FARMINGTON, Utah (March 30, 2023) – Northern Arizona University athletics Hall of Famer Archie Amerson will be a part of the 2023 Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame Induction Class, as announced by the league office this 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 2001.
He will be officially enshrined on Saturday, July 22 in Spokane, Wash., at Northern Quest Resort and Casino as a part of the Big Sky Conference Football Kickoff. He is one of 14 athletes and administrators across seven Big Sky institutions to be inducted this year. The full class is listed below.
This is the conference's second Hall of Fame Class, and Amerson is the fourth Lumberjack to be inducted. He joins NAU cross country and track and field legends Angela Chalmers, Lopez Lomong and Ron Mann who were officially inducted in the inaugural class on July 23, 2021, in Spokane.
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.
In just two seasons with NAU, the running back became the program's all-time leading rusher with 3,196 career yards. He was just the third running back in NCAA Division I-AA history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season (2,079), and just the second back in conference history to rush for 3,000 yards in two seasons.
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.
Most recently, Amerson was selected for the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot.
2023 Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame Induction Class
- Archie Amerson, Football, Northern Arizona
- Lindsey Anderson, Cross Country, Track and Field, Weber State
- Geronne Black, Track and Field, Portland State
- Shannon Butler, Cross Country, Track and Field, Montana State
- Debby Colberg, Volleyball Coach and Administrator, Sacramento State
- Kim Exner, Volleyball, Eastern Washington
- Chick Hislop, Cross Country, Track and Field Coach, Weber State
- Ginny Hunt, Administrator, Montana State
- Margarita Karnaukhova, Tennis, Sacramento State
- Larry Krystkowiak, Basketball, Montana
- Jamie Martin, Football, Weber State
- Charles Roberts, Football, Sacramento State
- Mike Roos, Football, Eastern Washington
- Ron Stephenson, Commissioner, Big Sky Conference
Below is the committee that voted on this year's Hall of Fame Class:
- Dave Cook, Former SID, Eastern Washington
- Maureen Taylor Regan, Former Administrator, Idaho
- Glenn Alford, Former SID, Idaho State
- Dave Guffey, Former SID, Montana
- Bill Lamberty, Current SID, Montana State
- Mike Nesbitt, Former Administrator, Northern Arizona
- Tom Barbour, Former SID, Northern Colorado
- Mike Lund, Current SID, Portland State
- Brian Berger, Current SID, Sacramento State
- Brad Larsen, Former SID, Weber State
- Jaynee Nadolski, Senior Woman Administrator Representative, Big Sky Conference
- Mike Marlow, Athletic Director Representative, Northern Arizona
- Arnie Sgalio, At-Large Representative (Former Big Sky and Montana State Administrator)
- Jon Kasper, Conference Office Representative
