University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Derrick Craine was recently named one of the nominees for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) sponsor the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, one of the most coveted off-the-field honors in college football. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the award, which was established in 1992 to recognize a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others.
For 25 years, the players selected have carried on the award's mission by demonstrating that 'good works' extend beyond the football field. This year's nominees uphold impressive service resumes detailing inspiring stories of servitude and the exceptional ability to balance academics with athletics, while donating their limited free time and energy to helping others.
Craine is just the second Academic All-American in the history of UTC Football. He was a first team All-Southern Conference running back in 2015 and volunteered at a number of events during the season.
Craine took part in the annual Read Across America event that celebrated Dr.
Seuss's birthday. He and a number of other Mocs read to local elementary school children for that week-long celebration. He was also a part of the Mocs free kids clinic prior to the 2015 Spring Game.
In honor of the 25th anniversary, Allstate and the AFCA will add three additional spots to this year's team and announce a final roster of 25 members in September. For the first time in the award's history, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team will be comprised of 12 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, 12 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA and an honorary head coach.
From the nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, a special voting panel consisting of former Good Works Team members and prominent college football media members will select the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.