Archie J. Amerson (born August 24, 1974) is an American former professional Canadian football running back and slotback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1997 to 2004, appearing in 122 regular season games for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and one regular season game for the Toronto Argonauts.
In Amerson's senior year of 1996, he won the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in Division I-AA (now FCS) football.
[4] Amerson's strong game against Patrick Henry saw his role on the team increase as he ran for 675 yards and 13 touchdowns over a three-week period.
The team placed Amerson on their practice squad to start the season, but he was forced into action after Ted Long suffered a groin injury.
[17][18] While the Tiger-Cats continued to struggle during the game and dropped to a 0–3 record, Amerson's performance was praised, with The Hamilton Spectator calling him "the quickest back ever".
[21] By the end of August, Amerson led the Tiger-Cats' offense with 298 rushing yards, 12th most in the CFL despite not playing in the first two games.
[22] After being briefly sidelined with a foot injury, Amerson returned to a starting role and rushed for 139 yards against the Calgary Stampeders in late September.
[1] Amerson immediately established himself as a viable receiving option in the season opener against Calgary when he caught six passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
[31] Amerson remained effective on the ground, rushing for 114 yards in an early August game against the Edmonton Eskimos, but he continued to struggle with fumbles throughout the season.
[32][33] In a mid-August victory over the Eskimos, Amerson threw the first touchdown pass of his career to wide receiver Andrew Grigg after lining up as a running back.
In the final quarter of the Grey Cup, Amerson caught a short pass and ran for a 47-yard completion to set up a touchdown.
[39] Hamilton re-signed Amerson to a one-year contract worth approximately $50,000 in late March with a team option for an additional year.
[45] Amerson's role as a rusher was greatly reduced in 1999, both due to his early knee injury and the returning Williams, who developed into the team's featured power back.
[56][57] The Calgary Herald stated that Amerson had "disappeared" over a seven-week period when he caught only 25 passes for 302 yards and no touchdowns, statistics far below those he had set earlier in the season.
Amerson scored a touchdown for the Tiger-Cats, but he later lost 16 yards on a crucial pitch play with 90 seconds left on the game clock.
After the failed run, the Blue Bombers received the ball back and kicked a field goal to win the game.
[66][67] During this time, receiver and return specialist Greg Hill became increasingly involved in the offense and began to fill the multi-purpose role originally expected of Amerson.
[69] Immediately after signing with the Tiger-Cats, Amerson played in the Labour Day Classic against Toronto, catching a touchdown pass and returning a punt for 24 yards.
[70] While the Tiger-Cats initially expected to use Amerson more in the rushing game than they had in the past, the team returned to using him as a receiving back by the end of September due to weaknesses in the offensive line.
[73][74][75] Due to a coaching decision to rest Davis prior to the playoffs, Amerson started in the final game of the regular season against the BC Lions.
Amerson's most significant play of the East Final was a "leaping" catch in the third-quarter, but it was called back due to an offensive holding penalty.
[78] After Mike Morreale left the Tiger-Cats in free agency, the team moved Amerson to the slotback position.
He recorded 147 receiving yards in the first game after being listed as a running back on the roster, including a touchdown catch in overtime to win 35–28 against the Montreal Alouettes.
[85] In early October, Amerson missed a game with a leg injury but returned the following week to catch two touchdowns against the Argonauts.
[1] The Tiger-Cats finished the season with a 1–17 record amid controversy after the owners of the team failed to pay players, including Amerson.
[95] During the offseason, Amerson remained in Canada for the first time during his career to train with incoming receivers' coach Paul LaPolice.
[99] Prior to the 2005 season, Amerson signed a two-year contract extension with the Tiger-Cats, and he was expected to feature heavily among their receivers.
[100] Shortly before the start of training camp, Amerson experienced nerve issues in his left leg which prevented him from running.
[101][102] The source of the injury was a herniated disk which pressed against nerves and caused muscle atrophy throughout Amerson's left leg.