Sept. 18, 2002
LAS VEGAS - UNLV offensive lineman Tony Terrell was one of only 11 players in the nation named to the 2002 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division I-A Good Works Team, the Waco, Texas-based organization announced Wednesday.
Terrell, a senior from Lawndale, Calif., and graduate of Hawthorne High School, is the first Rebel ever elected to the prestigious collection of student-athletes that has been honored for its performance off the field for the last 11 years.
"This is a much-deserved honor," UNLV head coach John Robinson said. "Tony is one of the most caring individuals I have ever coached. He is a leader on this team and at this school and is a shining example of the value of college athletics."
Nominated by their school's sports information directors and voted on by an AFCA committee, successful candidates must be involved in working for charity and/or service. Terrell has been heavily active in the school's CHAMPS program, including making visits to hospitals, speaking at local schools for events such as Chefs For Kids and Nevada Reading Week, and pitching in to help a local family during the holidays as part of Rebels Play Santa. He also served over the past year as an ambassador for Rebel Pride merchandise, the sales of which help pay for summer school tuition for all student-athletes. Now in his third year as the football team's representative on the UNLV Student-Athlete Advisory Board, Terrell was the first Rebel ever chosen to travel to the NCAA Leadership Conference, which was held this summer in Orlando.
"With all the demands on today's student-athlete, it really speaks to the dedication these young men have to their communities that they spend their free time helping with so many outstanding organizations and causes," AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff said. "They don't do all of this for the recognition but the AFCA is proud to honor them with a spot on this special team."
On the field, Terrell is an NFL prospect who was a preseason first team All-Mountain West Conference selection by Lindy's magazine and leads the squad with 36 career starts, including 31 consecutively.
The winner of the 2001 Bill "Wildcat" Morris Most Inspirational Award, Terrell was selected by his teammates before last month's season opener to be the first player to wear the Wiesner Jersey, which will annually adorn the Rebel who best exemplifies the late Tom Wiesner's enthusiasm, dedication and toughness. Terrell is on target to graduate in December with a degree in social science.
2002 AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM (DIV. I-A)
NAME CL POS SCHOOL
Lane Danielson JR WR Iowa StateAntonio Hall JR OL KentuckyTroy Hassebroek SR RB NebraskaJason Johnson SR QB ArizonaAnthony Kelley SR LB WashingtonJohn Leonard SR QB CincinnatiJames MacPherson SR QB Wake ForestEli Manning JR QB Ole MissBrian Rimpf JR OL East CarolinaTony Terrell SR OL UNLVP.J. Winston SR WR New Mexico State
