Four Named to Hampshire Honor Society

DALLAS, TEXAS – Four former members of the Syracuse football program have been inducted into the 2009 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society. Ryan Durand, Jake Flaherty, Ryan Howard and Ben Maljovec are four of 564 players representing 266 schools from all divisions of play who qualified for membership in the society.

Durand, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, was a three-year starter on offense for the Orange. The health and exercise science major was a four-time BIG EAST All-Academic team member, a 2008 ECAC All-Star, a 2008 BIG EAST second-team honoree and earned ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA All-America second team accolades twice. He was also a semifinalist for the NFF 2008 Draddy Trophy.

Flaherty, an American studies major, was a two-year starter at linebacker for Syracuse. A 2007 and 2008 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District I honoree, he earned a spot on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll seven times. He also was named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team on three occasions. The co-captain played in all 47 games during his career, leading the Orange in tackles his senior year and finishing second on the team as a junior.

Howard played in every game in 2008, contributing on defense and special teams. The cornerback tallied 13 tackles, including nine solo, and returned seven punts and two kickoffs. The communication and rhetorical studies major was a two-time member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.

Linebacker turned tight end, Maljovec was a three-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team. In 2008, he made his first start at tight end against Penn State, where he also made his first reception for seven yards. The six-time member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll earned an undergraduate degree in information management and technology. He spent his final year of eligibility pursuing a master's in information management.

The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's current National Scholar-Athlete program, with the aim of expanding the number of scholar-athletes it can recognize each year. The goal is to continue to strengthen the organization's leadership role in encouraging both academic and athletic performance.

Qualifications for membership in the 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 one's entire course of undergraduate study;
Meeting all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.

In the program's third year, the Hampshire Honor Society had a 27 percent increase in size from the 2008 class. It has also almost doubled the number of student-athletes honored in 2007, the honor society's first year, when 300 student-athletes were inducted.

Syracuse University Athletics

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