MVFC Release
 
ST. LOUIS – A total of 38 Missouri State University football players were honored by the Missouri Valley Football Conference today with the league's annual academic honor roll announcement for the 2016-17 academic year.
 
Four Bears – Gus Carter, Dylan Cole, Erik Furmanek and Shelby Harris – received the prestigious Missouri Valley Football Conference President's Council Academic Excellence Award. This honor requires a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average (through Fall 2016 semester) and participation in athletics a minimum of two years. The student-athlete must be within 18 hours of graduation. Just 36 student-athletes in the MVFC received this distinction.
 
Nine additional MSU players -- Jared Beshore, Chris Cacciarelli, Darius Daniel, Sam Ellifrits, Erik Furmanek, Gerard Harker, Shelby Harris, Nick Masoner, and Brad Pryor – were bestowed with the honor of Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award. This distinction requires a minimum GPA of 3.2 for the previous two semesters (freshmen are not eligible.). Across the 10-member league, 149 student-athletes earned this award.
 
Finally, nearly 500 student-athletes across the league, including 37 Missouri State players, received MVFC Honor Roll status. To qualify for the Honor Roll, a student-athlete must have recorded a minimum 3.0 grade point average for a specified term (Fall 2016), must have been a member of the football team, and must have a minimum of 12 hours of enrollment during the fall.
 
For the fall 2016 semester, 34 MSU football players finished with a semester grade-point average of 3.0 or better. For the spring 2017 semester, 32 MSU players accounted for a 3.0 GPA or higher.
 
Third-year head coach Dave Steckel and his staff will fall camp on July 26 with 42 returning lettermen and 18 starters back from last season. Missouri State will open the 2017 season on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Missouri. The game will mark the first time the Bears and Tigers have played since 1923.
 
#MSUBears
 
 
PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ACADEMIC AWARD (4) -- Gus Carter, Dylan Cole, Erik Furmanek, Shelby Harris.
 
COMMISSIONER'S ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD (9) -- Jared Beshore, Chris Cacciarelli, Darius Daniel, Sam Ellifrits, Erik Furmanek, Gerard Harker, Shelby Harris, Nick Masoner, Brad Pryor.
 
HONOR ROLL (37) - Darius Adams, Jared Beshore, Cecil Bratton, Chris Cacciarelli, Charles Carter, Gus Carter, Kam Carter, Aaron Clardy, Alex Coffin, Darius Daniel, McNeece Egbim, Sam Ellifrits, Easton Flaugh, Erik Furmanek, Gerard Harker, Shelby Harris, Riley Herrold, Deion Holliman, Brock Hughes, Skyler Hulse, Peyton Huslig, Colby Isbell, McKinze James, Phoenix Johnson, Alexz Jones, Tony Jones, Nick Masoner, Ty McDuffey, Rickey Nichols, Taiwo Oluwafunmila, Marquis Prophete, Brad Pryor, Matt Rush, Jordan Turner, Jordan Wilkes, Carvell Williams, Brendan Withrow.