Morgantown, W.Va. – West Virginia University senior quarterback Skyler Howard was named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and was announced as a nominee for the All-State American Football Coaches’ Association Good Works Team, today, as announced by its national selection committees.
Last season, Howard completed 221-of-403 passes for 3,145 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was the Cactus Bowl Offensive MVP after throwing for 532 yards and five touchdowns in the 43-42 win over Arizona State, marking the second most passing yards in a game in WVU history. Howard’s 3,647 yards of total offense ranked No. 3 in school history and his 3,145 passing yards ranked as fifth best in season history.
Howard graduated in August 2015 with his bachelor’s degree in communications studies and is currently working on a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications. He was an All-Big 12 Conference Academic Second-Team selection and has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and WVU’s Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll.
He is active in the community as well, taking part in the “Once a Mountaineer, Always a Mountaineer Program”. This is where current players in the WVU football program and former players who are in the NFL come back and have a day for kids to encourage them to live a healthy lifestyle and to be active (similar to the NFL’s Play60 program). He has visited patients at the WVU Medicine Children’s, making numerous trips for visits with teammates and on his own. On his own, he has served as a “Big Brother” to a local child and he and a teammate bought food on their own and fed homeless people in town – did this at least once a week during most of the season. He also went along with several teammates and helped build a playground at one of the WVU strength coach’s church.
Wuerffel Trophy
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service,” is presented annually by the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
Voting for the Wuerffel Trophy is performed by a National Selection Committee that includes college football television and print media, industry notables, former head coaches and prior Wuerffel Trophy recipients.
Nominations for the Wuerffel Trophy are made by the respective universities’ Sports Information departments and will close on October 14. A current list of nominees can be found at www.wuerffeltrophy.org beginning August 1. Semifinalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 3 and finalists will be announced on November 23.
The formal announcement of the 2016 recipient will be on December 6 at the National Football Foundation’s press conference in New York City.
The presentation of the 2016 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 48th Annual All Sports Association Awards Banquet on February 10, 2017 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
Past winners of the Wuerffel Trophy are: Rudy Niswanger (LSU-2005), Joel Penton (Ohio State-2006), Paul Smith (Tulsa-2007), Tim Tebow (Florida-2008), Tim Hiller (W. Michigan-2009), Sam Acho (Texas-2010), Barrett Jones (Alabama-2011), Matt Barkley (USC-2012), Gabe Ikard (Oklahoma-2013), Deterrian Shackelford (Ole Miss-2014) and Ty Darlington (Oklahoma-2015).
Allstate American Football Coaches’ Association Announce Good Works Team
Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) today announced 165 nominees for the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, one of the most coveted off-the-field honors in college football. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the award, which was established in 1992 to recognize a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others.
For 25 years, the players selected have carried on the award’s mission by demonstrating that ‘good works’ extend beyond the football field. This year’s nominees uphold impressive service resumes detailing inspiring stories of servitude and the exceptional ability to balance academics with athletics, while donating their limited free time and energy to helping others.
With winning records and championships on the line each season, off-the-field service contributions can go overlooked. The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® pays tribute to these stories of good and the student-athletes who have dedicated countless hours towards helping others. From donating bone marrow to save a stranger’s life, to helping build a school in a rural village overseas, the players nominated to the 25th anniversary team have demonstrated a unique commitment to improving their communities.
In honor of the 25th anniversary, Allstate and the AFCA will add three additional spots to this year’s team and announce a final roster of 25 members in September. For the first time in the award’s history, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® will be comprised of 12 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, 12 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA and an honorary head coach.
From the nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, a special voting panel consisting of former Good Works Team® members and prominent college football media members will select the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.®
Once the final team members are announced in September, fans are encouraged to visit the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® website on ESPN.com, featuring profiles and images of the players, for the opportunity to vote for the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Captain.
In order to meet the criteria set forth by Allstate and the AFCA, each player must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.
