RICHMOND, Ind. — Earlham College senior
Chris Owens is among
a select group of college football players named to the 2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, honoring dedicated and hard-working student-athletes for their off-the-field achievements and selfless contributions to their communities.
Of the 22-member squad announced by the
Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), 11 players are from the NCAA Division I-A universities with the others coming from other levels of college football. Owens is one of five NCAA Division III players on the squad.
Among the honorees is 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow of the University of Florida. Past recipients of the honor, now in its 18th year, include Super Bowl Most Valuable Players Peyton and Eli Manning.
“It’s a big honor,” Owens said. “I wasn’t expecting to be recognized for community service. It is just a way of life for me. Now that I have been, it still hasn’t sunk in yet.”
The Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team® will be recognized during the 2010 Sugar Bowl in the Louisiana Superdome on New Year’s Day. “I’ll be with some really cool guys,” Owens said. “I’m looking forward to getting together with them. We are going to do a service project down there.”
To prepare students to be global citizens who are concerned with improving our world, Earlham College has long emphasized volunteer service. Each year Earlham's students collectively contribute nearly 30,000 reported hours (and many more unreported hours) of community service to support important local city and county needs. The College is among 27 colleges hosting a Bonner Scholars Program that awards 15 first-year students with four-year scholarships for continued participation in community outreach.
Himself a
Bonner Scholar, Owens has completed more than 1,500 hours of community service since coming to Richmond in 2005.
“This is great for Earlham because Chris represents those who give back to their community,” Earlham Head Football Coach Gerry Keesling said. “This honor speaks to the kind of students we try to recruit to the College in general and to our football program specifically. We want people of high-quality talent, but also with a high level of character.”
“My personal philosophy and Earlham just fit hand-in-hand,” Owens added. “If anything, my time at Earlham has strengthened my conviction to pursue volunteer activities outside of college. Earlham allows you the space to have those experiences.”
Since coming to Earlham, Owens has volunteered for the following organizations: Townsend Community Center, Reid Hospital and Health Services, Pauline Trueblood Nursery School, Richmond State Hospital, Wernle Children’s Home, Make-A-Wish Foundation, March of Dimes Foundation, United Way, Galileo Charter Schools, Habitat for Humanity and Upward Bound.
Playing in his fifth year because of a season-ending knee injury on the first play of 2007, Owens is challenging former teammate Joe White (2004-07) for some Earlham career receiving records.
After a 37-34 win at Anderson University on Sept. 19, Owens has 142 catches for 2,135 yards and 19 touchdowns. He needs 35 receptions, 408 yards and eight touchdowns to reach White's marks. Owens will resume his quest against the College of Wooster at Darrell Beane Stadium on Oct. 3.
Contact:
Don Tincher, sports information director — 765/983-1795