Mid-American Conference

IRVING, Texas -- The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today the members of the 2018 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players who each maintained a cumulative 3.20 GPA or better throughout their college careers.  An all-time high 1,251 players from a record-tying 302 schools from all divisions of play qualified for membership in the society's 12th year. 

Representing the MAC are 38 student athletes from 10 of the 12 MAC football programs.

Akron:  RB Warren Ball; WR Tra'Von Chapman; S Zach Guiser; LB Andrew Hauser; OL Xavier Quigley; WR Anthony Young
Ball State:  OL Vinnie Palazeti
Bowling Green:  OL Clark Clancy; P Joseph Davidson; OL Ryan Hunter; LB Nate Locke
Buffalo:  P Kyle DeWeen; S Tim Roberts
Central Michigan:  WR Mark Chapman; OL Derek Edwards; DE Joe Ostman
Eastern Michigan:  WR Sergio Bailey II; LB Jason Beck; TE Daniel Buschman; DB Juan Giraldo; DL Luke Maclean; WR Johnnie Niupalau
Kent State:  LB James Alexander; QB George Bollas; S Marcus Elliott; QB Nick Holley; OL Nathan Puthoff; DE Matt Sommers
Northern Illinois: S Jackson Abresch; K Christian Hagan; TE Shane Wimann
Toledo: OL Nate Jeppesen; LS Brad Spelman; OL Brant Weiss; QB Logan Woodside
Western Michigan:  TE Lucas Bezerra; P Derrick Mitchell; LS Wyatt Pfeifer

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 778 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
 
The 1,251 players honored in 2018 sets a new high water mark, eclipsing the previous record of 1,103 honorees in 2017. The 302 schools with members ties the previous mark also set in 2017. The initiative has now honored 8,994 student-athletes since its inception, and the program has experienced growth every year in either members or school participation since its launch in 2007.

Members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must have: 
  -Completed their final year of playing eligibility in 2017; 
  -Graduated players, who have remaining eligibility but will not return to collegiate play may also be nominated. 
  -Achieved a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout entire course of undergraduate study; and 
  -Met all NCAA- or NAIA-mandated progress toward degree requirements.
 
The Hampshire Honor Society represents an important component in the organization's rich history as an innovator in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal, which began in 1959 with the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Launched with a donation from Hall of Fame coach Earl "Red" Blaik, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments, became the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on a player's combined academic success, football performance and community leadership. Since its inception, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program has awarded $11.3 million to 841 top scholars and community leaders. 

Each recipient of an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award receives an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Additionally, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, presented by Fidelity Investments and displayed at its official home inside the New York Athletic Club, is given to one member of each year's class as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation. The winner of the Campbell Trophy® receives a total scholarship of $25,000 and a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy. Through its chapter network, the NFF also awards an additional $1 million to local high school student-athletes, bringing the NFF's annual scholarship distribution total to more than $1.3 million.