Going into the 2011-2012 football season, many questioned junior quarterback Jordan Lynch’s ability to fill Chandler Harnish’s shoes.

Lynch quickly silenced those critics as he had one of the greatest seasons in NCAA and NIU history on his way to being named the No. 1 athlete on the Northern Star’s list of top 10 athletes.

“It’s a major accomplishment, especially with all the teams and athletes we have here at Northern,” Lynch said. “I feel like I couldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for my teammates and the coaches. They set me up for success and they put me in the right spots, and I just happened to make some plays at times.”

As he led the Huskies to their second consecutive MAC Championship and their first ever berth to the Discover Orange Bowl, Lynch shattered records left and right.

Lynch set the NCAA record for most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback by accumulating 1,771 yards. The previous record–1,702 yards–was set in 2010 by Michigan’s Denard Robinson. Lynch also set the NCAA record for the most rushing yards per game with 136.2.

In the Huskies’ game against Toledo, Lynch became the first quarterback in NCAA history to throw for more than 400 yards and rush for more than 150 yards.

The quarterback is one of only two in NCAA history to finish a season with 2,500 passing yards and 1,500 yards rushing, as he totaled 2,962 yards through the air and 1,771 yards on the ground.

In NIU history, Lynch recorded the most 100-yard rushing games with 12. Another record he set was rushing for 100 yards in 11 consecutive games.

Lynch even eclipsed Harnish’s records from last season as Lynch was responsible for 43 of the Huskies’ touchdowns last season. He also set the record for most total offense in a season by accumulating 4,733 total yards.

Along with all the broken records and success the Huskies had, Lynch won the Vern Smith Leadership Award and was named MAC MVP. Lynch even garnered recognition as a Heisman candidate.