INDIANAPOLIS — College athletes are earning degrees at record rates, according to an NCAA report released Tuesday, and at higher percentages than the overall student body.
NCAA president Myles Brand, who has made academic reform his top priority, was encouraged by new NCAA figures that show 79 percent of all student-athletes who entered school in the fall of 2001 have graduated and 78 percent of those who entered college between 1998 and 2001 earned degrees within six years. Both are one-point increases over last year’s report and all-time highs.
Still, Brand acknowledges challenges remain as those who played men’s basketball, football and baseball continue to lag behind student-athletes in other sports.
From 1998-2001 men’s basketball players graduated at 62 percent, while baseball produced a rate of 68 percent. Football Bowl Subdivision teams had a grad rate of 67 percent, and the Football Championship Subdivision came in at 65 percent. Women’s bowling, at 68 percent, was the only other sport to finish below 70 percent.
“We are continuing to make progress toward the goal I established of an 80 percent graduation success rate,” Brand said.
Nearly half of the Big 12 men’s basketball teams, including Colorado’s, failed to reach 50 percent.
Footnotes.
Ohio State defensive end Lawrence Wilson will undergo season-ending surgery for torn ligaments in his left knee. Wilson, a junior who missed all of last season with a broken right leg, was the sixth-leading tackler for the Buckeyes with 18. His spot will likely be filled by junior Rob Rose.
• Miami running back Javarris James is expected to play Saturday against Duke after missing four games with a high left ankle sprain.
• Two Toledo players arrested outside a bar just hours after the Rockets beat Michigan on Saturday will not start this weekend against Northern Illinois. Wide receiver Nick Moore, who caught 20 passes for 162 yards in the 13-10 victory over the Wolverines, and defensive end Albertson Alexandre will not start.
• Jaivorio Burkes earned a promotion and will start ahead of Mike Smith at left tackle when Nebraska plays at Iowa State on Saturday.
• Cory Fowler, a senior walk-on, will handle extra points and short field-goal attempts for Texas Tech after freshman Donnie Carona missed an extra point in overtime of Saturday’s 37-31 win over Nebraska.
The Associated Press
