National Football Foundation

Arguably one of the finest student-athletes in Colorado State history, Jeff Horinek has established himself among the nation's elite both on and off the college gridiron.

Twice the recipient of the Rams Head Academic Excellence Award, Horinek was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team in 2007. A three-time Academic All-Mountain West pick, the Atwood, Kan., native garnered the 2007-08 Merrill Gheen Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award at CSU. With a dual-major in exercise science and liberal arts, Horinek was chosen as the recipient of the 2007 Air Force Game Water Pik Academic Excellence Award last season. 

In 2007, the two-time Honorable Mention All-Mountain West selection led the Rams with 94 tackles, the most by a Colorado State player in four years. The team captain and four-year starter has logged 274 career tackles and was named a Freshman All-America Honorable Mention selection in 2005. 

Horinek has participated in the Ram Jam Children's Community Event for four years and has tallied numerous hours of service at Timberline Church in Fort Collins, Colo. He has also volunteered for the "Cans Around the Oval" campus-wide event, which is the largest food drive in Northern Colorado, while dedicating 60 hours of service to the Human Performance and Clinical Research Lab at CSU. 

Greg Myers was Colorado State's last NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 1995.  Horinek took courses at Colby Community College (Kan.) and Fort Hays State University (Kan.) before being accepted to the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He is expected to graduate in 2016.