UMass Dartmouth senior running back Matt Mitchell has been named to the 2019 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society for his performance in the classroom throughout his career.
A native of Westerly, R.I. and a graduate of Stonington High School, Mitchell was one of nearly 1,700 student-athletes from around the country and across all NCAA and NAIA divisions to be recognized with induction into the Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players who each maintained a minimum 3.20 cumulative grade point average throughout their careers.
Mitchell was a standout dual threat out of the backfield for Head Coach Mark Robichaud throughout his career, and this past fall he amassed 456 all-purpose yards (251 rushing, 205 receiving) to go with a pair of touchdowns. A Marketing major at the University, Matt holds a 3.33 cumulative GPA and has earned spots on the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Fall All-Academic squads.
Mitchell's honor is the latest academic accolade for the Corsair football program, as he becomes the third UMass Dartmouth student-athlete in the last two seasons to be inducted into the Hampshire Honor Society in a group that includes 2018 graduates Marvey Mathurin and Michael Slaughter Jr. Additionally, former Corsair All-America honoree Pat Sullivan '17 earned the National Football Foundation Jack Grinold Eastern Massachusetts Chapter's Jack Daly Award two years ago for academics, football and citizenship.
“Matt has had a great academic and football career here at UMass Dartmouth,” Robichaud said of Mitchell. “Despite substantial injuries during his career, Matt maintained his focus and refused to give up. His attitude and toughness are an example for all younger players.”
Mitchell's accolade is also the second national award bestowed upon a UMass Dartmouth football student-athlete during the current academic year, as sophomore Jacob Burkhead became the school's first male Google Cloud Academic All-America honoree as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America last December.
“This latest honor for our football program speaks to the high level of commitment our student-athletes continue to display both on and off the field, and I congratulate Matt and Coach Robichaud on this outstanding achievement,” UMass Dartmouth Director of Athletics Amanda Van Voorhis said. “The hard work that Matt has done throughout his career is reflected in this recognition, which is very well-deserved.”
