Six Redbirds Selected As Members of NFF Hampshire Honor Society

NORMAL, Ill. – A total of six Illinois State football student-athletes have been announced as members of the 2022 The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (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.

The Redbird representatives included Spencer DeForest, Trey Georgie, Joey Lombardi, Timothy McCloyn II, Austin Nagel and Jacob Powell. The six ISU standouts are among an elite group of 1,559 players from 313 schools that qualified for membership in 2022, the Society's 16th year.

"As the National Football Foundation celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2022, we are pleased to honor another impressive group of athletes as part of this year's Hampshire Honor Society," NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said. "Over the last 16 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 have completed their final year of playing eligibility in Fall 2021 or must be a player who has graduated and have remaining eligibility but will not return to collegiate play (e.g. declared for NFL Draft or retired from football). Honorees must have also maintained 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 2021 season.

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 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 16 years," Hanson said. "Nationwide there are thousands of football players excelling in the classroom, and they are going on to become great leaders."

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 771 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.

"We have honored more than 14,000 student-athletes in the last 16 years thanks to Jon Hanson's generosity," NFF Chairman Archie Manning said. "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." 

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