Grayson joins Tebow on Allstate Good Works Team

University of Richmond junior wide receiver Kevin Grayson and University of Florida Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow now have two things in common.

Both players helped lead their teams to national championships last season, and they have both been honored for the positive impact they have in their communities.

Allstate Insurance and the American Football Coaches Association announced on Sept. 22 that Grayson and Tebow had both been selected to the Allstate Good Works Team, which recognizes 22 college football players from around the country for their dedication to community service.

"I've always been a person who has wanted to give back to the community," Grayson said. "That's how my parents raised me and now that I'm in a position where I'm in the limelight, it's good to give back when I can."

Grayson first learned of his nomination for the award from the football team's Sports Information Director, Mike DeGeorge. When DeGeorge received the e-mail asking him to nominate a Richmond player, he had no reservations about choosing Grayson.

"It was easy with all the things that he's done," DeGeorge said. "He built the resume himself and he was the one who did all the work."

Grayson compiled a list of his community service and each of his involvements with on-campus activities to prepare a profile for the Good Works Team selection committee, which included former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz and NFL running back Mewelde Moore. Some of Grayson's activities included working with the Special Olympics of Virginia, volunteering as a track coach at Douglas Wilder Middle School, serving in the Richmond College Senate and working with the Hopewell-Prince George Healthy Families Organization.

Grayson's involvement on campus, which also included membership in UR Men for Change and hosting forums, may have separated him from the other 106 nominees for the Good Works Team, DeGeorge said.

"A lot of people do the community service but forget about the on-campus aspect," DeGeorge said. "The fact that he makes himself visible on campus in other ways than just the football team is what sets him apart."

In addition, Grayson also mentored a Tuckahoe Middle School sixth-grader, Andre Gibson, during the spring of 2009. Grayson met Andre through Andre's mother, Adraine Kennedy, who works in the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

"Ms. Kennedy told me [Andre] was having some trouble in school and needed someone to get him back on track," Grayson said. "I started picking him up from school and just hanging out, taking tours of campus or meeting other athletes."

Kennedy said Grayson provided Andre with a positive male role model.

"They would hang out and play games and have boy conversations," Kennedy said. "[Andre] talked to him about things he wouldn't talk to me about."

Because Grayson was a successful college athlete, Kennedy said that Andre, who hopes to play college basketball when he's older, could look up to Grayson as an example.

"The goal is to have [Andre] come here or to another university," Kennedy said. "Kevin really helped him see that goal. Being a football player and my son wanting to do athletics, he was really getting the insight of it all."

Though Grayson's busy schedule prevented him from working with Andre during the football season, he said he hoped to continue mentoring him during the spring.

Recognition for his off-the-field accomplishments made Grayson proud, especially because it showed his character to those who may have doubted it.

During his redshirt freshman year, Grayson was convicted of a misdemeanor after an altercation outside of the fraternity lodges.

"After the incident ... people were putting negative connotations around me," Grayson said. "It's good to show the person I am off the field rather than just on it."

Grayson said he had talked to his mother when he came to the university about making a positive impact on the campus community.

"It's one thing to be remembered for playing football," Grayson said. "But playing football at Richmond is not what I wanted to be remembered for. I would rather it be Kevin Grayson who was a senator, a president of his own student organization and a big-brother mentor. Then maybe you could say, 'Oh yeah, and he played football, too.'"

Grayson and his 21 fellow Good Works Team members will be honored during a halftime ceremony at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2010. The game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.

Contact staff writer Reilly Moore at reilly.moore@richmond.edu