Photo Gallery from Ceremony Dinner

Archie Amerson will be recognized during halftime of today's game versus Cal Poly.

When it comes to elite running backs, Archie Amerson is in a class of his own. The California native only played two seasons with Northern Arizona football, but it was the best two-year career by any Lumberjack to date.

Today we honor No. 9 and all that he did for NAU. Did you ever wonder why you haven't seen anyone wear the number nine? Well, Amerson is why. It would be pretty big shoes for someone to fill, and 17 years later NAU Athletics honors Amerson by retiring his jersey.

Amerson left not only Lumberjack fans with moments that won't be forgotten any time soon, but the entire football nation. When you enter Amerson's name into Google, the amount of articles and accolades that pop up are endless.

From San Diego, Calif. to the mountains of Northern Arizona University, Amerson made his mark quietly, yet with much noise.

What some people may not know is that Amerson rushed for more than 3,000 yards during his first-two years at Dixie College in St. George, Utah. He earned junior All-America honors as a running back, but Amerson did not want to run the ball anymore. He wanted to switch to defense, and that is why he chose NAU.

Shortly before the start of the 1995 season, the starting running back was injured and Amerson was called upon to make his return at running back. Something Amerson was not all that thrilled about.

Amerson took it easy on opponents during his first season, if by easy you mean 1,117 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He had five 100-yard rushing games, and a season-best 175 rushing yards against Boise State.

For someone that came to NAU hoping to play defensive back, Lumberjack fans were lucky to have Amerson return to the offensive side of the game.

The following year, Amerson held nothing back as he steam rolled past opponents into the end zone.

In all but one game his senior season, Amerson rushed for over 100 yards. One. But even that one game he still managed 92 yards and a touchdown. It could have been the 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns he scored against New Mexico Highlands in the season opener, or even the career-high 289 yards and three touchdowns versus Portland State that fans remember. It really doesn't matter when you hopped on the 'Archie Amerson Bandwagon,' what matters is there was no way you could deny Amerson his glory. He produced 281 yards – with an average of 8.8 per carry – and an FCS record seven rushing touchdowns and 42 points scored in the 59-45 Lumberjack win over Weber State on October 5, 1996 in the Walkup Skydome.

Amerson rushed for 200 or more yards five times during the 1996 season, as he made himself a viable candidate for the Walter Payton Award. With a final average of 6.2 yards per carry, Amerson concluded the season with a whopping 2,079 rushing yards. That was 360 more than the next running back that season nationally.

To further identify how remarkable a season Amerson had, the NAU record for single game rushing yards was 1,366. Amerson broke the 18-year record seven games into the season with a 205 rushing yard performance versus Montana State. NAU still had four regular season games left on its schedule, and Amerson's opponents were most likely hoping he would take it easy on them. Not a chance. Amerson rattled off 211 rushing yards in his next game, followed by 119, 138, and 167 to make his opponents cringe.

Amerson helped his team to a second-place finish in the Big Sky, with NAU's lone conference loss coming against Montana. The Lumberjacks' 9-3 record that year has since been replicated by the 2013 team, but only three teams in NAU history have reached the nine-win feat.

With all eyes on NAU and its improving record, there seemed to be more eyes on the 5-foot-9, 175 pound running back and the quick speed and power he was becoming known for.

In 1996, Amerson became the 26^th recipient of the Walter Payton Award due to his outstanding contribution on the football field.

When Amerson became eligible for the NAU Athletics Hall of Fame, it was a no brainer that he was a first-year candidate that would sail onto the voters' ballots, as he had sailed into their hearts just a few years prior.

Amerson played eight years in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, as a slotback. He caught 436 passes for 6,298 yards and 37 receiving touchdowns and rushed for an additional 1,654 yards with eight scores in his career. He registered over 9,000 all-purpose yards in the CFL.

During the 2013-14 school year, the Big Sky Conference celebrated its 50^th Anniversary with a countdown of the "50 Greatest Athletes" and the "50 Greatest Moments." Amerson was selected as the 16^th greatest athlete, and his Walter Payton Award honor was named the 14^th greatest moment.

To win the Heisman of the FCS, and to set school, Big Sky, and national records puts Amerson in an elite category. It's a category that requires, hard work, dedication, focus, and of course talent.

NAU Athletics is proud to retire the jersey of No. 9 Archie Amerson - The Walter Payton Award Winner, The Hall of Famer, The NCAA Record Holder, The Lumberjack.