A Shout Out for ND's Academic Standards

[SouthieND04]

Saw this on Tuesday Morning Quarterback on ESPN. It's nice when people remember that Notre Dame actually holds its players to acadmic standards, unlike other big football schools.

"Two perennial power teams are really struggling this year, Nebraska and Notre Dame. What do they have in common? They are two of the small number of high-profile football-factory schools where athletes actually go to class. Using the NCAA's new "graduation success rate" metric, which takes into account transfers who graduate elsewhere, Notre Dame graduates a stellar 95 percent of its football scholarship players, and Nebraska is excellent at 88 percent. USC, which just punched Notre Dame in the nose, has a graduation success rate of 55 percent for football. Missouri and Oklahoma State, which punched out Nebraska in the weeks leading up to Pederson's dismissal, graduate 53 percent and 65 percent of football players, respectively. (Find NCAA graduation rates here.) On the campuses of most opponents Notre Dame and Nebraska play, academics are a big joke for football athletes, who do little but party and prepare for games. At Notre Dame and Nebraska, the football players are in the library working on term papers. Irish and Cornhuskers faithful have nothing to feel ashamed about. It's the NCAA that should feel ashamed of its education-optional attitude toward Division I football and men's basketball."

Check out the full article here: ESPN Page 2 - TMQ: Good vs. Evil

 

[johnnd05]

Cool - I hadn't known that Nebraska's rate was that high. Good for them.

 

[GoshenGipper]

Most of the stuff on Page 2 is even bigger "stir the pot" crap than the nomal stuff. But if you're going to rip them then you should also praise them when they do something good as well, and this is actually was very good.

 

[Doomsday Device]

The following teams are the only BCS conference teams, who along with Notre Dame, had a Graduation Success Rate over 80% in the 2007 ranking. Kudos to all the teams, but I put the team's regular season records in the 7-year period when the recruiting classes were in school to single out teams that managed to recruit high quality players and win but graduate them at the same time.

Northwestern 94% (32-47)
Notre Dame 93% (50-31)
Boston College 93% (44-35)
Duke 93% (15-64)
Stanford 93% (36-41)
Vanderbilt 91% (19-60)
Wake Forest 90% (33-46)
Baylor 84% (16-63)
Nebraska 83% (66-16)

 

[Moostache]

For a minute I thought that was Dr. White's version of a future schedule....

 

[KamaraPolice]

It's terrible how some schools use athletes. What is the purpose of your institution, to win athletic events or educate and develop young individuals?

 

[GoshenGipper]

It's terrible how some schools use athletes. What is the purpose of your institution, to win athletic events or educate and develop young individuals?

Both, they're just not talking about the same people usually, don't forget making money either.

 

[KamaraPolice]

Both, they're just not talking about the same people usually, don't forget amking money either.

55% graduation rate is atrocious, those programs should be sanctioned.

 

[kmoose]

It's terrible how some schools use athletes. What is the purpose of your institution, to win athletic events or educate and develop young individuals?

I wouldn't necessarily say that the institutions are using these athletes. At what point does the kid in question have to take on the responsibility for graduating? You have to know that some of the kids who didn't graduate had every opportunity to, but just didn't care?

 

[Newc]

I wouldn't necessarily say that the institutions are using these athletes. At what point does the kid in question have to take on the responsibility for graduating? You have to know that some of the kids who didn't graduate had every opportunity to, but just didn't care?

Exactly KMoose, I am sure there are plenty of schools who have top athletes who both attend and blow off classes. Ultimately it is the responsibility of these kids to go to class, but its also a shame that at some schools there aren't any consiquences for choosing not to go to class.