2019 NFF Hampshire Honor Society Membership Announced
 
Bronx, N.Y. - Fordham University senior wide receivers Austin Longi and Jalen Ollie, and senior defensive back Bryce Petty were selected to the 2019 National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society it was announced today by the NFF & College Football Hall of Fame. They are three of 29 Patriot League student-athletes to be selected to the team.
 
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society 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 all-time high of 1,643 players from a record 424 schools qualified for membership in the Society's 13th year.

"We are pleased to see another record number of athletes honored by the Hampshire Honor Society this year," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "For more than a decade, it has become 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."
 
Ollie, a Business Administration major who moved from quarterback to wide receiver last fall, appeared in ten games as a senior, starting one. He caught four passes for 42 yards.
 
Longi, an Economics major who was named first team All-Patriot League for the second straight year, caught 59 passes for 697 yards and four touchdowns, all team bests. He led the Patriot League in receptions/game (5.5) and was second in receiving yards/game (65.1). Longi had four 100-yard receiving days in 2018, including a ten-catch, 137-yard, two-touchdown game versus Bryant.
 
Petty, an Applied Accounting and Finance major, appeared in all eleven games for the Rams this year at free safety, starting ten. He was sixth on the team with 49 total tackles, 31 solo, including 1.5 for loss, and had four pass break ups. His best game came against Bryant when he made a career-high nine tackles, six solo, and broke up two passes. He also earned Google Cloud Academic All-District® and Academic All-Patriot League accolades this year.

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 initiative has now honored 10,660 student-athletes since its inception, and the program has experienced growth every year in either members or school participation since its launch in 2007.
 
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 chairman emeritus. Each player awarded with membership in this year's Honor Society will receive a certificate commemorating his or her 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 13 years," said Hanson. "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 continues to grow and allows us to shine a light on their hard work."

"We have honored more than 10,000 student-athletes in the last 13 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." 

Nominated by their respective schools, 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 (e.g. declared for NFL Draft or retired from football), 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 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 $11.5 million to 854 top scholars and community leaders.