NORTHBROOK, Ill. (July 17, 2018) – Allstate Insurance Company and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) named its 169 nominees for the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® where Howard University's redshirt junior John Petricca was praised for his notable accomplishments off the gridiron. The announcement came Tuesday morning.
 
"Each nominee has an inspiring story to tell – often times about how they have prevailed over hardships and adversity only to turn around and pour their hearts into helping others," said David Prendergast, president of the Eastern Territory at Allstate Insurance Company and a member of the 2018 voting panel. "It is our privilege at Allstate to come together with the AFCA for the 11^th consecutive year to shine a light on these exceptional nominees who set the highest standards of community service and serve as role models for generations to come."
 
At Howard, Petricca worked with organizations such as the Special Olympics in D.C., police youth mentoring programs, tutoring youth from local D.C. middle schools, as well as helped within the school's athletic department.
 
Back home in Chicago, he volunteers his time mentoring and coaching youth football players. This year, he has led a group of Howard football student-athletes to volunteer over 300 hours of community service.
 
In the classroom, Petricca was selected to the 2017 All-MEAC Football Academic Team after accumulating the highest-grade point average on the team (3.92 GPA). He was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars while being head of the team's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.), which facilitates the partnership between the University and the football program.
 
Petricca also received the Capstone Scholarship, as well as the Howard School of Business Endowed Scholarship for his high achievements and leadership inside the classroom.
 
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® has been one of the most esteemed honors in college football for more than 25 years. The student-athletes who are nominated for this award not only demonstrate a unique dedication to community service and desire to make a positive impact on the lives around them, but they also show tremendous perseverance as well as the ability to overcome personal struggles and come out victorious against all odds.
 
A special voting panel consisting of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® members and prominent college football media members will review submissions from sports directors across the nation to select the 2018 Good Works Team®, highlighted by two-time national champion and 2009 Heisman Trophy winner and Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® member Tim Tebow.
 
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® is comprised of 11 student-athletes from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and 11 student-athletes from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Divisions II, III and the NAIA and one honorary head coach. To be in consideration by Allstate and the AFCA for a nomination, each player must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.
 
The final roster of 22 award recipients and honorary head coach will be unveiled in September.
 
To view all the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® nominees, please Click Here.
 
About the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^®
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® was 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 worked to present the award starting with the 2008 season.
 
The SEC leads all conferences with 71 selections to the Good Works Team since it began in 1992. The SEC is followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with 37 selections and the Big 12 Conference with 30 selections. Georgia is in first place with 18 honorees to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. ^® The Bulldogs are followed by Kentucky and Nebraska with 14 honorees. Super Bowl XLII, XLVI and XLI champion quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning were members of the 2002 and 1997 Good Works Teams^®, respectively.
 
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."
 
About Howard Athletics
The Howard University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 19 NCAA Division I men and women varsity sports. The programs represent six conferences: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA), Sun Belt Conference, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference. 
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.