NOTRE DAME’S TOM ZBIKOWSKI, MISSISSIPPI’S JASON COOK AND NORTH DAKOTA STATE’S STEVE WALKER ARE THREE OF THE 22 SELECTIONS TO THE 2007 AFCA GOOD WORKS

WACO, TEXAS—St. Thomas earned its record tenth-straight selection to the 2007 American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team®, while Georgia strong safety Kelin Johnson became the 11th Bulldog selected to the Good Works Team, which ties Nebraska for the most selections all-time. Steve Walker became North Dakota State’s fourth-straight selection on the Divisional Team. California, Central Michigan, Illinois State, Murray State, Southern Illinois, Wayne State (Mich.), Chicago and Gettysburg all earned Good Works honors for the first time.

The two 11-man teams, a Division I-A team and a combined team from NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA, honor players for their dedication and commitment to community service. The AFCA has been selecting the Good Works Team since 1997. From 1992-1996, the Good Works Team was chosen by the College Football Association. When the CFA disbanded in 1997, the AFCA began selecting the teams.

“It never ceases to amaze me to see the contributions student-athletes make to their communities,” AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff said. “Often times, these young men are better known for the good things they do on the field. The AFCA is proud to recognize these student-athletes for the good things they do in their communities.”

Criteria: Nominations were submitted to the AFCA by the college sports information departments. Nominees have to be actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization, service group or involved in other community service activities. Candidates have to display sincere concern and reliability, while also having made a favorable impression on the organizations with which they are involved. Athletic ability is not a criteria.

2007 AFCA Good Works Teams®
Division I-A

Name Cl. Pos. School Head Coach Hometown (High School)
Jason Cook Jr. FB Mississippi Ed Orgeron Suwanee, Ga. (North Gwinnett)
Alex Derenthal Jr. C Temple Al Golden Davie, Fla. (Western)
Casey Flair Jr. WR UNLV Mike Sanford Anchorage, Alaska (East)
Nic Harris Jr. DB Oklahoma Bob Stoops Alexandria, La. (Alexandria)
George Hypolite Jr. DT Colorado Dan Hawkins Los Angeles, Calif. (Loyola)
Kelin Johnson Sr. SS Georgia Mark Richt Daytona Beach, Fla. (Mainland)
Adam Kadela Sr. LB Northwestern Pat Fitzgerald Dublin, Ohio (Coffman)
Red Keith Sr. LB Central Michigan Butch Jones Franklin, Ga. (Heard County)
Tom Schneider Sr. PK California Jeff Tedford Walnut Creek, Calif. (Las Lomas)
Paul Smith Sr. QB Tulsa Todd Graham Owasso, Okla. (Owasso)
Tom Zbikowski Sr. S Notre Dame Charlie Weis Arlington Heights, Ill. (Buffalo Grove)

FCS, Divisions II, III, and NAIA

Name Cl. Pos. School Head Coach Hometown (High School)
Luke Drone Sr. QB Illinois St. Denver Johnson Mt. Carmel, Ill. (Mt. Carmel)
Tyler Fischer Sr. LB Southwest Minnesota St. Eric Eidsness Gettysburg, S.D. (Gettysburg)
Alan Guy Sr. LB Wayne St. (Mich.) Paul Winters Rochester Hills, Mich. (Adams)
Quinton Hankins Jr. C Murray St. (Ky.) Matt Griffin Batesville, Miss. (South Panola)
Mike Harriett Sr. S Chicago Dick Maloney St. Charles, Ill. (North)
Lex Hilliard Sr. HB Montana Bobby Hauck Kalispell, Mont. (Flathead)
James Russell Sr. OT Gettysburg (Pa.) Barry Streeter Amityville, N.Y. (Memorial)
Patrick Sommerstad Sr. LB St. Thomas (Minn.) Don Roney Apple Valley, Minn. (Eastview)
Steve Walker Sr. QB North Dakota St. Craig Bohl Lockport, Ill. (Township)
Matt Watkins Jr. DB Valparaiso (Ind.) Stacy Adams Mason, Ohio (Mason)
Anthony Williams Sr. CB Southern Illinois Jerry Kill Clewiston, Fla. (Clewiston)

* CHECK BELOW FOR PLAYER BOIS *

Player Bios for Division I-A Good Works Team®

Jason Cook, FB, Junior, Mississippi: Vital part of the “Reading with the Rebels” program at local city, county and private schools ... Participates in the Oxford Pantry Food Drive ... Helped collect toys for “Toys for Tots,” which was sponsored by the Marine ROTC at Mississippi ... Coordinates the Fellowship of Christian Athletes program for Ole Miss student-athletes ... Visits local senior citizens at extended care centers in Oxford and visits patients at North Mississippi Regional Center.

Alex Derenthal, C, Junior, Temple: Helped execute a Partnership School Field Day that involved 400 kids in games, activities and health awareness programs ... Active member of Owl Outreach, which is a community service program at Temple to raise awareness in young people throughout Philadelphia on aspects of leadership, positive character development and high ethical standards ... Volunteered at Philadelphia Triathlon, which benefited the Children’s Cancer Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Casey Flair, WR, Junior, UNLV: Founded, promotes and oversees his own week-long, non-profit football camp for kids age 6-14 in his hometown of Anchorage ... Volunteers each year for Santa Clothes, which sees underprivileged youth invited to UNLV for a day of sports and mentoring before they go on a donated shopping spree for much-needed clothing ... Part-time employee at Cambridge Recreation Center, acting as a tutor and sports coach for at-risk youth ... Spoken at nearly two dozen schools in Alaska and Nevada.

Nic Harris, DB, Junior, Oklahoma: Served as president and is an active member of BridgeBuilders, an African-American Student-Athlete network group at Oklahoma ... Led BridgeBuilders as it continues relationships with Madison Elementary School and Brookhaven Nursing Center ... BridgeBuilders joined forces with Norman’s Food for Friends Community Action Agency by serving lunch to less fortunate in the community ... Raised money to provide Thanksgiving dinners to 10 families in Norman area.

George Hypolite, DT, Junior, Colorado: Volunteered at the Boulder homeless shelter and participated in a food drive and an Angel Tree project to provide gifts to children and senior citizens in need during the holiday season ... In his hometown of Los Angeles, participates in Project Angel Food in which he helped prepare food for homebound AIDS and cancer patients ... Volunteers in Read with the Buffs, a program in which he reads designated books to elementary students and coordinates a Q&A session with the students afterward.

Kelin Johnson, SS, Senior, Georgia: Volunteered for field day event sponsored by HERO for Children, which is a non-profit dedicated to improving the quality of life of children infected with HIV/AIDS ... Assisted with Camp Well Springs, a camp for children with disabilities ... Assisted with a home building project in Athens with Habitat for Humanity ... Active member in the Boys and Girls Club mentor program ... Speaks an numerous elementary, junior and high schools around Athens area about the importance of education.

Adam Kadela, LB, Senior, Northwestern: Regular volunteer for the American Cancer Society Generation Fit Program, discussing benefits of a healthy lifestyle with elementary school children ... Organized a football relay team for the NU Relay for Life ... Annually visits Children’s Memorial Hospital and Lutheran General Hospital ... Participates in an annual fundraising event for Misericordia, a residential home for developmentally and physically disabled individuals ... Participates in events at many local elementary schools.

Red Keith, LB, Senior, Central Michigan: Annual participant in local canned food drive that has served as the second-largest yearly contribution to the Isabella County chapter of the American Red Cross ... Volunteered to help conduct events and hand out awards at the State of Michigan Special Olympics Summer Games ... Visits patients at nursing homes near his hometown of Franklin, Ga. ... Member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and helps coordinate community service activities for CMU student-athletes.

Tom Schneider, PK, Senior, California: Ran in a Relay for Life marathon to raise money for cancer awareness, prevention and research ... Participated in a city works project helping clean up parts of Berkeley ... Involved in Read Across America project at Buena Vista Elementary school for four years ... Volunteers time for Surf Riders Foundation, helping raise money to help clean up California’s public beaches ... Volunteered at Berkeley Free Clinic, helping with fundraising and awareness ... Visits children at John Muir Hospital.

Paul Smith, QB, Senior, Tulsa: Volunteered for the past three years at FCA Tulsa Inner-City camp ... Makes visits to local hospital’s children’s ward and many local elementary schools ... Leads Praise and Worship at every FCA meeting at Tulsa for the past four years ... Has spoke at Tulsa Union H.S. football banquet, Owasso First Assembly of God Church, Southern Hills Baptist Church, Tulsa Memorial H.S. Fifth Quarter meeting, Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, Woodland Acres Baptist Church, and many others.

Tom Zbikowski, S, Senior, Notre Dame: Organized a charity boxing event in South Bend in March of 2007 and donated $50,000 to various charities, including Hannah & Friends, a non-profit foundation dedicated to providing a better quality life for children and adults with special needs, Hospice of Health First of Melbourne, Fla., Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Indiana, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, South Bend Center for the Homeless, and PanCAN, a pancreatic cancer research foundation.