University of Minnesota Duluth senior offensive guard Trapper Ward is one of 169 nominees nationwide for the 2018 Allstate Insurance and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team^®.

The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® has been one of the most esteemed honors in college football for more than 25 years. The student-athletes who are nominated for this award not only demonstrate a unique dedication to community service and desire to make a positive impact on the lives around them, but they also show tremendous perseverance as well as the ability to overcome personal struggles and come out victorious against all odds. 

A special voting panel consisting of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® members and prominent college football media members will review submissions from sports directors across the nation to select the 2018 Good Works Team^®. Tim Tebow, two-time national champion, Heisman Trophy winner and 2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® member, will once again headline the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® voting panel.

The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® is comprised of 11 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA and one honorary head coach. To be in consideration by Allstate and the AFCA for a nomination, each player must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing. 
 
The final roster of 22 award recipients and honorary head coach will be unveiled in September. 

Ward, a native of Rice Lake, Wis., has been a mentor in the Mentor Duluth program (Big Brothers/Big Sisters) for nearly two years. He has his own mentee (Jaden) and another (Kaelie) that he co-mentors with his girlfriend, Billie Reinbold. Wards spends at least 12 hours a month with these two youngsters, being such a positive influence in their lives, teaching them the values he has learned both on and off the football field. He takes them to sporting events and engages them in a number of outdoor activities as well. He also has had both Jaden and Kaelie over to his house to chat, have dinner and play board games. Kaelie has become Trapper's biggest fan as she attends most home UMD football games and this past March at UMD hockey's annual Mentor Duluth Appreciation Night, she and Ward (Jaden was ill) dropped the ceremonial first puck.

In addition to this, Ward has also volunteered countless hours with the after school program at the Boys' and Girls' Club of the Northland since his arrival on the UMD campus. On the field, he started all 12 games this past fall for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champion Bulldogs and attained All-NSIC second team honors along the way.

UMD Head Coach Curt Wiese was a nominee as a honorary coach for the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominees