Alex Shillow nominated for 2019 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.
NORTHBROOK, Ill. – The 2019 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, announced Texas A&M University-Commerce defensive back Alex Shillow as one of 137 nominees. It is one of the most prestigious off-the-field honors in college football. For consideration of the nomination by Allstate and the AFCA, each player must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.
Shillow (Pflugerville) is one of 59 scholar-athletes from the Combined Divisions (FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA) vying for 11 spots on the Good Works Team. Since its inception in 1992, the award shines a spotlight on selfless student-athletes and honors their dedication to volunteerism, community service and their commitment to enriching the lives of others. Usually, recognized for accomplishments and achievements on game day, these student-athletes have made significant contributions to the greater good of society, inspiring future generations of young athletes and the broader college football community.
“Alex’s commitment to improvement and making our campus and community a better place is second to none,” said head football coach David Bailiff. “He does all of this on his own as a true leader on our campus and our team. He is an exceptional young man who is a model of what a Division II student-athlete should be.”
Shillow was a team captain for the Lions in 2018. He is the chair of the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and the president of the A&M-Commerce SAAC, which has won the last two Lone Star Conference SAAC Cups. A second-team all-LSC selection in 2018, Shillow is a recipient of the 2018 Hunt County African American Leadership Conference – MLK Social Justice Award and a three-time LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll honoree.
He has worked with the 2nd, and 7 Foundation. His Tackling Illiteracy program includes reading to second graders in classrooms all over the country and providing each of those children with a visit from a positive role model and a new book to take home. The foundation targets schools with economically disadvantaged children and communities; the biggest impact can be made.
He has also helped coordinate programming for Lion Athletics’ annual Education Day for surrounding elementary and middle school children. During a basketball game, Shillow and the Lion SAAC produce an educational segment on getting good grades, being good students, and respecting others. He has also helped plan and execute a Field Day for various school districts surrounding Commerce. The field day is designed to showcase Lion student-athletes to local schoolchildren and educate them on being good students and leaders in their classrooms.
As part of his duties for the Lion SAAC, enough money has been raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation – the official philanthropy of NCAA Division II – that A&M-Commerce students were able to reveal the wish of a trip to Walt Disney World on two occasions during the 2018-19 school year.
He has also been an exemplary student, earning Lone Star Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll distinction and appearing on either the President’s List or Dean’s List in every semester since he has been enrolled at A&M-Commerce. He is interning with IMG/Learfield during the summer and is on pace to graduate with honors in August. Following the completion of his undergraduate degree, he will continue at A&M-Commerce in his postgraduate studies as one of eight winners nationwide of the John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Award.
“To be named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team is no small feat and goes above and beyond sportsmanship and leadership in the classroom or on the field,” said Tim Tebow, two-time national champion, Heisman Trophy winner and 2009 Good Works Team® member. “These student-athletes believe in the power of giving back and enriching the lives of others, while also helping to shape the lives of future young athletes. Each year, I am struck by the caliber of these nominees and humbled to be a part of telling their stories.”
The final 22-member team and honorary coach is selected by a voting panel consisting of former Good Works Team® members and prominent media members who look for both their dedication to giving back and the embodiment of true leadership on and off the football field.
After the final team members are announced on September 12, 2019, fans will be able to vote for this year’s Good Works Team® captain through the official page on ESPN.com. Fans are also encouraged to join in the conversation by searching and using #GoodWorksTeam on their social media channels throughout the season.
In addition to Tebow and O’Donnell, the 2019 Good Works Team® selection panel members include: Zaid Abdul-Aleem (Duke, 1994 team); Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1997, 1998 teams); Brian Brenberg (St. Thomas, 2001 team); Mike Proman (Amherst, 2002 team); Wes Counts (Middle Tennessee State, 1999 team); media members Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN), Blair Kerkhoff (Kansas City Star), and Paul Myerberg (USA TODAY); 2019 AFCA President and Ohio University Head Coach, Frank Solich; and 2001 AFCA President and current athletic director at Virginia Union University, Joe Taylor.
“For 12 straight years, the AFCA has been proud to partner with Allstate to honor football student-athletes who volunteer their time and energy to give back to their local communities and other countries around the world,” AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry said. “These 137 nominees are examples to not only their fellow student-athletes, but to everyone in this great nation that selfless acts of giving back will enrich the lives of people they know, and don’t know, who benefit from their generosity.”
Nominees from Combined Divisions (FCS, D-II, D-III & NAIA)
Name | School |
ALEX SHILLOW | A&M-COMMERCE |
Carl Thompson | Alabama State |
Clay Shreve | Ashland |
Jeremiah Oatsvall | Austin Peay |
Hayden Murphy | Berry (Ga.) |
Danny Munoz | Bethel (Minn.) |
Peyton Bailey | Briar Cliff |
David Barnett | Capital |
Antonio Wimbush | Carson-Newman |
Brady Berger | Catholic |
Carter Terpstra | Central College |
Dan List | Colorado State-Pueblo |
Brandon Plyler | Concord |
John Trout | Dakota State |
George Hatalowich | Davidson |
Ryan Culhane | Dayton |
Blaze Barista | Dubuque |
Scotty Gilkey Jr. | Eastern Illinois |
De’Sean McNair | Elon University |
Travis Russell | Ferris State |
Ryan Landis | Frostburg State |
Mason Dekker | Hope |
Garrett Hirsch | Illinois State |
Josh Pearson | Jacksonville State |
Dawson Aichholz | Johns Hopkins |
Luke Butera | Marist |
Adam Diggs | Maryville (Tenn.) |
Dorian Kithcart | Mercer |
Jacob Wenzlick | Michigan Tech |
Alvin Joseph | Millsaps |
Parker Franzen | Minot State |
Aaron Feazell | Mississippi College |
Kurt Aumer | Monmouth |
Dante Olson | Montana |
Jacob Katzer | Morningside |
James Sappington | Murray State |
Noah Wanzek | North Dakota |
Ben Ellefson | North Dakota State |
Tanner Machacek | Northwestern College |
Chris Zirkle | Northwestern State |
Mher Tcholakian | Ohio Wesleyan |
Jasper Smiley | Oklahoma Panhandle State |
Noah Kasbohm | Peru State |
Dwight Jackson | Puget Sound |
Roy Garris Jr. | Saint Augustine’s |
Ben Bartch | Saint John’s (Minn.) |
Drew Balestrieri | Salve Regina |
Christian Rozeboom | South Dakota State |
Zach Larsen | Southern Utah |
Nick Bainter | Springfield College |
Vinny Pallini | St. Thomas (Minn.) |
Brant Bailey | Tarleton |
Diondre Wallace | Towson |
Kooper Richardson | UC Davis |
Ryan Oliver | Utica (N.Y.) |
Luke Bevilacqua | Wayne State (Mich.) |
Peter Hoff | Western New England |
Brady Hogue | Westminster (Pa.) |
Nick Strausbaugh | Wooster |
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