In 1981, in his second season with the Badgers, Archer received Juco All-American honors and was fourth in the country in passing.

He paired up with All-American receiver Tracy Henderson to form one of the most lethal QB-WR duos in ISU history.

Archer set school marks in pass completions (234), attempts (403), yards (2,639), total offense (2,698), touchdowns (18) and lowest interception percentage (.029).

Archer played five more seasons in the NFL, finishing his final years with the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, and Philadelphia Eagles.

[1] Archer played for the Sacramento Surge of the WLAF in 1992, throwing for 2,964 yards (NFL Europa single season record) and leading them to a World Bowl championship, where he was named game MVP.

In 1993, the same ownership group who owned the Surge (who folded along with the rest of the WLAF's North American teams following the 1992 season) transferred Archer to their new Canadian Football League (CFL) team, the Sacramento Gold Miners (part of the league's United States expansion).

Archer retired after that game and is now the color analyst for the Atlanta Falcons alongside Wes Durham and ACC college football.