COMMERCE, Texas — When Texas A&M Commerce safety Alex Shillow straps on the helmet, slides on the gloves and takes the field, he’s a football player. A good one, too. The sixth-year senior out of Pflugerville, Texas, has eclipsed over 200 career tackles and five interceptions during his tenure as a Lion. But when he steps off the field, he’s something more. 

“He is a great ambassador of what college football should be,” said Texas A&M Commerce head coach David Bailiff. “He’s the poster child for the NCAA. You can’t say enough good things about him. He’s not only a leader on this football team. He’s a leader on this campus.”

That’s because his resume is decorated with philanthropy and community service.

“I wanted to get involved,” said Shillow. “We started a reading program with Commerce Elementary when I got here in 2016. We got involved a lot with the local youth and really tried to inspire kids to work hard with their education."

Shillow is the president of the Lions’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has also served as the National SAAC chairman for all Division II athletics, where over the summer, he helped navigate the uncharted waters of the NIL berth to give Division II athletes a voice in the sudden rule change.

“I don’t know if the cap is as big as a high-profile Division I athlete. It might not be that million-dollar check but it definitely could mean some free merchandise where they could become influencers and brand ambassadors,” Shillow said.

But perhaps the most impressive change he helped initiate was the change within his own team.

“It’s like he wakes up in the morning and the first thing he thinks of is how do I make this world better today,” said Bailiff. “He’s got everyone on this team registered to vote. He’s got them in the local elections and he’s got them in the presidential elections.”

A year ago, 80% of his team was not registered to vote. Now, 100% of his teammates are and it was Georgre Floyd’s death that inspired that initiative.

“You saw a lot of social media posts and people showing their support. But we wanted to do something different,” Shillow said.

For him and the team, this meant having meaningful conversations with the Commerce police force. The team invited the officers to their practice and in return, the officers invited them on some ride-alongs.

“We got an opportunity to develop a relationship with them to make sure Commerce is not suffering like other places are with police brutality,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we were working together on a lot of things.”

Shillow’s favorite memory on the gridiron was the Lions’ 2017 national championship run.

“Really it’s not even what he did on Dec. 16 in Kansas City,” said Shillow. “It’s the process of getting there. The plane rides, the bus trips, the funny times we had in the hotels. Those were my favorite memories during that title run.”

Unfortunately for Shillow, that championship run would be his first and only. With a 7-4 overall record, the Lions failed to be selected to the postseason. But Shillow and the rest of his senior class will be remembered for much more than what they accomplished on the field. Their impact extends well beyond the gridiron. Shillow told Spectrum News his next career path will continue to make a difference. He wants to be an athletic director for a Division I school.