Illinois State University seniors Zack Annexstad, Peyton Asche, Peter Bussone, and Josh Dinga have been recognized by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) as members of the 2024 Hampshire Honor Society. This society honors college football players from various divisions of the NCAA, NAIA, and sprint football.
This year marks a record for the NFF Hampshire Honor Society with 1,991 players from 340 schools being recognized. The society has reached its highest membership in its 18-year history.
Eligibility for this honor requires that nominees be senior players graduating this spring or summer who completed their final playing season in 2023. They must also have maintained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale and have been starters or key contributors during the past season.
Steve Hatchell, NFF President & CEO, expressed his satisfaction with this year's recognition: "We are thrilled to honor a record number of athletes as part of this year's Hampshire Honor Society." He added that the program is "a powerful vehicle for schools to recognize their college football players who have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically."
The Hampshire Honor Society expands upon the NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program by recognizing more scholar-athletes each year. It plays a significant role in promoting academic achievement among student-athletes at colleges and universities across the nation.
The initiative was funded by Jon F. Hanson, chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, who contributed to launching it in 2007 after serving as NFF Chairman from 1994-2006. The society forms an integral part of the organization's long-standing tradition of supporting scholar-athletes since the inception of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards in 1959.
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