Tuesday, September 23, 2014
by Davidson Athletic Media Relations

NORTHBROOK, Ill. – Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced the roster for the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® Tuesday morning, which included senior Davidson linebacker Dan Casey.

One of the most prestigious off-the-field-honors in college football, the award pays tribute to a select group of student-athletes who have worked to positively impact the lives of others. The 22 players honored with this distinct recognition have not only dedicated their time to succeeding on the field, but have made a commitment to enriching the lives of others while contributing to the greater good of their communities. Notable members of the voting panel to determine the rosters included Kirk Herbstreit, Lou Holtz and Bruce Feldman.

Casey was one of four NCAA Division I FCS players honored this year amongst the 11-man team comprised of student-athletes from across FCS, NCAA Divisions II and III, and the NAIA. The other 11 members were selected from NCAA FBS schools.

“We are excited for Dan Casey, as it is a well deserved honor,” said Davidson head football coach Paul Nichols. “He has lived his life in service to the community and Davidson College. It is a privilege to coach such an outstanding leader and role model.”

For the past 23 years, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® has been one of the most esteemed awards in college sports. This summer, the program received a record 182 nominations from colleges and universities across the country. A voting panel comprised of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® members and college football media reviewed the nominees.

Casey’s service work extends from the local community to in-need parts of the world.

Since graduating high school, Casey has gone on five international mission trips. The first was a week in Belize City, Belize, during the summer of 2010 before he arrived at Davidson from Tega Cay, S.C. Going with his alma mater, Westminster Catawba Christian School, Casey helped lay cinderblocks to build a second story for a local school, in addition to mixing concrete and holding Vacation Bible School for the students.

The following summer, Casey spent a week in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where he helped lay the foundation for a home that a church was providing for one of their deacons. He also made several visits to orphanages to play basketball and soccer with the kids.

In the spring of 2013, Casey spent a week in Uvita, Costa Rica, with a group of students from Davidson, helping clear land behind a local elementary school for a self-sustaining organic farm. He returned to Uvita this past spring, but this time stayed to help for two months, helping a family of missionaries clear land for a new house and build community connections. Casey also helped out with home repairs.

Most recently, he went on a two-week mission trip to Grenada this past May, bringing fellow Davidson teammates to assist with more housing renovations. Additionally, Casey has volunteered multiple times for “Operation Christmas Child,” raising money and helping fill shoeboxes with presents to send to places such as Taiwan and the Philippines.

Casey has also donated his time to help the Carolinas, volunteering locally through Lake Forest Church and spending his 2012 spring break in John’s Island, S.C., helping to paint and repair houses and repairing the roof of a church. He also was one of three Wildcat players to volunteer at the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte prior to the team’s season opener in August.

A leader on the football team as well, Casey was elected to the team’s honor committee before last season and as a team captain after the season. He tied for second on the team with 66 tackles, and was named an All-PFL honorable mention. Casey has also excelled in the classroom, earning Academic Honor Roll recognition from the Pioneer Football League each year. He is the second Davidson football player to ever receive the award (John Behm ’12, 2010.)

“The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® has been highlighting student-athlete volunteerism for 23 years, and the list of honorees keeps getting better each year,” Grant Teaff, AFCA Executive Director said. “The 2014 Good Works Team^® members are some of the most dedicated athletes, on and off the field, I have ever seen. It is the AFCA’s pleasure to work with Allstate in promoting such great ambassadors of the game of football.”

Allstate and the AFCA are looking to the fans to help determine this year’s 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® Captain. By visiting ESPN.com/Allstate, fans can learn more about this year’s team members and vote for the player who they feel best embodies the spirit of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^®. The Team Captain and his fellow award recipients will also be invited to New Orleans to take part in a community project leading up to the 2015 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate^® Sugar Bowl^®.

The 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® voting panel includes: former Good Works Team^® members Zaid Abdul-Aleem (Duke, 1994 team), Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1997, 1998 teams), Brian Brenberg (St. Thomas, 2001 team), Mike Proman (Amherst, 2002 team); media members Lou Holtz (ESPN), Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN), Bruce Feldman (Fox Sports), Blair Kerkhoff (Kansas City Star); current AFCA President and Ithaca College head coach Mike Welch; 1987 AFCA President and former head coach at Brigham Young University LaVell Edwards; and Jim Haskins, president of Allstate’s West Territory.

The following players have been selected to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^®:

NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision

NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and NAIA

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 its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names and Allstate Financial business segment. Allstate is widely known through the slogan “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate^®.” The Allstate brand’s network of small businesses offers auto, home, life and retirement products and services to customers in the United States and Canada. In 2013, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $29 million to support local communities. Allstate employees and agency owners donated 200,000 hours of service across the country.

About the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^®
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Teams^® were 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.

With Chris Conley’s selection in 2014, Georgia moves into first place with 15 honorees to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^®. The Bulldogs are followed by Nebraska at 14 and St. Thomas (Minn.) with 13 honorees.  The SEC leads all conferences with 62 selections to the Good Works Team^® since it began in 1992. The SEC is followed by the Big 12 Conference with 42 selections and the Atlantic Coast Conference with 29 selections. 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.”