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Bemidji State senior running back Eddie Acosta has established himself as perhaps the finest running back in the history of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, earning 2001 pre-season and final league Offensive MVP awards and setting BSU single season and career records for rushing yardage, rushing touchdowns and scoring along the way. In 2002, Acosta will attempt to become the NSIC’s all-time leader in rushing yardage and rushing touchdowns (all games) and will be a strong early-season candidate for the Harlon Hill Trophy - given annually to the most outstanding player in Division II football

Personal: Born Dec. 6, 1980... Son of Ed and Sally Acosta... Younger brother Anthony Acosta joins the BSU squad this season... Father, Ed, was also an All-America running back at BSU who rushed for 1,296 yards and 15 TDs in 1976...

Majoring in graphic design

Harlon Hill Trophy Candidate: Has finished sixth or better in Division II in rushing yardage per game each of the last two seasons... Bemidji State’s all-time leader in rushing yards (4,301), rushing TDs (49) and total TDs (58)... NSIC’s all-time leading scorer (286 points, NSIC games only); tied for NSIC career lead in rushing touchdowns (40, NSIC games only)... Needs just 516 yards and eight rushing TDs to become the NSIC career leader in both categories (all games, unofficial)... Averages 130.3 yards and 1.5 TDs per game for his career; averages one touchdown every 14.0 carries... BSU-record 21 games with 100+ rushing yards, including 20 in his last 24 games... BSU-record five career games with 200+ rushing yards... BSU is 18-3 all-time when Acosta rushes for at least 100 yards and is 14-4 when he gets 20 carries... Averages less than 21 carries per game for his career (20.84)... Has only five career 30 carry games.

2002 honors:
Pre-Season:
• Street & Smith’s First-Team All-America
• Lindy’s First-Team All-America
• d2football.com First-Team All-Midwest Region
• NSIC Offensive Player of the Year

2001 honors:
Pre-season:
• NSIC Offensive Player of the Year
• d2football.com Second-Team All-Midwest Region
• Don Hansen’s Gazette Second-Team All-America
In-Season:
• Three-time NSIC Offensive Player of the Week (9-3-2001; Co-Player, 9-10-2001, 10-23-2001)
Post-Season:
• First-Team All-NSIC
• NSIC Offensive Player of the Year
• Daktronics, Inc. First-Team All-Midwest Region
• Don Hansen’s Gazette Third-Team All-America
• d2football.com Honorable Mention All-America
• Harlon Hill Trophy nominee

Final NCAA Division II rankings:
• 2nd in scoring (13.82)
• 4th in all-purpose running (200.73)
• 6th in rushing (155.45)
Broke own BSU single-season records for rushing
yardage (1,710), rushing touchdowns (21), total touchdowns (25) and scoring (152)... Set NSIC single-season records (conf. games only) for rushing yardage (1,367), touchdowns scored (21) and points scored (128).

Had the top three single-game rushing efforts in the NSIC - 203 yards vs Concordia-St. Paul, 200 yards vs St. Thomas and 199 yards vs Winona State... Minot State (9-1-2001): Game-high 143 yards, TD on 18 carries; 2 rec, 21 yds, TD... Earned NSIC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors... at St. Thomas (9-8-2001): Career-high 37 carries for 200 yards, two touchdowns in BSU’s win... Earned NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors... Winona State (9-15-2001): 199 yards, three rushing touchdowns on only 17 carries (11.7 yards/rush)... Career-long 79-yard touchdown run on BSU’s second play from scrimmage put him over 3,000 career rushing yards... at Northern State (9-29-2001): 285 total yards (186 rush, 99 rec), three touchdowns... 30 rush, 186 yds, 2 TDs... Runs of 31 and 45 yards... Career-high 5 rec, career-high 99 yds, TD; 55-yard reception... Concordia-St. Paul (10-6-2001): 26 carries, 203 yards, TD; 2 rec, 25 yds... BSU-record 17th 100-yard game... Needed just six games to go over 1,000 yards for the season (1,024)... at Southweset State (10-13-2001): 153 yards, 2 TDs (47, 4) on just 15 carries (10.2 yds/rush); career-
long 68-yd TD reception... MSU-Moorhead (10-20-2001): Became first player in BSU history to run for 100+ yards and catch passes for 100+ yards in same game; 27 rush, 117 yards, 2 TDs; career-high 7 rec, career-high 137 receiving yards; 51-yd, 46-yd catches... NSIC Offensive Player of the Week... UM-Duluth (10-27-2001): Broke BSU records for career rushing yardage and rushing touchdowns with a 21-carry, 94-yard, 1-touchdown
effort... Also caught one pass for 33 yards... at UM-Morris (11-3-2001): 26 carries, 179 yds, 4 TDs... 171 yds, 4 TDs in 1st half... 18th rush TD of year tied school record... UM-Crookston (11-10-2001): 29 carries, 143 yards, 4 TDs.

2000 honors:
• HM All-America (Don Hansen)
• Second-Team All-Region (Daktronics)
• First-Team All-NSIC at running back
• Three-time NSIC Offensive Player of the Week

Final NCAA Division II rankings:
• 4th in rushing (153.6)
• 6th in scoring (12.2)
• 11th in all-purpose running (174.55)
Rushed for 1,690 yards... Set three BSU single-season records (since broken) previously held by his father, Edwin Acosta, set during the 1976 season - 18 rushing TDs (prev: 16), 22 total TDs (16, also held by Al Wolden ‘86) and 134 points scored (98)... 283 rushing attempts second on BSU single-season lists (285, Al Wolden ‘86)... Scored two or more rushing touchdowns five times, including two games with four TDs and one three-TD effort... Three-time NSIC Offensive Player of the Week; no other player earned the award more than twice in 2000: Sept. 2 at Minot St. - 26-209 yds, 2 TD; Sept. 23 vs Northern St. - 22-165 yds, 3 TD; Oct. 28 at UM-Morris - 29 rush, career-high 242 yds, tied career high w/ 4 TDs.

1999 honors:
• NSIC Offensive Player of the Week (9-11)
1999 (Fr): Split time at running back with BSU career rushing leader Chris Meyer as a true freshman... Led squad with 901 yards on 139 carries (6.5 yards/rush)... BSU’s leading rusher in six of 11 games... Earned NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors for Sept. 11 effort vs St. Thomas- 36 carries, 230 yards, TD in first career start, in place of injured Meyer.
High School: Won eight letters at Bemidji High, two in football, three each in basketball and baseball... Team captain, two-time Offensive Player of the Year and two-time rushing leader in football... Six times named KBUN Player of the Game... finished career with more than 2,000 yards and 28 touchdowns... Academic All-District.

• Has finished sixth or better in Division II in rushing each of the last two seasons
• Bemidji State’s all-time leader in rushing yards (4,301), rushing TDs (49) and total TDs (58)
• Needs 114 yards to become NSIC’s all-time leading rusher;
tied for NSIC career lead w/ 40 rushing touchdowns (NSIC games; official record)
• Needs just 516 yards and eight rushing TDs to take NSIC career lead in both areas (all games; unofficial record)
• Averages 130.3 yards and 1.5 TDs per game for his career; averages one TD every 14.0 carries
• BSU-record 21 games with 100+ rushing yards, including 20 in his last 24 games
• BSU-record five career games with 200+ rushing yards
• BSU is 18-3 all-time when Acosta rushes for at least 100 yards and 14-4 when he gets 20 carries
2002 Awards and Honors
• Street & Smith’s First-Team Pre-Season All-America
• Lindy’s First-Team Pre-Season All-America
• d2football.com Pre-Season First-Team All-Midwest Region
• NSIC Pre-Season Offensive Player of the Year (repeat selection)
2001 Awards and Honors
• NSIC Pre-Season Offensive Player of the Year
• d2football.com Pre-Season Second-Team All-Midwest Region
• Don Hansen’s Gazette Pre-Season Second-Team All-America
• Three-time NSIC Offensive Player of the Week (9-3-2001; Co-Player, 9-10-2001; 10-23-2001)
• First-Team All-NSIC; NSIC Offensive Player of the Year
• Daktronics, Inc. First-Team All-Midwest Region (only NSIC player on First Team)
• Don Hansen’s Football Gazette Third-Team All-America (only NSIC player on All-America team)
• d2football.com Honorable Mention All-America (only NSIC player on All-America team)
• Harlon Hill Trophy nominee.