ECU’s Roach earns NFF academic honors

Published 10:18 pm Thursday, April 26, 2007

By Staff
By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
GREENVILLE — While his playing days may be over, that doesn’t mean Kevin Roach isn’t working hard any more.
Roach is putting in the long hours of studying that he’s been accustomed to since he first stepped foot on the campus of East Carolina University. All that hard work has paid off as Roach was named to the inaugural National Football Foundation &College Hall of Fame (NFF) National Honor Society.
The society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who maintained a 3.2 GPA or better.
Roach is one of 345 players from 195 schools to earn recognition as part of the inaugural class.
Roach was a solid wide receiver for the East Carolina Pirates. He finished his career with 65 receptions for 845 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
In his senior season, Roach had 24 catches for 376 yards (15.8 average) and a touchdown. The 24 catches were fourth highest on the game, while the 376 receiving yards ranked fifth best.
Roach’s final game with the Pirates (7-6) came in the PapaJohns.com Bowl, where ECU fell 24-7 to South Florida. He had three catches for 45 yards in the game.
Just as he did on the practice turf and football field, Roach works diligently in the classroom. Roach, who is working toward a master’s degree in accounting, holds a 3.44 GPA.
Roach, who was named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District III first team and has been a C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll member four times, has always taken studying seriously.
Roach has been rewarded for his efforts in the classroom as he is now a part of something special with the NFF National Honor Society.
Qualifications for membership in the inaugural NFF National 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 entire course of undergraduate study; and
* Meeting all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.