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Linebacker gives back

Stoy Hall, a starting linebacker on Drake's football team, has earned accolades for his volunteerism and community service.

Stoy Hall among nominees for AllState/AFCA Good Works Award

Drake linebacker Stoy Hall was among the nominees for the 2011 Allstate/American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. The award recognizes the selfless contributions to volunteerism and community service made by college football student-athletes across the nation.

Hall, a starting linebacker who also handles the Bulldogs’ long-snapping duties, has been the unquestioned leader of the team’s exemplary work in the community. He holds a coveted spot as one of Drake Football’s Community Service Captains and has spearheaded the Bulldogs Boys & Girls Club Community Service efforts in recent years.

Outside of that Drake-related involvement with Boys and Girls Club, Hall on his own has worked at the Clubs for the past two summers and volunteered his time beyond the scope of the team’s involvement each year.

In addition to that dedicated involvement, Hall is a leader among players in organizing the events of the Drake football team’s annual Youth Day and has volunteered countless hours during the summer to work with kids at the Bulldogs’ annual football camps and clinics.

On Drake’s recent trip to Tanzania to perform service projects, climb Kilimanjaro and play the first American football game on African soil, Hall was heavily involved in assisting Dr. Steve Meyer of Siouxland Tanzania Educational and Medical Ministries (STEMM) with the opening of STEMM’s orphanage, the STEMM Children’s Village.

“Stoy is a Community Service Captain on our football team because he genuinely cares about other people and truly wants to give back and make a difference,” says Drake head coach Chris Creighton. “Weekly visits throughout the year to the local Boys and Girls Club was not a part of our overall community service plan as a program, but Stoy insisted and literally took over both the organization and implementation of these regular visits. Stoy also was one of our players who immediately saw the vision for what our trip to Africa could be.  He worked extremely hard to raise money so that our team could make the trip.”

Since 1992, the program has honored college football players at all levels of competition who stand out for their community service. The award recognizes off-the-field character and leadership for college football players and is widely considered the sport’s preeminent community service award.

“This program has grown dramatically throughout the years due to the volunteerism and commitment of these great student-athletes to their communities,” says Mark LaNeve, Allstate executive vice president, marketing and sales operations, who also serves on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team voting panel.

From creating mentorship programs at local schools, to traveling on mission trips around the world, to donating bone marrow to a cancer patient, this year’s Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominees boast some of the most impressive community service resumes in the program’s history.

“The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team is one of the most important awards in college football because it highlights some of the best and brightest student-athletes in the country,” says Grant Teaff, AFCA Executive Director. “With this being the 20th year of this outstanding award, it’s great to see a record number of nominees sent in from some of the leading football programs in the nation.”

Visit GoDrakeBulldogs.com to read more about the award nomination.