Sept. 22, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; - Penn State Academic All-American® and pre-season All-American Stefen Wisniewski (Bridgeville) has been selected to the prestigious Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, college football's pre-eminent Community Service Award.
In its 19th year of being presented, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® is comprised of college football players who stand out for the positive influence they have in their communities.
Wisniewski is one of 11 members of the Football Bowl Subdivision Team. The Big Ten led all conferences with four honorees, as Indiana's Ben Chappell, Michigan State's Kirk Cousins and Northwestern's Corbin Bryant also were selected.
Also was making the FBS squad was Temple linebacker Amara Kamara. The Owls (3-0) visit the No. 23/20 Nittany Lions Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Beaver Stadium. The clash will air on the Big Ten Network, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com.
An 11-player Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® team representing FCS, Division II, III and NAIA teams also was selected. More than 110 players were nominated for the honor.
For the first time in the program's history, fans will be able to vote for a Team Captain by visiting ESPN.com. The Team Captain will be recognized by ESPN personality and Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® national ambassador Lou Holtz during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The site also features profiles of the award recipients and their selfless acts of kindness.
A three-year starter on the offensive line, Wisniewski also has been selected as one of the 30 candidates for the prestigious Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for the 2010 college football season. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
A guard, Wisniewski was named a 2010 first team pre-season All-American by Sporting News, Phil Steele's College Football Preview, Athlon and Lindy's Football Preview. He also is on the Watch List for the Rotary Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy.
Wisniewski earned third team All-America and first team All-Big Ten accolades in 2009, starting all 13 games at center for the Nittany Lions. He moved back to guard this past spring practice, where he started 12 games in 2008, helping Penn State win the Big Ten Championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl.
The talented and highly-motivated Wisniewski is among Penn State's most accomplished and community service-oriented student-athletes. He has made mission trips to the Dominican Republic during spring break this past March and in the summer of 2009. Wisniewski has participated in the Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB)'s Autism Awareness reading program, THON Make-A-Wish program, Pennsylvania Special Olympics' State Summer Games, Athletic Directors Leadership Institute, Athletes In Action, Campus Crusade for Christ and tutored local high school students, among his vast array of community service activities.
A secondary education major in the Schreyer Honors College, Wisniewski was selected a 2009 first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American®, as he added to his 2008 second-team honor. Owner of a superlative 3.91 grade-point average, the squad's highest mark, Wisniewski will have an opportunity in 2010 to become Penn State's first three-time Academic All-American®. He should be a strong candidate for the Campbell Trophy, the academic Heisman, presented by the National Football Foundation
A U.S. Army All-American at Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School, Wisniewski has earned a perfect 4.0 GPA the past three semesters and four semesters overall. He spent the 2009-10 academic year student teaching 10th-grade English at State College Area High School.
Allstate assembled a high-profile voting panel made up of previous Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® members, including former University of Georgia lineman Matt Stinchcomb and former Tulane University running back Mewelde Moore, as well as prominent college football media personalities, including ESPN analyst Lou Holtz, ESPN.com writer Pat Forde and USA Today college sports editor Tom O'Toole. Also part of the selection committee are current AFCA president and University of Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres, 1996 AFCA president and former head coach at the United States Air Force Academy Fisher DeBerry, and Allstate vice president Guy Hill.