DALLAS – Thirty-nine former NFF National Scholar-Athletes have made NFL rosters for the 2011 season. The group includes three Super Bowl MVPs in Peyton Manning (1997, Tennessee), Drew Brees (2000, Purdue) and Eli Manning (2003, Ole Miss), along with nine Pro Bowlers and 10 first-round picks, including four from the 2010 National Scholar-Athlete class.

In all, ten members of the 2010 class are currently in the NFL, a record for the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program that dates back to 1959 and is currently presented by Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of not-for-profit workplace retirement savings plans in higher education .

“We are very proud to highlight this list of players. They are great ambassadors for the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program, and for the game of football itself,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “They have excelled in all aspects of their lives, and they have taken on leadership roles in their communities. Their remarkable accomplishments are sure to inspire future generations to follow in their footsteps on and off the field.”

Several teams posses multiple NFF National Scholar-Athletes, led by the Cleveland Browns with five. The Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints each boast three former Scholar-Athletes, while the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and New York Jets claim two apiece. In all, 25 of 32 NFL franchises claim a former NFF National Scholar-Athlete on their roster. Detroit kicker Jason Hanson is the longest-tenured NFF National Scholar-Athlete in the NFL. He was honored as a member of the 1991 class from Washington State.

NFF NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETES IN THE NFL

* - William V. Campbell Trophy winner

The NFF recently announced the 2011 candidates for the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and the winners will be announced on Oct. 26 and subsequently honored on Dec. 6 at the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner. Click here to see the list of candidates. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and they will vie as finalists for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy, which goes to the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation.

Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to award post-graduate scholarships based on both a player’s academic and athletic accomplishments. In August of this year, the NFF and Fidelity announced a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and a joint commitment to higher education. As part of the initiative, Fidelity became the first presenting sponsor ever in the 53-year history of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program.