Mike Archie
Mike was a phenomenal football and basketball player at Sharon High School who went on to college and pro careers.
At Sharon, he set numerous football records (at the time) including: career - rushing yards (5,136), TDs (75), scoring (456 points); season - rushing yards (2,334); single game - rushing yards (329 on 12 carries). He helped the Tigers to the 1990 District 10 Class AAA title and was named All-State. He represented Pa. in the Big 33 Game and was named the Pennsylvania Player of the Year by USA Today. He was also an outstanding basketball player, leading the team to back-to-back D-10 AAA crowns in 1990 and 1991. He broke the school's all-time scoring record (1,003 by Jeff Persson in 1964) with 1,407 points.
Mike received a football scholarship at Penn State, where he earned 4 varsity letters from 1991-95. He played in 48 games and made 13 starts. He set PSU records for receptions by a running back (77) and receiving TDs by a running back (8). He rushed for 1,830 yards and scored 14 touchdowns in his career and helped the Nittany Lions to an overall record of 38-10, including wins in the 1993 Citrus Bowl, 1994 Rose Bowl and 1995 Outback Bowl. He also returned punts and kickoffs at times. The team was ranked No. 2 in the nation after winning the Rose Bowl.
He was drafted by the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans in the 7th round in 1996, where he played for 4 seasons as backup running back and special teams performer. In 1998, he led the team in kickoff returns, averaging 21.7 yards on 42 returns. Mike was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week against Cincinnati that year when he averaged 38.5 yards on 2 kickoff returns, returned a punt 13 yards and completed an 18-yard halfback pass. His first NFL carry against Tampa that season was a touchdown. The teams went 37-27 in his years, culminating in the 1999 team that went 13-3 and won the AFC Championship before coming up just yards short in a Super Bowl loss to the St. Louis Rams.
Mike finished his pro career in 2001 with the New York/New Jersey Hitmen during his lone season in the XFL. He scored 4 touchdowns for the Hitmen.