University of Minnesota Athletics
Six Gophers Receive NFF Academic Honors
4/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) honored six Golden Gophers as members of the 2008 NFF Hampshire Honor Society. The NFF’s Hampshire Honor Society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a 3.2 GPA or better.
Tony Brinkhaus, John Jakel, Robert McGarry, Todd Meisel, John Shevlin and Steve Shidell comprised Minnesota’s honorees.
It was yet another award in a long string of academic accomplishments for the Gophers. All six of Minnesota’s 2008 NFF Hampshire Honor Society selections were also Academic All-Big Ten Honorees last fall. In addition, Brinkjaus, Shevlin and Shidell also received Academic All-District accolades from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's current National Scholar-Athlete program, greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year and further strengthening its leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes who play football at the more than 700 college and universities with football programs.
Qualifications for membership in the inaugural NFF National Honor Society include:
Being a starter or a significant substitute in one's last year of eligibility at an accredited NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, or an NAIA college or university;
Achieving a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout entire course of undergraduate study; and
Meeting all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.
The National Honor Society becomes the latest component of the organization's efforts to promote combined athletic and academic success. Launched in 1959, the NFF's National Scholar-Athlete Awards program became the first initiative in history to credit a player for his combined academic success, football performance and community leadership.
Since its inception, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program has awarded $8.6 million to 693 top scholars and community leaders. Currently, the NFF distributes more than $300,000 a year at the national level through the program to 15 individuals. Each winner of a National Scholar-Athlete Award receives an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. Additionally, the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, is given to one member of each year's class as the absolute best. The winner of the Draddy, receives a total scholarship of $25,000 and a stunning 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy.
Through, its chapter network, the NFF awards an additional $800,000 to local high school student-athletes, bringing the NFF's annual scholarship total to more than $1.1 million.
