Coprich heads to New Orleans for the 2015 Sugar Bowl NORTHBROOK, Ill. – Cal sophomore running back Jeffrey Coprich was one of 22 players across all levels of collegiate football and one of 11 from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision to earn a spot on the roster of the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. The team announced Tuesday by Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The prestigious off-the-field honor recognizes their dedication to community service by paying tribute to a select group of student-athletes who have worked positively to impact the lives of others. The 22 players honored have not only dedicated their time to succeeding on the field, but have also made a commitment to enriching the lives of others while contributing to the greater good of their communities. “It is definitely an honor to be a part of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®,” Coprich said. “When I got the text this morning I was excited. I want to continue to help out the young kids out there and let everyone know that anything is possible. Coming from where I’m from this is definitely an honor to be part of something so great.” A native of Watts, Calif., Coprich is one of Cal’s most active participants in community service and has been especially inspired by a family tragedy during his childhood when his seven-year-old sister, Essence, lost her life in a car accident that he survived. Shortly after the passing of his sister, the 116th Street Elementary School she had attended in Watts named the school library after her and Coprich along with help from his family founded the Jeffrey Coprich Book Club in her honor. “I wanted to help out young kids with reading,” Coprich said. “I had trouble reading as a kid, so I always wanted to give back to the young kids so they wouldn’t have that problem.” In 2012, Coprich also started the Unsung Heroes program along with his father, Jeffrey Sr. The program serves high school football student-athletes in the South Los Angeles area, recognizing their academic and athletic accomplishments as well as their volunteerism. “Anytime anybody gets a chance to go out and talk to young kids sometimes it really changes their lives,” Coprich added. “Fortunately I’ve had a chance to see a change in some kids’ lives. I’m just giving back and doing the same thing that was done for me.” Head coach Sonny Dykes had plenty of praise for Coprich. “Jeffrey Coprich represents all that is good about being a student-athlete playing college football,” Dykes said. “There are great lessons to be learned from his approach to life. He has taken challenging situations and made the best of them. His efforts have had such a tremendously positive effect on so many others.” “The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® has been highlighting student-athlete volunteerism for 23 years, and the list of honorees keeps getting better each year,” added Grant Teaff, AFCA Executive Director. “The 2014 Good Works Team® members are some of the most dedicated athletes, on and off the field, I have ever seen. It is the AFCA’s pleasure to work with Allstate in promoting such great ambassadors of the game of football.” Allstate and the AFCA are looking to the fans to help determine this year’s 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Captain. By visiting ESPN/Allstate, fans can learn more about this year’s team members and vote for the player who they feel best embodies the spirit of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. The Team Captain and his fellow award recipients will also be invited to New Orleans to take part in a community project leading up to the 2015 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate® Sugar Bowl®. Coprich, who in 2012 received the prestigious Watkins Scholar Athlete of the Year Award given annually by the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Alliance of African American Athletes, is excited about his upcoming trip to New Orleans the will be his first to The Big Easy for more than one reason. “The Saints are my favorite team,” he said.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 18:40:32 +0000
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