Video: Casey Selected to 2016 Allstate Good Works Team
9/15/2016 4:27:00 PM | Football
DavidsonPhotos.com
NORTHBROOK, Ill. – Davidson's Nate Casey has been named to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, as announced by the insurance company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Thursday afternoon.
While at Davidson Elementary School helping support the "Tigers on the Prowl" initiative, Casey was surprised by head coach Paul Nichols and local Allstate representative Robert Chester, welcoming him to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® and presenting him with a trophy.
"I was definitely surprised, I know how much of an honor this is and how many people were nominated," said Casey. "Honestly, I was not expecting too much, but it was a huge surprise when I was awarded it."
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, which was established in 1991 to recognize a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others. In honor of the 25th Anniversary, for the first time ever, the team consists 25 members including 12 honorees from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, III and NAIA.
Casey is the second 'Cat to earn this distinction in three years, following in the footsteps of his brother, Dan, a 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® honoree. Davidson has notched a nominee each of the last three years with Chris Woods landing on the 2015 ballot.
The Tega Cay, S.C., native has started in both games this season at linebacker, tallying 10 tackles, 3.5 for a loss of 10 yards.
"The most important thing about coming to Davidson College is that we want to develop people for lives of leadership and Nate Casey embodies those things," said Nichols. "Nate Casey and his brother, Dan Casey, are really special because they really want to do things for others before they do them for themselves, and that's really special."
Off the field, Casey is heavily involved with the Charlotte community. Beginning in 2013, he began volunteering with Speak Up Magazine, a street paper for the homeless. On top of working with the Charlotte publication, Casey launched a Davidson College Issue of Speak Up Magazine and helped write and publish stories for both. Along with written pieces drawing awareness to the homeless community, he helped organize a Street Outreach program that served food and other basic needs to those less fortunate in the area.
Casey has worked diligently with the homeless of Charlotte and during the final exams of his freshman year, went as far as spending eight days homeless himself. In conjunction with Speak Up Magazine, Casey filmed and produced a documentary helping to promote awareness for the reality of homelessness in Charlotte and throughout the country.
Outside of work in his own backyard, Casey led a team of 14 Davidson College football players to Uvita, Costa Rica to build a garage for a family and help install water tanks and solar panels. Two years prior, Casey and a group of Wildcat teammates traveled to Sauteurs, Grenada to rebuild dorms for students. Not only was he able to accomplish all this, but to get teammates involved at the drop of a hat.
"There's a bunch of guys on the team who are really involved in the community and it's special to have been a part of that," said Casey.
While interning with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes International (FCA), Casey traveled to Stellenbosch, South Africa and helped lead sports camps for kids and was a chaplain for a provincial under-18 rugby team for the U-18 National Tournament. During his stay he was also able to partner with ministries seeking to serve the homeless in Stellenbosch.
"Nate Casey's made an inordinate impact on our community, Davidson College … an impact on the Charlotte community as well as internationally with his work in Costa Rica and in South Africa," said Nichols.
Casey returned to South Africa in 2015, this time training students in a leadership school. He worked with teams from the South Africa, the United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe to help prepare them for community service later in his tenure.
Since 2013, Casey has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity; work he continues to do today. This past spring, members of the Davidson College football team participated in "Build with the 'Cats" helping on a nearby property in the Davidson community.
In order to be considered, players must be actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.
"One of the things we always talk about in our football program is we want to leave things better then we found them, and that means the community at large and not just Davidson specific, but the country and the globe," said Nichols.
And Casey has done just that. He will be honored along with the other 24 representatives at halftime of the 2016 Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La. on New Years Day.
NORTHBROOK, Ill. – Davidson's Nate Casey has been named to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, as announced by the insurance company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Thursday afternoon.
While at Davidson Elementary School helping support the "Tigers on the Prowl" initiative, Casey was surprised by head coach Paul Nichols and local Allstate representative Robert Chester, welcoming him to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® and presenting him with a trophy.
"I was definitely surprised, I know how much of an honor this is and how many people were nominated," said Casey. "Honestly, I was not expecting too much, but it was a huge surprise when I was awarded it."
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, which was established in 1991 to recognize a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others. In honor of the 25th Anniversary, for the first time ever, the team consists 25 members including 12 honorees from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, III and NAIA.
Casey is the second 'Cat to earn this distinction in three years, following in the footsteps of his brother, Dan, a 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® honoree. Davidson has notched a nominee each of the last three years with Chris Woods landing on the 2015 ballot.
The Tega Cay, S.C., native has started in both games this season at linebacker, tallying 10 tackles, 3.5 for a loss of 10 yards.
"The most important thing about coming to Davidson College is that we want to develop people for lives of leadership and Nate Casey embodies those things," said Nichols. "Nate Casey and his brother, Dan Casey, are really special because they really want to do things for others before they do them for themselves, and that's really special."
Off the field, Casey is heavily involved with the Charlotte community. Beginning in 2013, he began volunteering with Speak Up Magazine, a street paper for the homeless. On top of working with the Charlotte publication, Casey launched a Davidson College Issue of Speak Up Magazine and helped write and publish stories for both. Along with written pieces drawing awareness to the homeless community, he helped organize a Street Outreach program that served food and other basic needs to those less fortunate in the area.
Casey has worked diligently with the homeless of Charlotte and during the final exams of his freshman year, went as far as spending eight days homeless himself. In conjunction with Speak Up Magazine, Casey filmed and produced a documentary helping to promote awareness for the reality of homelessness in Charlotte and throughout the country.
Outside of work in his own backyard, Casey led a team of 14 Davidson College football players to Uvita, Costa Rica to build a garage for a family and help install water tanks and solar panels. Two years prior, Casey and a group of Wildcat teammates traveled to Sauteurs, Grenada to rebuild dorms for students. Not only was he able to accomplish all this, but to get teammates involved at the drop of a hat.
"There's a bunch of guys on the team who are really involved in the community and it's special to have been a part of that," said Casey.
While interning with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes International (FCA), Casey traveled to Stellenbosch, South Africa and helped lead sports camps for kids and was a chaplain for a provincial under-18 rugby team for the U-18 National Tournament. During his stay he was also able to partner with ministries seeking to serve the homeless in Stellenbosch.
"Nate Casey's made an inordinate impact on our community, Davidson College … an impact on the Charlotte community as well as internationally with his work in Costa Rica and in South Africa," said Nichols.
Casey returned to South Africa in 2015, this time training students in a leadership school. He worked with teams from the South Africa, the United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe to help prepare them for community service later in his tenure.
Since 2013, Casey has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity; work he continues to do today. This past spring, members of the Davidson College football team participated in "Build with the 'Cats" helping on a nearby property in the Davidson community.
In order to be considered, players must be actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.
"One of the things we always talk about in our football program is we want to leave things better then we found them, and that means the community at large and not just Davidson specific, but the country and the globe," said Nichols.
And Casey has done just that. He will be honored along with the other 24 representatives at halftime of the 2016 Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La. on New Years Day.
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