The 5-foot-11, 197-pound redshirt freshman running back from Dearborn became the first Wildcat to earn All-American recognition from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association, NMU Sports Information announced on Wednesday.

Dobert, who set all kinds of game and season rushing records both all-time at Northern and for this season in NCAA Division II, was named a Second Team All-American by the D2CCA.

He finished with school records of 1,656 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, breaking the school’s yardage record by more than 150 yards. He was also third in all of Division II this season with 150.5 yards per game and among national leaders with 6.3 yards per carry.

While he was already having quite a nifty year leading up to the season’s final game, all these records came about due to his finale against Wayne State, when he demolished the Wildcats’ single-game rushing record by nearly 100 yards with his 406-yard effort that included four TDs, all of at least 50 yards.

Northern Michigan University running back Noah Dobert, front left, gallops past multiple Wayne State defenders while gaining some of his Wildcats-record 406 yards rushing in their GLIAC game played at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Nov. 15. (Photo courtesy NMU)

The 406 yards was just a dozen yards short of the all-time Division II record for any year at any school in its record books.

That performance garnered Dobert his third Offensive Player of the Week honor this season from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and also brought along D2Football.com’s National Offensive Player of the Week honor.

His other two league weekly awards came in his other games he exceeded an already-amazing 200 yards on the ground. In both those games, NMU’s other two wins this season, he gained exactly 243 yards in road games at Roosevelt and Davenport.

By the end of the season, he was named GLIAC Offensive Back of the Year while also making the league’s First Team and being selected to the D2CCA All-Super Region 3 First Team.

And by the way, he led Northern to its best-ever rushing season as a team by a wide margin with 3,123 yards.

Noah Dobert NMU running back

Dobert joins five players from national No. 1 Ferris State on the D2CCA First Team and a Grand Valley State player on the Second Team as other GLIAC honorees.

Those awarded were Ferris offensive linemen Tim Anderson and Jarvis Windom, defensive lineman Khailib Davis, cornerback Ahlston Ware and safety Justin Payoute, while GVSU’s winner was cornerback Jason Hardy.

In addition, two of NMU’s nonconference opponents had a total of three All-Americans. Minnesota State-Moorhead quarterback Jack Strand and wide receiver Gage Florence made the First Team, while Northwood safety Cole Simpson is on the Second Team.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the honor. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.