JONESBORO (5/3/12) - Center Tom Castilaw (Flower Mound, Texas) and running back Derek Lawson (Jonesboro), both seniors on the 2011 Arkansas State football team, have been named members of the 2012 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, as announced by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF).
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained at least a 3.2 GPA throughout the entire course of undergraduate study and were either a starter or significant substitution on their team. A total of 721 players from 232 schools qualified for membership in the society's sixth year, marking this year's class as the largest since the program's creation in 2007.
A-State has now had seven players named to the NFF Hampshire Honor Society all-time as Castilaw and Lawson join former selections Jeff Blake (2011), Adam Gaston (2011), Alex Carrington (2009), Taylor Clements (2009) and Matt Reibe (2008).
Castilaw, a four-year letterman at ASU, was a First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection last season and was also on the Rimington Award Watch List. The Phil Steele's Mid-Season First Team All-Sun Belt Conference and Honorable Mention All-America choice started every game at center for ASU's offense that broke the school record for total offense in just 11 games (4,952). Castilaw was a member of both the ASU Athletic Director's and Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Rolls and has earned his bachelor's degree.
Also a four-year letterman at A-State, Lawson busted on to the scene with 695 yards rushing as a freshman and finished his career ranked 12th all-time at ASU in career rushing yards with 1,933 to his credit. He rushed for over 400 yards in three of his four seasons at ASU and had 12 career rushing touchdowns. He had a 209-yard rushing performance in a 2009 home game that ranks as the ninth most ever in ASU Stadium history. He was a member of the Athletic Director's and Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Rolls and has earned his bachelor's degree as well.
