FB's Ben Kessler gets AFCA award

September 15, 2005






Ben Kessler

St. Thomas football standout Ben Kessler (SR-Janesville, Wis./Craig) is among 22 college football players nationally named to the 2004 Good Works Team by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

The AFCA team honors 11 NCAA Division I-A seniors and 11 seniors from NCAA Divisions I-AA, II, III and NAIA for exceptional community service beyiond their classroom and on-field commitments.

St. Thomas is the lone football program nationally to have a player selected all eight years the expanded program has been in place.

Kessler was joined by Bethel's A.J. Parnell to give the MIAC two honorees.

Kessler was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team in 2004. He has a 4.00 gpa in Business and Philosophy and plans to become a Catholic priest.

Kessler follows former Tommies Mark Warder (1998), Greg Kaiser (1999), Mike Westland (2000), Brian Brenberg (2001), Andrew Hilliard (2002), John Kaiser (2003) and Paul Sommerstad (2004) as AFCA Good Works recipients.

Here's Kessler's resume:

Business/Philosophy double major
Hometown: Janesville, Wis.
Personal: Seminary student as undergraduate, plans on becoming a Catholic priest

Athletic/Academic Honors & Awards
.2004 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American (Academic All-District in both 2003, 2004)
.4.00 grade-point average (on 4.00 scale) in Business/Philosophy double major
(of the 550-plus UST student-athletes one of just three with a perfect 4.00 gpa)
.Second-team all-conference in both 2003 & 2004 (led conference in tackles-for-loss (TFL) in 2004)
.Career before 2005 season: 27 games, 118 tackles, 18 sacks, 29 TFL, 3 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, blocked kick
.2-year starter... had at least one sack in 10 straight games Oct. 2003-Oct. 2004.... helped UST defense that allowed 265 ypg, ranked in Division III in pass-efficiency"D" (3rd) turnover ratio (4th, plus 15).
.2005 team co-captain
.2003 recipient of team's Fr. James Lavin Award for Christian ideals displayed on and off the field.

On Campus Service Group/Organizations/Awards
.St. John Vianney College Seminary, 2002-Present
(Served as Seminary Sacristan, 2004-2005; Head of Seminary Athletic Events, 2002-Present; UST/SJV Campus Liaison, 2004-2005; Head of Football/Seminary Dinners in 2004 and 2005 (paintball, mass, dinner w/ 30 guys from each group)
.Created and chaired the team's first Football/Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast, November 2004 (Raised $1,000+ for Franciscan Brothers' Food Shelf)
.Staff Christmas Party Volunteer, 2002 & 2003
.Delta Epsilon Sigma Academic Honor Society, 2005-Present
.Philosophy Club, 2002-Present
.Catholic Studies Club, 2002-Present
.Aquinas Fellow recipient, May 2005 ($10,000 scholarship for senior year).
.Malevich Leadership Scholarship recipient (top leader in Class of 2006), May 2005

Community Service Group/Organizations
.Interned in summer 2004 with Catholic Diocese of Madison, Wis.
.Pro-Life Activist (Head of first 24-Hour Prayer Vigil at Madison Planned Parenthood, July 2005)
.Speaker on Vocations for Diocese of Madison, 2002-Present
.Knights of Columbus -- Grand Knight (President) of UST Chapter, 2004-Present (Organized events such as Pancake Breakfast, Neighborhood Food Drives (twice collected 300+ bags of food for Franciscan Brothers' Food Shelf), Regional K of C Free Throw Competition, Car Wash, Membership Drives, and Softball Game with St. Mary's, Winona Council)
.Little Sisters' of the Poor Nursing Home Volunteer, 2002-2004
.Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen Volunteer, 2002-2003
.St. Mary's Nursing Home Volunteer, 2004-2005
.St. Martin Hourse Soup Kitchen Volunteer, 2004
.Segrado Corazon Hispanic Parish Volunteer, 2005
.Spectrum Lighthouse Rehabilitation Home Volunteer, 2005
.Guest Speaker at 2005 St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocesan Men's Conference
.Also worked in 2003 at Sanford Corporation; at Prairie Woods Golf Course Grounds Crew, 2005; and on campus in weight room, 2002-2005

see AFCA news story here