Boggs picks up Award

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Revolution midfielder Zak Boggs was named MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year, the league announced on Wednesday.

Boggs, who’s been involved in cancer research with Dr. Marsha Moses at Children’s Hospital Boston since 2010, was named co-winner of the Revolution’s Humanitarian of the Year award, along with Matt Reis, last month. The cancer research laboratory at Children’s Hospital Boston will receive a $5,000 donation from MLS W.O.R.K.S. on behalf of Boggs.

“It’s nice to be mentioned in such company with MLS W.O.R.K.S. and all the other people up for the award,” said Boggs who, along with Houston’s Brad Davis and San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski, was named as a finalist for the award earlier this week. “It’s pretty cool to be involved with something like that on a big picture.”

After a concussion sidelined him for the second half of the 2010 season, Boggs became a fixture in Dr. Moses’ lab at the hospital, helping her staff research potential cancer diagnostics and prognostics. He specifically assisted in helping her staff find proteins in the body that allow researchers to help distinguish between someone who has cancer from someone who is cancer-free. In addition to his research work, the second-year midfielder regularly visited patients at the hospital during the team’s monthly visits.

“It’s something I love to do,” said Boggs, who majored in biomedical sciences at the University of South Florida. “I just like being around science. It’s cool to go from soccer in the morning to a completely different thing in the afternoon. It’s been a good opportunity for me.”

Boggs is the second Revolution player to win Humanitarian of the Year. In 2006, Michael Parkhurst won the Award for his active involvement with a number of local charities, including the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

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