Malcolm Mitchell earns recognition for community service

College football fans around the country have made their voices heard: University of Georgia wide receiver, and former Valdosta High great, Malcolm Mitchell was selected as the 2015 Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team captain for his community service and off-the-field contributions to the Athens area.

“It means a lot,” Mitchell said of the selection despite insisting earning the honor was never a goal of his. “When you set out to do things in the community and for others, you don’t seek recognition.”

Mitchell was first named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, along with 21 other college football players, this past fall. Out of the 22 players named to the Good Works Team, fan votes via ESPN.com/Allstate decide one team captain each season, and this season Mitchell took home the honor.

While each of the 22 athletes on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team share a passion for service within the community such as donating bone marrow, visiting children’s hospitals, and more, Mitchell’s work in launching the “Reading with Malcolm” literacy program has shined brightest.

“I believe literacy and continuing to read is the key to success,” Mitchell said.

A senior wideout at UGA with more than 2,236 yards and 169 receptions in his career, Mitchell is the 16th Bulldog named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team since its inception in 1992, and he’s the first to be named captain after he recently authored his first children’s book, “The Magician’s Hat.” Mitchell also volunteers with cancer patients through Camp Sunshine, and he serves as a motivational speaker for local middle school students and at the Boys & Girls Club of Athens.

Mitchell was recognized Thursday night at the Home Depot College Football Awards show.

After the show, Mitchell and his fellow Good Works Team members have been invited to New Orleans to further their passion for service by working a special youth football clinic prior to the Allstate Sugar Bowl. All 22 players will be honored on the field at halftime of the Jan. 1 broadcast.

“I think athletes in general have more influence than the normal person,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got to use that platform positively.”