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University of New Hampshire Athletics
Jerry Azumah Receives Prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award
12/20/2023 12:28:00 PM | Football
INDIANAPOLIS – Jerry Azumah, star running back for the University of New Hampshire football team from 1995-98, was named a recipient of the 2024 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award on Wednesday. He will be honored at the 2024 NCAA National Convention in Phoenix, Ariz. on Jan. 10.
The NCAA Silver Anniversary Award recognizes distinguished former student-athletes on the 25th anniversary of the end of their intercollegiate athletics eligibility. The selection criteria include both collegiate accomplishments and professional achievements, including contributions to professional organizations, and charitable and civic activities.
"We congratulate Jerry Azumah for this historic honor commemorating his remarkable UNH Wildcat career, his terrific NFL tenure with my beloved Chicago Bears, and his continued dedication to serving his community," said Allison Rich, UNH Director of Athletics. "We are proud of our longstanding association with Jerry, for whom our strength and conditioning center is named. We were honored to welcome him home last month for our victory against Maine, and we look forward to celebrating his prestigious Silver Anniversary Award with him in Phoenix next month."
The five other recipients of the 2024 Silver Anniversary Award are Nicole Aunapu Mann (U.S. Naval Academy, women's soccer), Shannon Box (Notre Dame, women's soccer), John Cena (Springfield, football), Misty May-Treanor (Long Beach State, volleyball) and Cindy Parlow Cone (North Carolina, women's soccer).
A native of Worcester, Mass. who graduated in 1999 with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Justice Studies, Azumah was the 1998 recipient of the Walter Payton Award that honors the top offensive player in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. He became the first player in FCS to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in four consecutive years, and broke two FCS records with 6,193 career rushing yards and 8,376 career all-purpose yards.
Azumah still holds the following school records at New Hampshire: single-game rushing yards (329), rushing yards in a season (2,195), career rushing yards, single-game carries (53), season carries (343), career carries (1,045), single-game rushing touchdowns (five), career rushing touchdowns (60), and career all-purpose yards.
He tallied 25 career 100-yard rushing games in 41 games, which means he topped 100 yards in 61 percent of his games. Azumah finished with nine games of 200 or more yards, including a pair that surpassed 300, and averaged almost 6.0 yards per carry in his four years as a Wildcat.
In his 1998 senior season, Azumah was named a unanimous All-American, All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection (preceded CAA Football), ECAC All-Star, New England Player of the Year and Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year.
That season saw him shatter conference- and school- season records with 343 carries for 2,195 yards and 22 touchdowns. He averaged 247.8 all-purpose yards per game and eclipsed 200 rushing yards five times. Azumah broke his own school record with a career-high 329-yard rushing performance with five touchdowns against Hofstra University.
Azumah was named AFCA All-America First Team as a kick returner and All-America Second Team (Associated Press, The Sports Network) at running back as a junior. He was tabbed an ECAC All-Star, Gold Helmet recipient, All-Atlantic 10 Conference and All-New England First Team. He led the conference and ranked sixth in the nation with 1,585 rushing yards on 271 carries with 17 touchdowns.
As a sophomore, Azumah was named All-ECAC, All-New England, and All-Yankee Conference (precursor to Atlantic 10) First Team. He was named Yankee Conference Offensive Player of the Year and the season's ECAC Gold Helmet recipient. He led the conference in rushing (1,308 yards), scoring (126 points) and all-purpose yards (2,109).
In 1999, he became one of the first recipients of UNH's Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year Award that is given to New Hampshire student-athletes who excel both in athletic competition and the classroom, and possess great sportsmanship and character, and a passion for sports.
In 2005, Azumah was inducted into the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame.
Following his highly-successful UNH career, Azumah was a fifth-round NFL draft pick by the Chicago Bears and spent seven seasons (1999-2005) in the league as a defensive back and kick returner.
Azumah, in his first season with the Bears, received the prestigious Brian Piccolo Award, which is given by teammates to a player exemplifying courage, loyalty, teamwork and dedication.
Azumah played in 105 games with the Bears and made a Pro Bowl appearance in 2003, when
he led the league in kickoff returns with a 29-yard per return average and two touchdowns. He became the first Wildcat to ever earn a Pro Bowl appearance, and in that game set the record for return yards with 228 and also recovered a fumble.
His NFL career statistics include 48 starts, 384 tackles, 10 interceptions, 29 passes defended, 6.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Azumah maintained connection to UNH throughout his NFL career and, in 2001, became a board member of the University of New Hampshire Foundation. In 2003, he made a generous donation to the foundation that was directed to the athletics department and helped fund The Jerry Azumah Performance Center.
A year later, he launched the Azumah Student Assistance Program, which provides scholarships for disadvantaged students who attend private secondary schools in Massachusetts and Illinois.
Azumah currently serves on the board of directors of Bears Care, the philanthropic arm of the Chicago Bears that supports youth athletics, education, medical research and treatment programs for breast and ovarian cancer.
He is also a member of Metropolitan Family Services' Board of Directors. MFS's mission is to provide and mobilize the services needed to strengthen families and communities in Illinois.
This past year, Azumah joined the board of Gilda's Club, which is a community organization for people with cancer, as well as their families and friends. Azumah also donates his time to many of his former teammates' charities and foundations.
After his NFL playing days, Azumah transitioned to a sports media personality and has appeared on various Chicago-based networks. Azumah started his television broadcasting career on Comcast SportsNet Chicago in 2006 as a postgame analyst and feature reporter. Azumah also worked for ESPN 1000 sports radio in Chicago. Currently, Azumah can be heard on his new podcast titled "To the Points with Jerry Azumah."
CLICK HERE to read the complete 2024 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award press release.
The NCAA Silver Anniversary Award recognizes distinguished former student-athletes on the 25th anniversary of the end of their intercollegiate athletics eligibility. The selection criteria include both collegiate accomplishments and professional achievements, including contributions to professional organizations, and charitable and civic activities.
"We congratulate Jerry Azumah for this historic honor commemorating his remarkable UNH Wildcat career, his terrific NFL tenure with my beloved Chicago Bears, and his continued dedication to serving his community," said Allison Rich, UNH Director of Athletics. "We are proud of our longstanding association with Jerry, for whom our strength and conditioning center is named. We were honored to welcome him home last month for our victory against Maine, and we look forward to celebrating his prestigious Silver Anniversary Award with him in Phoenix next month."
The five other recipients of the 2024 Silver Anniversary Award are Nicole Aunapu Mann (U.S. Naval Academy, women's soccer), Shannon Box (Notre Dame, women's soccer), John Cena (Springfield, football), Misty May-Treanor (Long Beach State, volleyball) and Cindy Parlow Cone (North Carolina, women's soccer).
A native of Worcester, Mass. who graduated in 1999 with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Justice Studies, Azumah was the 1998 recipient of the Walter Payton Award that honors the top offensive player in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. He became the first player in FCS to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in four consecutive years, and broke two FCS records with 6,193 career rushing yards and 8,376 career all-purpose yards.
Azumah still holds the following school records at New Hampshire: single-game rushing yards (329), rushing yards in a season (2,195), career rushing yards, single-game carries (53), season carries (343), career carries (1,045), single-game rushing touchdowns (five), career rushing touchdowns (60), and career all-purpose yards.
He tallied 25 career 100-yard rushing games in 41 games, which means he topped 100 yards in 61 percent of his games. Azumah finished with nine games of 200 or more yards, including a pair that surpassed 300, and averaged almost 6.0 yards per carry in his four years as a Wildcat.
In his 1998 senior season, Azumah was named a unanimous All-American, All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection (preceded CAA Football), ECAC All-Star, New England Player of the Year and Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year.
That season saw him shatter conference- and school- season records with 343 carries for 2,195 yards and 22 touchdowns. He averaged 247.8 all-purpose yards per game and eclipsed 200 rushing yards five times. Azumah broke his own school record with a career-high 329-yard rushing performance with five touchdowns against Hofstra University.
Azumah was named AFCA All-America First Team as a kick returner and All-America Second Team (Associated Press, The Sports Network) at running back as a junior. He was tabbed an ECAC All-Star, Gold Helmet recipient, All-Atlantic 10 Conference and All-New England First Team. He led the conference and ranked sixth in the nation with 1,585 rushing yards on 271 carries with 17 touchdowns.
As a sophomore, Azumah was named All-ECAC, All-New England, and All-Yankee Conference (precursor to Atlantic 10) First Team. He was named Yankee Conference Offensive Player of the Year and the season's ECAC Gold Helmet recipient. He led the conference in rushing (1,308 yards), scoring (126 points) and all-purpose yards (2,109).
In 1999, he became one of the first recipients of UNH's Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year Award that is given to New Hampshire student-athletes who excel both in athletic competition and the classroom, and possess great sportsmanship and character, and a passion for sports.
In 2005, Azumah was inducted into the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame.
Following his highly-successful UNH career, Azumah was a fifth-round NFL draft pick by the Chicago Bears and spent seven seasons (1999-2005) in the league as a defensive back and kick returner.
Azumah, in his first season with the Bears, received the prestigious Brian Piccolo Award, which is given by teammates to a player exemplifying courage, loyalty, teamwork and dedication.
Azumah played in 105 games with the Bears and made a Pro Bowl appearance in 2003, when
he led the league in kickoff returns with a 29-yard per return average and two touchdowns. He became the first Wildcat to ever earn a Pro Bowl appearance, and in that game set the record for return yards with 228 and also recovered a fumble.
His NFL career statistics include 48 starts, 384 tackles, 10 interceptions, 29 passes defended, 6.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Azumah maintained connection to UNH throughout his NFL career and, in 2001, became a board member of the University of New Hampshire Foundation. In 2003, he made a generous donation to the foundation that was directed to the athletics department and helped fund The Jerry Azumah Performance Center.
A year later, he launched the Azumah Student Assistance Program, which provides scholarships for disadvantaged students who attend private secondary schools in Massachusetts and Illinois.
Azumah currently serves on the board of directors of Bears Care, the philanthropic arm of the Chicago Bears that supports youth athletics, education, medical research and treatment programs for breast and ovarian cancer.
He is also a member of Metropolitan Family Services' Board of Directors. MFS's mission is to provide and mobilize the services needed to strengthen families and communities in Illinois.
This past year, Azumah joined the board of Gilda's Club, which is a community organization for people with cancer, as well as their families and friends. Azumah also donates his time to many of his former teammates' charities and foundations.
After his NFL playing days, Azumah transitioned to a sports media personality and has appeared on various Chicago-based networks. Azumah started his television broadcasting career on Comcast SportsNet Chicago in 2006 as a postgame analyst and feature reporter. Azumah also worked for ESPN 1000 sports radio in Chicago. Currently, Azumah can be heard on his new podcast titled "To the Points with Jerry Azumah."
CLICK HERE to read the complete 2024 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award press release.
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