The American Football Coaches Association has kept its time honoured tradition going.
The AFCA selected 22 student-athletes and an honorary coach named to the 2020 Good Works Team for stepping up to help those in need.
Whether founding a nonprofit to combat poverty, providing food to families hit hardest by COVID-19, working with youth on important social issues like bullying or organizing their teammates to take a stand against racial injustice, the class of 2020 is led by a new wave of college football stars helping their communities.
“I’m excited to team up with the AFCA to recognize the powerful stories of these players and the incredible work they are doing,” Tim Tebow, two-time NCAA national champion and former AFCA Good Works Team member, said.
“It’s truly an honour to call myself an alumnus of the AFCA Good Works Team and continue to highlight the amazing work these student-athletes do off-the-field.”
The Finalists
The final roster was chosen from 149 nominees. Eleven of the 22 players are from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision; 11 are from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics; and one honorary head coach.
The following players and honorary head coach have been selected to the 2020 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team:
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
Trevor Lawrence
Clemson University
Rakavius Chambers
Duke University
Trenton Gill
NC State University
Chuba Hubbard
Oklahoma State University
Treyjohn Butler
Stanford University
Elijah Hicks
University of California, Berkeley
Luke Fortner
University of Kentucky
Adam Shibley
University of Michigan
Teton Saltes
University of New Mexico
Chanse Sylvie
University of Oklahoma
Sam Ehlinger
University of Texas
Combined Divisions (FCS, II, III & NAIA)
Mike Delich
Bethel University (Minn.)
Alexander Findura
Bloomsburg University
Jacob Norris
Chadron State College
Tyler Bradfield
Grand Valley State University
DaShawn Simon
Howard University
Stephen Stokes
North Carolina Central University
Chris Backes
Saint John’s University (Minn.)
Jackson Ross
University of Chicago
Steven Spirakis
University of Rochester
Andrew Whitaker
Washington University in St. Louis
Jace Neugebauer
William Penn University
Honorary Head Coach
Neal Brown
West Virginia University
The AFCA Good Works Team was established in 1992 by the College Football Association to recognize extra efforts by players and student support staff off the field. AFCA became the governing body of the award in 1997 and continues to honour players who go the extra mile for those in need.
Since the recognition program began, the Southeastern Conference leads all conferences with 76 athletes, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with 46, and the Big 12 Conference with 38. Georgia is in first place with 20 honourees, followed by Kentucky with 16. Super Bowl XLII, XLVI and XLI champion quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning were members of the 2002 and 1997 Allstate AFCA Good Works Teams, respectively.