April 29, 2015

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today the members of the 2015 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 career. A total of 817 players from 278 schools qualified for membership in the society's ninth year, setting a new record for the number of schools represented in the history of the program, which began in 2007. Seniors Marlin Ellis (Vandalia/Butler), Wyatt Herman (Edgerton), Ryan Leopold (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf), the 2014-15 Outstanding Senior Male Athlete at Bluffton, and Ben Schamp (St. Marys/Memorial) were all recognized for their outstanding efforts on the field as well as in the classroom.

"We continue to raise the bar each year for the number of student-athletes who qualify for membership in the Hampshire Honor Society," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "The Hampshire Honor Society plays an important role in highlighting that college football players clearly play a leadership role in the classroom as well as on the playing field. We congratulate each of these young men for their commitment to excellence."

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 who play football at the 772 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide. The initiative has honored 5,744 student-athletes since its inception, and the program has experienced growth every year in either members or school participation since its launch in 2007. The 278 schools represented in 2015 is a new high water mark, eclipsing the 267 schools in 2014. The total of 817 players in the 2015 class is the second-most
in the program's history, only 21 behind the 838 honored last year.

Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided the endowment 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 a chairman emeritus. Each player awarded with membership in this year's Honor Society will receive a certificate commemorating their
achievement.

"We have honored nearly 6,000 student-athletes in the last nine years thanks to Jon Hanson's generosity," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "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."

Qualifications for membership in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society include:

• * Being a starter or a significant contributor in one's last year of eligibility (or a senior who has declared for the NFL Draft)  at an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III or an NAIA college or university;

* Achieving a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout entire course of undergraduate study; and
* Meeting all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.

-BEAVERS-