaver earned many awards during her long career as a professional athlete. As a softball player, she won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award eight times between 1962 and 1980. In 1979, she was named best pitcher, top batter, and MVP at the Canadian Native Championship in Kelowna, British Columbia.

In hockey, she won five MVP awards and five top scorer awards from 1966 to 1980. Beverly was also a special recipient of both the regional and National Tom Longboat Awards. These awards honor top Indigenous Canadian athletes for their achievements in sports. Beverly received the Regional Tom Longboat Award for Southern Ontario in 1967. In 1980, she received the National Tom Longboat Award after being nominated by Tom Longboat Jr.

In 1995, Beverly was inducted into the Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition. In 2018, the Hockey Hall of Fame added her hockey jerseys and badges to its diversity exhibit. This was to recognize her amazing 40-year hockey career.

Death

Beverly Beaver passed away on April 19, 2025, at the age of 77.