Friday, September 21, 2012
by Drake Athletic Media Relations

DES MOINES, Iowa – Zach Bosch, a senior offensive lineman on the Drake University football team, has been named to the 2012 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team for his involvement in the community off the field, the organization announced this week.

“It’s great to be recognized, but when I started getting involved in the community, I never thought about something like this,” Bosch said. “It’s just what we do at Drake. Growing up, I was always taught to give back to people. For me, community service is the most simple and the easiest way to give back to others.”

A native of Tuscola, Ill., Bosch was recognized for the impact his tireless volunteer work has had on the Des Moines community. The Allstate/AFCA Good Works team recognizes 22 total student-athletes, 11 from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and 11 combined from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, Division III and NAIA classifications which consists of more than 5,000 student-athletes. One of the sport’s premier service honors, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team shines a spotlight on the positive, off-the-field impact that a select group of student-athletes has on their communities. 

“This is in my opinion, one of the biggest and most significant awards a college football player can receive,” head coach Chris Creighton said. “It is an phenomenal achievement and he is very deserving. It is not something where he did just one thing for his resume. He literally went to the VA and started a program where our guys are visiting  and building relationships with our veterans and spending quality time with them. That is the most significant service he has done, but he has been a part of all of our service projects. I’m so proud of him and the AFCA for honoring him for what I believe is a richly earned award.”

Bosch has participated in nearly every service project the Drake football team has participated in, but his biggest accomplishment in the Des Moines community has been involvement with the Veterans Affairs Hospital. He began a program where he and his teammates regularly visit ill veterans at the facility – many of whom rarely have other visitors – to provide comfort, support and camaraderie to those that have served this nation.

“My grandfather served in the Air Force, as did his brothers, and I grew up in a very proud family,” Bosch said. “Two of my cousins joined the Air Force and one served in Afghanistan, so I have tremendous respect for our military. I know that without their service and sacrifice, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to play football and get an education. So I try to do anything I can for our veterans and men and women of the armed forces.”

Bosch’s other community service work includes

• Boys & Girls Clubs--Drake's players have established a consistent program of visits to the local Boys & Girls Club branches, and implemented both a reading program to improve literacy rates and a mentor program for youth.
• Des Moines Public Schools Reading Program-Zach and his teammates have developed and maintained a program in which players visit several Des Moines Public Schools elementary schools every Friday during the season to read to children. The program is designed to develop consistency and familiarity with the visits to encourage students to embrace reading and improve their skills through the time spent together with books.
• Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall - Zach helped to make sure the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall exhibit is properly disassembled and packed to assist with the success of the program, and share it with more people.
• Thanksgiving Meal—For military families with husbands and fathers serving overseas. Volunteering time and talents for this important local program.
• Meals From the Heartland-Bulldogs players join other Drake student-athletes to help package food items each year in January to aid hunger relief around the world. Together they spend one day measuring and packing pre-packaged food allotments that will feed those in need.
• Blank Children's Hospital--Visits with children at Des Moines' local children's hospital to provide companionship and encouragement to children suffering from a variety of illnesses.

This is the second straight season in which a Drake football student-athlete has earned the prestigious honor as Stoy Hall was one of 22 honorees in 2011.

Bosch is now eligible to become a Good Works Team Captain which is based on online voting. To vote, visit ESPN.com and search “Good Works.”  Fans can learn more about this year’s team members and their charitable accomplishments by viewing player profiles on the website. The Team Captain and his fellow award recipients will be invited to New Orleans to take part in a special youth football clinic leading up to the 2013 Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Football Bowl Subdivision

Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III, and NAIA