Bryce Hayes
For Immediate Release
IRVING, Texas — The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today a record number of members for the 2024 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA and sprint football who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.
An elite group of 1,989 players from 339 schools qualified for membership in 2024, setting a new record for the number of members in a single year during the program’s 18-year history. The initiative has now honored 18,387 student-athletes since its inception. Click here for the 2024 list of members.
Six Texas Lutheran student-athletes: Jacob Forton (Spring Branch/Smithson Valley), Andrew Gormly (Alvin/Alvin), Yawanathan McKenzie (San Antonio/Cornerstone Christian), Frankie Saucedo (McAllen/PSJA North), Joshua Stanton (Houston/Lamar), and Landon West (Fredericksburg/
“We are thrilled to honor a record number of athletes as part of this year’s Hampshire Honor Society,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Over the last 18 years, the Hampshire Honor Society has served as a powerful vehicle for schools to recognize their college football players who have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically, and we congratulate the schools and each of these young men for their commitment to excellence in all aspects of their lives.”
Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must be either:
- A senior player, who will graduate this spring/summer, and just completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2023; or
- A graduated player, who has been out of high school at least (3) years;
And must have:
- Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and
- Been starters or contributors throughout the 2023 season.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization’s leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 772 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided the funds to launch the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007. He made the contribution as part of his legacy to the organization after serving as NFF Chairman from 1994-2006. He currently serves the organization as chairman emeritus. Each player awarded membership in this year’s Honor Society will receive a certificate commemorating his or her achievement.
“It was my great privilege to endow the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which has greatly increased the number of college student-athletes the NFF has been able to recognize during the past 18 years,” said Hanson. “Nationwide there are thousands of football players excelling in the classroom, and they are going on to become great leaders.”
“We have honored more than 18,000 student-athletes since 2007 thanks to Jon Hanson’s generosity,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “We are grateful for his passionate belief in the scholar-athlete ideal, and the Hampshire Honor Society allows us to showcase the names of tomorrow’s leaders while inspiring future generations to follow in their footsteps.”
The Hampshire Honor Society represents an important component in the organization’s rich history as an innovator in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal, which began in 1959 with the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Click here to learn more.
The full release can be read here.
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