May 5, 2010

MEMPHIS, TENN. - Matt Reagan and Brett Toney have been named to the 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 620 players from 246 schools qualified for membership in the society's fourth year, an 80 percent increase from the inaugural class in 2007.

"The NFF's mission is to build leaders through football, and this year's Hampshire Honor Society members are living proof of that charge," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "Each of these young men has showcased a strong desire to succeed on and off the football field, and we are certainly proud to honor them for their accomplishments as the next generation of our nation's leaders."

A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Reagan served as the primary kicker for four seasons and picked up punting duties in 2009 as a senior. He earned third-team Associated Press All-America honors as a punter last season, becoming the first Memphis AP All-American since DeAngelo Williams in 2005. Reagan finished his career ranked third in Memphis history in scoring by a kicker with 260 points (122 PAT/ 46 FG), and is ranked second in career PATs made (122) and in PATs attempted (129). Reagan was named second-team All-C-USA as a punter in 2009, and was an honorable mention pick as a kicker. His academic honors include earning the Children's Literature Award through the U of M English Department in May '09, and being named as the Paul H. Sisco Outstanding Senior for the Geography Department in April '09.

A native of Germantown, Tenn., Toney joined the Tigers in 2005 as a quarterback and saw his first game action as a holder with the special teams unit in 2007. He earned one of the team's Role Player Awards at the post-season banquet in 2008 after playing in all 13 games as the holder and making two starts at quarterback due to injuries. Toney made his debut at quarterback against East Carolina following injuries to Arkelon Hall and Will Hudgens and completed 11 of 15 passes for 65 yards in that game. He threw his first career touchdown pass in his first collegiate start against Southern Miss and also tossed two TD passes against SMU. Toney was instrumental in Reagan's success as a kicker at the U of M, holding for him the last three seasons. Toney will also be honored at the NFF Memphis chapter banquet on Monday, May 10, with the NFF Scholar-Athlete Award.

Both Reagan and Toney are graduating from the University of Memphis on Saturday. Reagan holds a 3.81 grade point average and will earn a degree in both mathematics and geography. He will attend graduate school in the meteorology program at Mississippi State. Toney will earn his biology degree and holds a GPA of 3.58. He has been accepted to the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in Memphis.

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.

"The Hampshire Honor Society's success is a direct reflection of Jon Hanson's generosity and continued belief in the scholar-athlete ideal," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, "We thank him and those who serve on the society's advisory committee for helping us empower this most important initiative, and we encourage every football-playing school in the country to get involved in the future."

Qualifications for membership in the NFF Hampshire 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 Hampshire 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 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 $9.2 million to 724 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 Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, is given to one member of each year's class as the absolute best. The winner of the Campbell, claimed by Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in 2009, receives a total scholarship of $25,000 and a 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.