IRVING — Former UTSA punter Yannis Routsas has been named to the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society, the organization announced Wednesday.
Comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers, the membership for this year's society is an all-time high of 1,643 student-athletes from a record 424 schools.
Routsas is UTSA's career record-holder for punts (254) and punting average (41.5) and he owns three of the four longest punts in program history. The Houston native broke his own school single-season record by averaging 43.0 yards on 75 punts as a senior on his way to earning honorable mention All-Conference USA accolades in 2018. A Ray Guy Award semifinalist as a junior, Routsas saw 44 of his career punts sail 50-plus yards and he pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 88 times. The Clear Brook High School product, who also served as the team's holder, induced 80 fair catches and had just 14 touchbacks during his career.
Off the field, Routsas earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in mathematics in May of 2018, graduating with a 3.51 GPA. A William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist and a C-USA All-Academic Team selection as a senior, he is a four-time member of the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and two-time UTSA Dean's List honoree. Routsas was involved in several engineering projects, including a pressure and force application kicking cleat and a level-wind guided winch that earned first place at the Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship Competition $100K Student Technology Venture Competition at the UTSA College of Engineering Technology Symposium.
Active in community service, Routsas volunteered at Haven for Hope and with the For The Kids Dance Marathon. He also was a member of the UTSA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and participated in UTSA's Rowdy Readers program.
"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."
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 2018;
- o 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;
- Met all NCAA- or NAIA-mandated progress toward degree requirements; and
- Been starters or significant contributors throughout the 2018 season.
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.
Selected in the fall, each recipient of an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award receives an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Additionally, The William V. Campbell Trophy® is given to one member of each year's class as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation. The winner of the Campbell Trophy® 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.
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