TAMPA - University of South Florida C Chaz Hine and WR Joel Miller were named to the National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society, the organization announced Wednesday. The Hampshire Honor Society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play, who each maintained a 3.2 GPA or better throughout their entire course of undergraduate study.
A 2011 NFF Scholar-Athlete, Hine graduated Magna Cum Laude from USF's Honors College in May 2011 with a degree in business management and recently signed a free-agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He earned second-team Academic All-America honors in 2011, was a two-time Academic All-District 3 selection and a three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team member. Hine appeared in 45 games, starting 37, along the offensive line during his career.
Miller was a three-time BIG EAST All-Academic performer, who earned a degree in communications in the fall of 2011. He appeared in 44 games, starting 1, at wide receiver and on special teams during his career. Miller tallied 17 receptions for 179 yards and a TD, while posting 20 tackles, while on special teams.
The Hampshire Honor Society represents a powerful component in the organization's rich history as an innovator in promoting the scholar-athlete ideal. Launched in 1959 with a donation from Hall of Fame coach Earl "Red" Blaik, the NFF's 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. And, since its inception, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program has awarded $9.8 million to 756 top scholars and community leaders.
Currently, the NFF distributes more than $300,000 a year at the national level through the program to 16 individuals. Each winner of a National Scholar-Athlete Award receives an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. Additionally, the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, is given to one member of each year's class as the absolute best. The winner of the Campbell Trophy, claimed by Army linebacker Andrew Rodriguez in 2011, 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.
