Lance Phillips (56) led the Tigers in 2008-09 on and off the field.

Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg football standout Lance Phillips, class of 2009 from Wellston, Ohio, has been recognized for his fine work both on and off the field by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). He was one of 106 student-athletes from across the country nominated for the 2009 Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team.

Phillips spearheaded a new philanthropic effort for the football team last spring, organizing his teammates to take part in the 2009 Relay for Life at Wittenberg's Edwards-Maurer Field and Earl F. Morris Track complex on April 25. The team split into groups of 10 players each and competed to raise money for Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society's signature annual fund-raising activity. Tiger players took turns walking or running around the track continuously during the overnight event, raising more than $2,500 in the process.

Phillips, who was granted a medical red-shirt in 2005 and will play the 2009 season as a fifth-year senior, is a three-year All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honoree, including honorable mention in 2006 and back-to-back first-team designations in 2007 and 2008. A defensive tackle, Phillips was a key member of the top-ranked unit in the NCAC in 2008, helping the Tigers to records of 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the NCAC, good for a third-place tie.

The AFCA's Good Works Teams will be selected by a high-profile voting panel, including National Football League stars Matt Stinchcomb and Mewelde Moore and National College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz, who serves as spokesperson for the program. Two 11-player Allstate/AFCA Good Works Teams – one for the football bowl subdivision (I-A) and the other for the football championship subdivision – will be announced during the 2009 season.

Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photo By: Brad Tucker