Wayne State's Nick Thomas and Northwood's Ryan Whittum Nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team

Posted: Jul 17, 2012

NORTHBROOK, Ill. – Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) today announced 117 nominees for the 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^®. 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. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) adds two student-athletes, Nick Thomas (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) of Wayne State University and Ryan Whittum (Livonia, Mich./Churchill) of Northwood University, were among the nominees.

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.

Thomas is WSU's 2012 nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Former Warrior Alan Guy became WSU's first selection to the Good Works Team in 2007.

Thomas is a two-time All-GLIAC performer (First Team in 2010 and Second Team in 2009), as well as a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Team member (All-Academic Excellence in both 2010 and 2011). He has recorded 171 tackles in his last 16 games played at middle linebacker.

He has freely committed to numerous volunteer projects, including: the Local Intervention Network for Kids (L.I.N.K.) mentoring program, Golightly Elementary, the 2010 GLIAC Swimming and Diving Championship and the WSU/Greening of Detroit tree planting service day as part of Earth Week. In addition, he has returned to his hometown (Akron, Ohio) to assist the All-Star Training Club, helping train individuals for Special Olympics and served as a peer mentor at his alma mater, St. Vincent/St. Mary High School.

Whittum, a senior linebacker for Northwood, has become one of the top players for the Timberwolves' defense. A 2011 Honorable Mention All-GLIAC honoree, Whittum led the team in solo tackles (38), assisted tackles (52) and total tackles in 2011. He registered 31 more tackles than any other player on the team. For his career, Whittum has 154 tackles and 14.0 tackles for loss.

Whittum has also been a standout off the field. He has also earned GLIAC All-Academic honors three times in his career. Whittum has also been active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and his Church Youth Group. He also has taken part in numerous community service projects associated with the football program, including volunteering at local elementary schools and the recent Great American Cleanup project.

“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.”