NORTHBROOK, Ill., Sept. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Allstate
Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association
(AFCA) announced today the 22 college football players and honorary
head coach named to the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works
Team®. This award shines a spotlight on the incredible
stories of selflessness and community service displayed by these
student-athletes and honorary head coach, and honors their
dedication to volunteerism and enriching the lives of others.
Earlier this season, sports information directors from Division
I, Division II, Division III and NAIA schools across the country
submitted nominations of players they felt best embodied the spirit
of the Good Works Team® award, one of the most coveted
off-the-filed honors in college football. An esteemed voting panel
consisting of former Good Works Team® members –
including two-time national champion, Heisman Trophy winner and
2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® member Tim Tebow – and prominent college football
media members narrowed down the nominees to the final roster.
Tebow and the rest of the voting panel were faced with a list of
146 nominees with robust community service resumes that was
narrowed down to the 22 student-athletes and a honorary coach named
to the team. From helping to build homes overseas to providing
resources to foster care children, the members of the 2017 Good
Works Team® are changing the lives of others both
locally and abroad.
"For me, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team tells the full story
of what it can mean to be successful as a student-athlete," said
Tebow. "I know it's important to develop the skills of these young
players on the field, but it's even more important to encourage
these players of all the good they can do off the field and help
them understand the impact they can make with the platform they
have."
In addition to Tebow, the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works
Team® selection panel includes: Zaid
Abdul-Aleem (Duke, 1994
team), Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1997, 1998 teams), Brian
Brenberg (St. Thomas, 2001 team), Mike
Proman (Amherst, 2002 team)
and Wes Counts (Middle Tennessee
State, 1999 team); media members Kirk
Herbstreit (ESPN), Blair Kerkhoff (Kansas City Star)
and Paul Myerberg (USA
TODAY); current AFCA President and University of
Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez; 2001 AFCA President
and current athletic director at Virginia Union
University Joe Taylor; and Thomas
Clarkson, president of the west territory for Allstate
Insurance Company.
The 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® will be
invited to New Orleans to
participate in a special community service project ahead of the
2018 Allstate® Sugar Bowl®, where the entire
team will also be recognized on the field at halftime.
In addition, Allstate will honor Good Works Team®
players by creating special volunteer events in select markets
throughout the season in conjunction with its All Hands In program,
which encourages the college football community to come together
and do good.
"These select student-athletes and honorary head coach are an
inspiration for their commitment to enriching the lives of others
while contributing to the greater good of society," said
Thomas Clarkson, president of the
west territory for Allstate Insurance Company and a member of the
2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team voting panel. "We are proud
to honor this outstanding group of individuals and to help give
back to the communities and organizations that are part of the
fabric of college football culture."
The following players and honorary head coach have been named to
the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®:
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
Daniel Carlson – Auburn University
Gabe Brandner – Duke
University
Mavin Saunders – Florida State
University
Brent Stockstill – Middle
Tennessee State University
A.J. Cole, III – North Carolina
State University
Brandon Smith – Pennsylvania
State University
Harrison Phillips – Stanford
University
Shaq Jones – University of
Alabama-Birmingham
Aaron Davis – University
of
Georgia
Courtney Love – University of
Kentucky
Tommy Openshaw – Vanderbilt
University
Combined Divisions (FCS, II, III &
NAIA)
Reece Foy
– Amherst
College
Josh Dalki – Bethel University
(Minn.)
Ryan Stratton – Edinboro
University
Jake Daugherty – Ferris State
University
Tyler Schubert – Franklin &
Marshall College
Jacob Jenness – Northwestern
College (Iowa)
Gunnar Orcutt – Peru State
College
Will Gillach – Saint John's
University (Minn.)
Jake Wieneke – South
Dakota State University
Patrick Mohorcic – The
College of Wooster
Dillon Vaughan – West
Texas A&M University
Honorary Head Coach
Pat
Fitzgerald – Northwestern University
"The 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team is a shining example of
the great student-athletes that populate the rosters of college
football teams all across the nation," AFCA Executive Director
Todd Berry said. "Since 2008, the
AFCA takes great pride in working with Allstate to honor these 22
outstanding student-athletes, and honorary head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who go above and beyond to make
their universities and communities a better place."
Fans are encouraged to visit ESPN.com/Allstate to vote for the
2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Captain now through
November 23, 2017. The Team Captain
will be honored at this season's The Home Depot College Football
Awards on ESPN.
Throughout the season, fans can also follow along and join in on
the conversation by searching and using #GoodWorksTeam on their
social media channels.
About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's
largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting
approximately 16 million households from life's uncertainties
through auto, home, life and other insurance offered
through
its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer
Financial brand names. Other growth platforms include
predictive analytics company Arity and consumer-product
protection plan company SquareTrade. Allstate is widely known
through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With
Allstate®." Allstate agencies are in virtually every
local community in America. In 2016, The Allstate Foundation,
Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $42
million to support local communities.
About the Allstate AFCA Good Works
Team®
The Allstate AFCA Good Works
Team® was established in 1992 by the College
Football Association, recognizing the extra efforts made by college
football players and student support staff off the field.
AFCA became the governing body of the award in 1997 and continues
to honor college football players who go the extra mile for those
in need. Allstate worked to present the award starting with
the 2008 season.
The SEC leads all conferences with 71 selections to the Good
Works Team since it began in 1992. The SEC is followed by the
Atlantic Coast Conference with 37 selections and the Big 12
Conference with 30 selections. Georgia is in first place
with 18 honorees to the Allstate AFCA Good Works
Team®. The Bulldogs are followed
by Kentucky and Nebraska with 14 honorees. Super Bowl
XLII, XLVI and XLI champion quarterbacks Eli and Peyton
Manning were members of the 2002 and 1997 Good Works
Teams®, respectively.
About AFCA
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000
members around the world ranging from the high school level to the
professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was
formed, in part, to "maintain the highest possible standards in
football and in the coaching profession" and to "provide a forum
for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to
football."
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SOURCE Allstate Insurance Company