April 10, 2008
DALLAS -
Illinois State senior football players Dan Simnick (Naperville, Ill./North) and Dan Weiner (Chicago/New Trier) were among the 439 college football student-athletes from 226 schools named to the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) 2008 Hampshire Honor Society by maintaining a 3.2 grade-point average (GPA) or better.
Simnick, a three-year letterwinner, carried a 3.41 undergraduate GPA, while earning his bachelor's degree in business management. Currently enrolled in ISU's MBA program, Simnick is six-time member of the AFNI Athletics Honor Roll. In the summer of 2007, he was honored by Illinois State's Management and Quantitative Methods (MQM) Department with the 2007 MQM Foundation Award for Citizenship and Service. A 2007 honorable mention All-Gateway Academic Team selection, Simnick played in 10 games last season with five starting assignments. He finished with 13 tackles, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss and half of a quarterback sack.
With a 3.60 GPA in history, Weiner was a key contributor to the Redbirds on special teams for the last two seasons. After serving four years (2000-04) with the United States Marine Corps, Weiner transferred to Illinois State following a two-year stint at Palomar Junior College in San Marcos, Calif. A three-time member of the AFNI Athletics Honor Roll, Weiner was named to the All-Gateway Academic Honorable Mention Team in 2007. He played in eight games during the 2007 season, all on special teams, and posted two tackles in the victory at Youngstown State.
Qualifications for membership in the NFF National Honor Society include: (1) 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; (2) achieving a 3.2 cumulative GPA throughout entire course of undergraduate study; and (3) meeting all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.
The NFF Hampshire 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.
"There is no question that the lessons learned on the field translate directly into success later in life," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, "And the members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society serve as the perfect example of football's ability to teach leadership skills. We are proud to showcase the accomplishments of this group as part of the NFF's mission in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal."
"The NFF Hampshire Honor Society provides us an excellent opportunity to recognize outstanding young men who have been committed on the football field and in their educational pursuits throughout their college careers," said Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel, who serves as a member of The NFF Hampshire Honor Society Advisory Committee. "The National Football Foundation is again taking the lead in honoring scholarship and leadership among student-athletes."
