Football: Desormeaux on 2009 Hampshire Honor Society

Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns announced that Michael Desormeaux has been named to the 2009 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a 3.2 GPA or better.
A total of 564 players from 266 schools qualified for membership in the society’s third year, a 27 percent increase from the 2008 class. In its inaugural year in 2007, the Hampshire Honor Society honored over 300 students from 195 schools.
“I’m very proud of Michael, not only because he was a great student and a great football player, but because he graduated,” head football coach Rickey Bustle said. “After his NFL career, he will have the opportunity to put his degree to use.”
Desormeaux capped a stellar career in 2008 by leading the Cajuns offense to the highest scoring season in school history. For his efforts, Desormeaux was named the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He also became just the eighth quarterback in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
Desormeaux is currently a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, having signed as an undrafted free agent.
He graduated in December 2008 with a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.91.
The Cajuns also had a member of the 2008 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, as former safety Lamar Morgan earned the honor. Both Desormeaux and Morgan were named a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy during their respective senior season.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF’s current National Scholar-Athlete program, greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year and further strengthening the organization’s leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes who play football at the more than 700 college and universities with football programs nationwide. Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided an 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.
Qualifications for membership in the inaugural NFF National Honor Society include:

Being a starter or a significant substitute in one’s last year of eligibility at an accredited 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-mandated progress towards degree requirements.

The National Honor Society becomes the latest component of the organization’s efforts to promote combined athletic and academic success. Launched in 1959 with a donation from Hall of Fame coach Earl "Red" Blaik, the NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete Awards program became the first initiative in history to credit a player for his combined academic success, football performance and community leadership.
Since its inception, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program has awarded $8.9 million to 708 top scholars and community leaders. Currently, the NFF distributes more than $300,000 a year at the national level through the program to 15 individuals. Each winner of a National Scholar-Athlete Award receives an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. Additionally, the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, is given to one member of each year’s class as the absolute best. The winner of the Draddy, claimed by Cal center Alex Mack in 2008, receives a total scholarship of $25,000 and a stunning 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy. Through, its chapter network, the NFF awards an additional $800,000 to local high school student-athletes, bringing the NFF’s annual scholarship total to more than $1.1 million.