IRVING, Texas  - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced on April 14 the members of the 2021 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 897 players from 256 schools qualified for membership in 2021, the Society's 15th year. The initiative has now honored 13,064 student-athletes since its inception.

For Ithaca College, nine student-athlete were recognized this year – Thomas Diver, Hayden Frey, Austin Hedglen, Ian Henkel, Joey McFadden, Wahid Nabi, Jake Smith, Zach Toback and Noah Wood.
 
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 Case Western Reserve (OH) led all schools with 15 members in 2021. 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).