Fiacchi, Idowu, Meek, Parker Named To NFF Hampshire Honor Society
NFF RELEASE
IRVING, Texas -- The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) has announced the members of the 2015 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who have maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college career. A total of 825 players from 280 schools qualified for membership in the society's ninth year, including the University at Albany's Will Fiacchi, T.J. Idowu, Jake Meek, and Brian Parker.
Will Fiacchi, a business administration major from Marcellus, N.Y. accrued a 3.47 GPA in his career. Starting 35 consecutive games at quarterback, Fiacchi is UAlbany's all-time leading passer with 7,150 career yards. He also broke the program's single-season passing record with 2,636 yards in 2014 and owns the record for most pass completions in a game (45), season (207), and career (602). Ranked second in the CAA with 219.7 passing yards per game, Fiacchi threw for 24 touchdowns last season, including at least one in every game. Fiacchi was named to the Capital One Academic All-District I team by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and was a two-time CAA All-Academic team selection.
Jake Meek, an accounting major, accrued a 3.78 cumulative GPA. The Penfield, N.Y. native was also named to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team and was presented the Chuck Boone Leadership Award given annually to the CAA Football player who embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship in his academic and athletic achievements. Meek served as an executive member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and led the football team in numerous community services initiatives throughout his career. On the gridiron, Meek played in 42 games and totaled 535 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in his tenure. He also recorded 162 receiving yards on 18 receptions, and totaled 1,358 all-purpose yards.
T.J. Idowu, an accounting major with a 3.33 cumulative GPA, is a native of Wexford, Pa. Idowu was also named to the Capital One Academic All-District I team by CoSIDA and was a two-time CAA All-Academic team selection. At safety, Idowu totaled 86 tackles (50 solo), forced two fumbles, and recovered one in 2014. He recorded a season-best 13 tackles (7 solo) vs. Delaware (Nov. 8) and finished his career with 210 tackles (120 solo).
Brian Parker, a native of Henrietta, N.Y. finished his tenure with a 3.21 GPA. Parker totaled 1,006 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in his career at UAlbany. The 6'4 tight end was named Third-Team All-CAA in his senior season, totaling 500 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 39 receptions. On May 2nd, Parker became UAlbany's 12th player in program history to ink an NFL contract, signing an undrafted free agent deal with the San Diego Chargers.
“We continue to raise the bar each year for the number of student-athletes who qualify for membership in the Hampshire Honor Society,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “The Hampshire Honor Society plays an important role in highlighting that college football players clearly play a leadership role in the classroom as well as on the playing field. We congratulate each of these young men for their commitment to excellence.”
