KU's Thorson Named As Good Works Team Nominee
July 20, 2010
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas football senior Brad Thorson has been named as a nominee for the 2010 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team it was announced Tuesday. In all, 57 student-athletes from across the nation are up for the final Football Bowl Series 11-man team, which will be released in late September.
Thorson, a returning starter on the offensive line for the Jayhawks’ football team, has been heavily involved in community service since his arrival on the KU campus in 2008.
“From the moment Brad became a Jayhawk, he has been a strong leader amongst his peers, both on the football team and throughout all student-athletes,” said KU associate athletics director Mike Harrity. “Brad embraces the opportunity to have a positive influence on the people around him.”
Thorson has been involved in numerous community service activities with KU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, from visiting elementary school classrooms to helping build with Habitat For Humanity to working with Special Olympics among others.
Last April, Thorson donated his hair to Pantene, an organization which produces wigs for cancer patients.
Thorson said it was easy to get involved in community activities after he transferred to Kansas from Wisconsin ahead of the 2008 season.
“When I got here it was easy to follow the leads of (former players) Mike Rivera and Darrell Stuckey (one of the 11 Football Bowl Series AFCA Good Works Team members last year),” Thorson said. “It was obvious that some of the best athletes, not only on the football team, but in all sports, were also great in the community and cared about this place.
“We have great mentors and a great structure for student-athletes who want to get involved, so that helps make it easy,” he said.
Thorson said he enjoys having Kansas student-athletes honored for off the field success.
“It is good to get recognized for something other than winning or losing or giving up sacks,” he said. “It is good to have people care about other things than just the scoreboard. Making this place better is very important.”
Last year Thorson was named KU’s top offensive lineman while starting all 12 games, including eight at left guard and four at right tackle. He earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors while working on his master’s degree in economics. He graduated early from Wisconsin with a degree in business in the summer of 2008.
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2010 allstate AFCA Good Works Football Bowl Subdivision (Div I-A) Nominees |
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Arizona State University – Thomas Weber |
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Baylor University – Robert Griffin |
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Bowling Green State University – Ben Bojicic |
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Brigham Young University – Riley Nelson |
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Central Michigan University – Brian Bennyhoff |
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Clemson University – Mason Cloy |
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Colorado State University – Eugene Daniels |
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Duke University – Bryan Morgan |
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Florida State University – Christian Ponder |
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Georgia Institute of Technology – Roddy Jones |
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Indiana University – Ben Chappell |
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Iowa State University – Alex Alvarez |
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Kansas State University – Alex Hrebec |
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Marshall University – Lee Smith |
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Michigan State University – Kirk Cousins |
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Northern Illinois University – Adam Kiel |
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Northwestern University – Corbin Bryant |
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Ohio State University – Bryant Browning |
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Oklahoma State University – Andrew McGee |
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Penn State University – Stefen Wisniewski |
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Purdue University – Kyle Adams |
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Rice University – Cheta Ozougwu |
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Rutgers University – Howard Barbieri |
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Southern Methodist University – Pete Fleps |
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Syracuse University – Bud Tribbey |
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Temple University – Amara Kamara |
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Texas A&M University – Jerrod Johnson |
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Texas Christian University – Tejay Johnson |
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Texas Tech University – Baron Batch |
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University of Alabama – John Michael Boswell |
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University of Connecticut – Zach Hurd |
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University of Florida – Jeff Demps |
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University of Idaho – Tyrone Novikoff |
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University of Iowa – Julian Vandervelde |
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University of Kansas – Brad Thorson |
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University of Kentucky – Randall Cobb |
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University of Memphis – Dominik Riley |
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University of Mississippi – Jerrell Powe |
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University of Missouri – Dan Hoch |
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Alex Henery |
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University of Nevada-Las Vegas – Matt Murphy |
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University of North Carolina – Robert Quinn |
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University of Notre Dame – Dayne Crist |
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University of Oklahoma – Quinton Carter |
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University of Pittsburgh – Greg Romeus |
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University of South Carolina – Cliff Matthews |
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University of Southern California – D.J. Shoemate |
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University of Southern Mississippi – Austin Davis |
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U.S. Naval Academy – Ricky Dobbs |
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University of Tennessee – Nick Reveiz |
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University of Texas-Austin – Sam Acho |
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University of Texas-El Paso – Donald Buckram |
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University of Toledo – Colin McHugh |
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University of Virginia – Ras-I Dowling |
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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Danny Coale |
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University of Wisconsin – Scott Tolzien |
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Western Michigan University – Nick Mitchell |
