FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (June 2, 2021) – Northern Arizona Athletics Hall of Famer Archie Amerson has been selected as one of 99 divisional player candidates for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation announced on Wednesday morning.
Amerson, the 1996 Walter Payton Award winner, set NAU's single-season record for rushing yards (2,079) and rushing touchdowns (25) during his award-winning season. Amerson also owns the FCS and NAU single-game record for rushing touchdowns thanks to his seven scores against Weber State on Oct. 5, 1996 and was inducted into the NAU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
The San Diego, Calif., native was an All-America selection in 1996 and led the Lumberjacks to their first-ever NCAA Division I-AA Playoff berth during a season that saw the Lumberjacks lead the nation with an average of 523.7 yards of total offense and 43.0 points per contest.
Amerson went on to play in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1997-2004, finishing with a total of 122 games for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and one game for the Toronto Argonauts. Amerson racked up a total of 6,298 receiving yards and caught 37 touchdown passes, while adding 1,654 rushing yards and eight ground scores over his eight seasons in the CFL.
Amerson is looking to join NAU alum Rex Mirich (1959-63) as the second Lumberjack inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame. Mirich was enshrined in 2012 and played a total of seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a defensive lineman with the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos and Boston Patriots.
The announcement of the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2022, with specific details to be announced in the future. The class will be officially inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, 2022, and immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
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