Madison, NJ (September 24) – FDU-Florham football captain and graduate student running back Alnazir Blackman (Irvington, NJ) has been named to the 2021 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team®.  Blackman, the first student-athlete from FDU-Florham to earn the prestigious honor, was one of 22 student-athletes from across Division I (FBS & FCS), II, III and NAIA and one of only two Division III student-athletes to be named to the All State AFCA Good Works Team in 2021.
 
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® was established in 1992 by the College Football Association, recognizing the extra efforts made by college football players and student support staff off the field. AFCA became the governing body of the award in 1997 and continues to honor college football players who go the extra mile for those in need. Allstate worked to present the award starting with the 2008 season.

Made possible by the new NCAA Name Image Likeness rules, All State is pledging $1 million to honor members of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® as well as their non-profits of choice.
 
"This is a big time honor for Al and a testament to the type of person he is. I couldn't be more proud of what he's done throughout his career here at FDU, and I know the best is yet to come," said FDU-Florham head coach Jimmy Robertson. "To be named to this elite group that includes past recipients that were Heisman Trophy winners, NFL #1 overall picks, & Pro Football Hall of Famers is something Al, our program, and the entire FDU community will remember forever. It's amazing."
 
Blackman was a founding member of Athletes for Change and Equality (ACE), a student-athlete run organization at FDU-Florham. The mission statement of ACE is "ACE is dedicated to acknowledging and accepting differences within our very own community. We are a safe space for those who have felt alienated to feel accepted, heard and empowered. We will educate on the racial and cultural injustices that still burden our country today. We will work together to incite change and seek justice."
 
Blackman has helped organize and lead events such as weekly and monthly leader and athletic team meetings/forums, an event with the local Morris County (NJ) Prosecutor's Office, social media initiatives, educational zooms with the FDU community, and an interview initiative where the ACE leaders interviewed leaders in the community on various topics during NCAA diversity and inclusion week. ACE is now looking to help other local universities start their own "ACE" groups and collaborate.
 
"FDU Devils athletics has a legacy of hard-working student-athletes that get things done not only on the field but also in the classroom and the community," said Director of Athletics Jenn Noon. "Al Blackman's philanthropic mission is one that always puts others before himself thus it is an outstanding honor to be a member of the 22 member Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.  We are incredibly proud of Al and is well-deserving of this prestigious award!"
 
Blackman has also been a part of FDU football's Be the Match/Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation drives throughout his career here in Madison and he has regularly participated in helping the team run bone marrow registry drives and blood drives. Additionally, Blackman worked with special education students at local elementary schools in New Jersey, assisted them with daily tasks to engage them and help all of them learn all of the materials taught in the classroom.
 
On the field, Blackman was named the 2020-21 FDU Athletics Wade Watkins Award Winner, an honor given to the male student-athlete who best exemplifies the qualities such as enthusiasm and a selfless willingness to give of oneself. Other accolades he has taken home include being named to the D3football.com National Team of the Week, being named Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Offensive Player of the Week, being named FDU Offensive MVP, being named FDU Offensive Rookie of the Year and being named to both the MAC Academic Honor Roll and FDU Dean's list multiple times.

Through two games this season, Blackman has rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Last week at William Paterson, Blackman and the Devils defeated the Pioneers by a 43-17 final and are 1-1 heading into tomorrow's Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) homecoming matchup against Misericordia University.
 
For more information on this year's Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® student-athletes and to cast a vote for Al Blackman as this year's Team Captain, check out ESPN.com/Allstate. You can vote for the captain of this year's team until November 22, 2021.
 
2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
Cal Adomitis – Pittsburgh
Mac Brown – Ole Miss
Sean Clifford – Penn State
Nakobe Dean – Georgia
Mo Hasan – USC
Kenneth Horsey – Kentucky
Elijah McAllister - Vanderbilt
Camren McDonald – Florida State
Harry Miller – Ohio State
Race Porter – Washington
Darien Rencher – Clemson
 
Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III, & NAIA
Alnazir Blackman – Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham
Philip Green – Minot State
Jessie Malit – North Carolina Central
Chibuike Odo – Davidson
Deven Osborne – Dixie State
Austin Phillips – Ashland
Hunter Rodrigues – UC Davis
Jaran Roste – Bethel
Alex Shillow – Texas A&M-Commerce
DeValon Whitcomb – South Dakota
Julius Wilkerson – Wayne State
 
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