Bryce Torneden named to 2019 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas senior safety Bryce Torneden joined an elite group of college football players as he was named to the 2019 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team® Thursday. Torneden is the first Kansas player to earn a spot on the prestigious team since Darrell Stuckey in 2009 and just the fourth Jayhawk in program history as Chip Hilleary (1992) and Steve Bratton (1998) round out KU’s previous honorees.
Allstate and the AFCA selected 22 student-athletes and one honorary coach for the team. Narrowed from a list of 137 nominees by an esteemed panel of judges, including Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN) and Tim Tebow (Florida, 2009 team), Torneden and the other players stood out for their leadership in local communities and overall commitment to giving back.
Torneden has participated in numerous community service initiatives with a focus on impacting the community he calls home, Lawrence. He has spent countless hours visiting local elementary schools and doing his best to impact the next generation of children.
The work Torneden is proudest of is his role with Team Impact, a national nonprofit that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes. Torneden is KU football’s leadership team captain for its relationship with Team Impact. He leads 10 players who determine how the program spends its time with teammate, Tayber Witt, and how they can positively impact his life. Torneden has spent countless hours with Witt on campus, but has also led groups visiting him at his school and taking him bowling, among other activities.
In addition, because of Torneden’s impressive leadership skills, he was recently selected as one of the Big 12 Conference’s two football players tabbed for the NCAA’s Football Student-Athlete Connection Group.
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team will be invited to the 2020 Allstate® Sugar Bowl® and will join Tebow and Allstate volunteers to give back to New Orleans through a special community service project. Allstate will recognize Torneden and the rest of the team during the halftime show.
Jayhawks fans are invited to visit ESPN.com/Allstate to vote for the 2019 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team captain once per day, now through Nov. 22. The team captain will be honored at The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN later this season.
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team was selected by an esteemed voting panel, which includes Tebow, Herbstreit and O’Donnell, along with: Zaid Abdul-Aleem (Duke, 1994 team); Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1997, 1998 teams); Brian Brenberg (St. Thomas, 2001 team); Mike Proman (Amherst, 2002 team); Wes Counts (Middle Tennessee State, 1999 team); media members Blair Kerkhoff (Kansas City Star), and Paul Myerberg (USA TODAY); Frank Solich, 2019 AFCA President and Ohio University Head Coach; and Joe Taylor, 2001 AFCA President and athletic director at Virginia Union University.
About the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team was established in 1992, by the College Football Association, to recognize extra efforts by players and student support staff off the field. AFCA became the governing body of the award in 1997 and continues to honor players who go the extra mile for those in need. Allstate became the presenting sponsor starting with the 2008 season.
Since the recognition program began, the SEC leads all conferences with 75 athletes, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with 43, and the Big 12 Conference with 35. Georgia is in first place with 20 honorees, followed by Kentucky and Nebraska with 15. Super Bowl XLII, XLVI and XLI champion quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning were members of the 2002 and 1997 Allstate AFCA Good Works Teams, respectively.
About the 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.”
