TicketsAug. 5, 2012
CINCINNATI - University of Cincinnati senior defensive back Drew Frey (Wilmington, Ohio/Clinton-Massie) was one of 117 nominees for the 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced.
As one of college football's most prestigious off-the-field honors, the award recognizes a select group of college football players committed to making a difference in their communities.
Frey was a First-Team All-BIG EAST Conference selection at safety and second on the team in 2011 with 67 tackles. He added 2.5 tackles for a loss, a pair of interceptions which included a pick six in the regular-season finale against Connecticut, six pass break ups, eight passes defended and two QB hurries. He was also an Academic All-BIG EAST selection.
He missed the better part of two seasons due to injuries and enters 2012 with 36 starts in the defensive backfield under his belt. In 40 career games, he has tallied 199 tackles, eight for a loss, 13 pass break ups and six interceptions.
Frey is an architectural engineering technology major with a 3.418 overall grade point average. He has been a dean's list student in eight academic quarters. He was named to the Academic All-BIG EAST Team in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Frey also earned the National Football Foundation's Cincinnati Chapter Scholar-Athlete Award in 2011.
Frey is heavily involved with UC's Cats in the Community Program, taking part in Right To Read, UC's Play After Practice program, the UC Kids Club, Recess With The Bearcats, and College Mentors For Kids while also raising money for the Mitch's Mission foundation and volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, Walnut Hills Soup Kitchen and at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Since 1992, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® has shown a spotlight on the countless "good works" and remarkable stories of service by student-athletes at all levels of college football competition. Award recipients represent the sport's finest in terms of character and leadership in the community.
"This year's Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® nominees have some of the most impressive community service resumes in the program's 21-year history," said Kathy Mabe, president of Allstate's West regions and a member of the 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team voting panel. "These young men continue to raise the bar for the impact that student-athletes can have on others, and are an inspiration to Allstate, our agents and our employees."
Tackles or touchdowns have no bearing on this award, for it is the many examples of "volunteerism" and "giving back" that have earned these players nominations from their respective colleges and universities. From comforting patients at children's hospitals, to building houses for needy families, to mentoring at-risk youth, each Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® member has his own unique and inspiring story.
"After looking through the list of nominees for the 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, we are recognizing some of the best student-athletes in all of college football," said Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association. "These 117 nominees understand the impact each of them have on their schools and communities, and it gives me great pleasure in recognizing their efforts for what they stand for, and what they mean to college football."
From the nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, a special voting panel consisting of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® members and prominent college football media members will select two 11-player Good Works Teams® - one comprised of players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and another representing players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III, and the NAIA. The final roster of 22 award recipients will be unveiled in September.
Allstate and the AFCA will launch the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® website on ESPN.com featuring profiles and images of the final team members, as well as the opportunity for fans to vote for the 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Captain.
The 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® voting panel includes: former Good Works Team® members Alex Van Pelt (Pittsburgh, 1992 team), Zaid Abdul-Aleem (Duke, 1994 team), Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1997, 1998 teams), Grant Irons (Notre Dame, 1999 team), Brian Brenberg (St. Thomas, 2001 team), Mike Proman (Amherst, 2002 team); media members Lou Holtz (ESPN), Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN), Tom O'Toole (USA Today), Andy Staples (SI.com), Blair Kerkhoff (Kansas City Star); current AFCA President and Harvard University Head Coach Tim Murphy; 1987 AFCA President LaVell Edwards, former head coach at Brigham Young University; and Kathy Mabe, President, West Regions at Allstate.
In order to meet the criteria set forth by Allstate and the AFCA, each player must be actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization, service group or community service while maintaining a strong academic standing.
About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, serving approximately 16 million households through its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names. Widely known by its slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®," Allstate offers insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives, as well as via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®. As part of Allstate's commitment to strengthen local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees, agency owners and the corporation provided $28 million in 2011 to thousands of nonprofit organizations and important causes across the United States.
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 partnered to present the award starting with the 2008 season.
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."