Sept. 23, 2014
Vanderbilt starting snapper Andrew East has been named to the Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team.
East, a first-year graduate student from Indianapolis, becomes the second Commodore named to the prestigious Allstate-AFCA Good Works Team in as many years. Former All-Southeastern Conference placekicker Carey Spear was recognized last year in 2013.
East is a two-time Vanderbilt team captain who has started all 43 games of his career as the team’s primary snapper, and is regarded among the best in the nation at the specialty.
East has been involved in a variety of service activities. He has traveled to Mexico, Peru and Haiti with Spring Break and church-led mission trips, helping to improve housing and facilities while mentoring youth during each trip. Closer to home, East has frequently visited with hurting kids at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, spoken to several elementary school classes, and participated with an array of local community service efforts, including Room at the Inn and Seven Bridges Ministry assisting the homeless in Nashville and Atlanta, respectively. He has also assisted the Harvest Hands non-profit organization during summers in Nashville.
East is also a two-time president of Vanderbilt’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has worked in conjunction with the CrossPoint Serving Saturdays organization that aims to clean and improve inner-city neighborhoods in Nashville.
East earned a civil engineering degree from Vanderbilt in May 2014, and is currently enrolled in graduate courses at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management.
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® award pays tribute to a select group of student-athletes who have worked to positively impact the lives of others. This summer, the program received a record 182 nominations from colleges and universities across the country. A voting panel comprised of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® members and college football media reviewed the nominees in an effort to select 11 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA to comprise the 22-player team.
“Allstate takes an immense amount of pride in working with the AFCA to recognize these student-athletes for their good works that have made a positive impact on communities across the country and, in some cases, across the world,” said Jim Haskins, president of Allstate’s West Territory and a member of the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® voting panel. “Allstate is a proud supporter of NCAA football and it is an honor to award these young men for inspiring us all with their character and work ethic both on and off the field.”
The 11-member NCAA FBS Good Works Team includes three other Southeastern Conference players: Kentucky offensive lineman Max Godby, Ole Miss linebacker Deterrian Shackelford and Georgia wide receiver Chris Conley.
Addition FBS Good Works Team recipients are Jeffrey Coprich, running back from California; Laken Thompson, offensive lineman from Duke; Sam Rodgers, snapper from Syracuse; Nate Boyer, snapper from Texas; Brett Hundley, quarterback from UCLA, Chuckie Keeton, quarterback from Utah State; and Dominic Rufran, wide receiver from Wyoming.
