Five Hounds Named to 2021 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society

IRVING, Texas --- Five senior Moravian College football players – defensive lineman Sean Agar, defensive back Jackson Buskirk, wide receiver Nick Petros, offensive lineman Joe Solis and defensive lineman PJ Weierbach have been named to the 2021 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society for their excellence in academics. The group gives Moravian a total of 58 NFF Hampshire Honor Society members in 15 years.

"Sean, Jackson, Nick, Joe, and PJ being recognized by the NFF Hampshire Honor Society this year is outstanding and well deserved," stated Head Football Coach Jeff Pukszyn. "Having these five players earn this honor is a testament to the hard work they put in as student-athletes. We are all extremely proud of their commitment to excellence both on and off the field."

Buskirk is a three-time member of the Centennial All-Conference Second Team, and he also made the 2020 Centennial Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll along with Solis and Weierbach. Petros was on the Centennial All-Conference Honorable Mention squad in 2019, and he ranks in the top ten in school history in receptions with 120, receiving yards with 1,789 and receiving touchdowns with 17.

Official National Football Foundation Release Below:

IRVING, Texas (April 14, 2021) - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today 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 910 players from 255 schools qualified for membership in 2021, the Society's 15th year. The initiative has now honored 13,077 student-athletes since its inception.

"We are pleased to honor another impressive group of athletes as part of this year's Hampshire Honor Society," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "For more than a decade, 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 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 St. Thomas (MN) set a new single-year record for most honorees from one school with a remarkable 27 members in 2021. The Tommies, who will begin playing at the FCS level this fall, broke the previous mark of 22 set by Yale in 2018.

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).

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

"We have honored more than 13,000 student-athletes in the last 15 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." 

Twenty-six colleges and universities have had at least one player in all 15 years of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society (2007-21), including Brigham Young, Brown, Bucknell, Columbia, Dayton, Huntingdon (AL), Iowa, Johns Hopkins (MD), Kentucky, Lafayette, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Penn State, Redlands (CA), Saint John's (MN), SMU, South Dakota State, Wartburg (IA), Washington Univ. in St. Louis (MO), Wayne State (MI), West Virginia, Wingate (NC) and Yale. 

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. Click here to learn more.

About The Hampshire Foundation

The Hampshire Foundation is the charitable arm of The Hampshire Companies, a privately-held, fully-integrated real estate firm that has more than 60 years of hands-on, cycle-tested experience in acquiring, developing, leasing, repositioning, managing, financing and disposing of real estate. Founded by Jon F. Hanson, who served as NFF Chairman from 1994-2006, Hampshire is headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey. Learn more at hampshirere.com

About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Future For Football, The William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Jostens, Mazda, the New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org