IRVING, Texas (April 14, 2021) – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today the members of the2021 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.

An elite group of 910 players from 255 schools qualified for membership in 2021, the Society’s 15th year. The initiative has now honored 13,077 student-athletes since its inception.

“We are pleased to honor another impressive group of athletes as part of this year’s Hampshire Honor Society,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “For more than a decade, 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 have:

·     Completed their final year of playing eligibility in Fall 2020 or Spring 2021;

·     Graduated players, who have remaining eligibility but will not return to collegiate play (e.g. declared for NFL Draft or retired from football), may also be nominated. 

·     Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale);

·     Met all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress towards degree requirements; and

·     Been starters or significant contributors throughout the 2020-21 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 765 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.

This year marks the first time the Hampshire Honor Society has included players from the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL), which was established in 1934 and currently includes 10 intercollegiate teams. The CSFL is a full-contact varsity sport for players weighing 178 pounds or less and has the same rules as regular college football.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to all 2020 fall athletes. Many seniors have decided to take advantage of this, and because they will return to the field in 2021, are not featured in this year’s Hampshire Honor Society.

Division III program St. Thomas (MN) set a new single-year record for most honorees from one school with a remarkable 27 members in 2021. The Tommies, who will begin playing at the FCS level this fall, broke the previous mark of 22 set by Yale in 2018.

Stanford led all FBS programs with eight members while Bucknell led all FCS schools with 13 honorees. Stonehill (MA) was the Division II leader with eight members, Doane (NE) led the NAIA with nine honorees and the Army Sprint Football team topped the CSFL with seven.

Twenty-two schools had at least nine honorees in 2021, including Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon (PA), Case Western Reserve (OH), Catholic (DC), Chicago (IL), Davidson, Dayton, DePauw (IN), Doane (NE), Franklin and Marshall (PA), Gustavus Adolphus (MN), Hobart (NY), Ithaca (NY), Johns Hopkins (MD), Nebraska Wesleyan, Redlands (CA), Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (IN), St. Thomas (MN), Wabash (IN), Washington Univ. in St. Louis (MO), Wesleyan (CT) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA).

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 with 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 15 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 13,000 student-athletes in the last 15 years 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.” 

Twenty-six colleges and universities have had at least one player in all 15 years of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society (2007-21), including Brigham Young, Brown, Bucknell, Columbia, Dayton, Huntingdon (AL), Iowa, Johns Hopkins (MD), Kentucky, Lafayette, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Penn State, Redlands (CA), Saint John’s (MN), SMU, South Dakota State, Wartburg (IA), Washington Univ. in St. Louis (MO), Wayne State (MI), West Virginia, Wingate (NC) and Yale.

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.