AFCA Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University senior quarterback Chris Backes (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) was named one of 22 student-athletes, across all divisions of college football, to the 2020 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

This year marks the 29th anniversary of the award, which was established in 1992 to recognize a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others.

A fan vote will run from now until Nov. 22 at www.ESPN.com/Allstate to decide this year's Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Captain. Fans may cast one vote per device each day.

Backes is the fourth consecutive Johnnie to be named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and the fifth overall. The most recent trio were all former teammates: offensive lineman Ben Bartch '20 (now with the Jacksonville Jaguars), quarterback Jackson Erdmann '19 and wide receiver Will Gillach '19. Defensive end Kevin McNamara '07 was SJU's first to earn the honor in 2006.

In June, sports information directors from Division I, Division II, Division III and NAIA schools across the country submitted nominations of players they felt best embodied the spirit of the Good Works Team award. A voting panel was faced with a list of 149 nominees that was narrowed down to the 22 student-athletes and an honorary coach, West Virginia's Neal Brown, named to the team.

An economics major with a 4.0 GPA, Backes earned the 2018 and 2019 MIAC Elite 22 Award for having the highest cumulative GPA among the conference's top two teams at the end of the regular season. The two-time Academic All-MIAC honoree (minimum 3.5 GPA) has played in each of SJU's last 27 games as the team's holder on field goals and PAT's and appeared in 17 games at quarterback. Backes has a 191.4 career pass-efficiency rating (20 of 28 passing for 282 yards and three touchdowns), as well as 158 rushing yards and one touchdown on 32 career carries.

Off the field, Backes is in his fourth year volunteering for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as a member of the SJU football team. He was strictly a fundraiser as a freshman and sophomore (2017-18), was a board member in 2019 and serves as the recruitment director this season (2020-21). Backes spearheaded SJU football's 2019 fundraising effort for St. Jude's, where the team raised over $38,000, and visited the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Nashville in summer 2019.

He has also volunteered for SJU Football's Tackle Cancer initiative each season as a member of the team. The Johnnies have raised $82,000 over the last five seasons for Tackle Cancer, including over $25,000 last fall, which benefits the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund in Minnesota.

Backes was a member of SJU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in 2019-20 and serves as the organization's president in 2020-21. SJU's SAAC meets monthly to help plan events for Special Olympics and to organize fundraising efforts for Kids Fighting Hunger, SJU's annual meal-packing event during Lent. In addition to SJU's meal-packing event, Backes also volunteered at the local No Kid Hungry meal-packing event, through Kids Fighting Hunger, at the local St. Cloud Convention Center in January 2017 and January 2020.

Backes is a member of OIKOS, SJU's Economics Honor Society, which organizes several conversations on the economics of a current event or topic each semester during the academic year and regularly sponsors other events related to economics. He also volunteered at the Church of St. Joseph's (St. Joseph, Minn.) local fish fry during Lent and for its annual Thanksgiving meal in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

SJU's Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominees/Honorees Since 2006
2020 - Quarterback Chris Backes '21 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2019 - Offensive Lineman Ben Bartch '20 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2018 - Quarterback Jackson Erdmann '19 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2017 - Wide Receiver Will Gillach '19 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)
2016 - Linebacker Carter Hanson '17 
2015 - Offensive Lineman Ben Brown '16 
2014 - Offensive Lineman Alex Jarosz '15 
2013 - Running Back Colin Moynihan '14 
2012 - Running Back Stephen Johnson '13 
2011 - Defensive Back Andrew Rotschafer '11 
2010 - Linebacker John Stanton '10 
2009 - No Nominee
2008 - Running Back Jeff Schnobrich '09 
2007 - No Nominee 
2006 - Defensive Lineman Kevin McNamara '07 (Allstate AFCA Good Works Team)