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9/28/2006, 09:42 AM
Texas football trails Big 12 in graduation rate
Texas graduation rate lowest in league
By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, September 28, 2006
The University of Texas' defending national champion football team trails the rest of the Big 12 when it comes to graduation rates, according to NCAA data released Wednesday.
Texas had a graduation success rate of 40 percent in football. No other Big 12 school had a rate lower than 50 percent for its football team.
"They're never as high as you want them to be. . . . We're making progress," Texas men's athletic director DeLoss Dodds said.
The Texas women's basketball team, meanwhile, was behind only Nebraska in that measure, scoring a 93.
The Texas men's basketball and baseball teams finished eighth and seventh, respectively, in the league and fell well short of the 80 percent graduation success rate that NCAA president Myles Brand is shooting for.
According to NCAA figures, the graduation success rate for Division I athletes increased from 76 percent to 77 percent in the past year.
"Overall, we're very encouraged," said Brand. "Academic reforms are taking hold."
The GSR reflects rates for students who entered college from 1996 to 1999 and graduated within six years. The two-year-old measure accounts for students who left in good academic standing and for those who transferred in. The older, required federal graduation rates do neither and miss about 35 percent of student-athletes, according to NCAA officials.
There are no penalties associated with the graduation success rate, although teams with a graduation rate of less than 60 percent may run afoul of other reform measures.
"It's a dashboard indicator," Walter Harrison said of the GSR. He is chair of the NCAA Executive Committee and one of the leaders of the academic reform movement. Harrison said the numbers could be used by athletic directors to warn of a possible problem.
Dodds characterized some of the teams' marks as good, some average and some not so good. He said the football rates still reflect classes that were in the transition period between former coach John Mackovic and current coach Mack Brown.
As for baseball and basketball Dodds said, "You're getting into kids leaving for the pros. . . . It will be hard for us to ever do great in those."
Iowa State men's basketball team had by far the lowest GSR in the league, a 12.
[email protected]; 445-3956
How Big 12 teams rank in graduation rates
Ranking Big 12 teams, based on the new graduation success rate and federally required graduation rates. The measure accounts for transfers and for athletes who leave in good academic standing.
FOOTBALL
School GSR Fed rate
Nebraska 88 75
Baylor 85 68
Kansas St. 76 63
Texas Tech 73 63
Colorado 68 62
Oklahoma St. 65 67
Texas A&M 63 53
Missouri 53 45
Iowa St. 52 58
Oklahoma 52 44
Kansas 51 48
Texas 40 29
MEN'S BASKETBALL
School GSR rate
Kansas State 88 44
Baylor 67 44
Missouri 60 45
Nebraska 56 30
Texas Tech 55 38
Colorado 50 31
Kansas 45 40
Texas 44 30
Oklahoma 41 25
Texas A&M 40 15
Oklahoma St. 31 13
Iowa State 12 9
BASEBALL
School GSR rate
Baylor 87 45
Iowa State 61 42
Texas Tech 60 21
Oklahoma 58 37
Kansas 55 41
Nebraska 51 31
Texas 51 26
Missouri 50 33
Kansas State 50 24
Texas A&M 46 26
Oklahoma State 44 19
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
School GSR rate
Nebraska 100 60
Texas 93 83
Baylor 92 82
Colorado 92 60
Kansas St. 89 67
Oklahoma St. 85 80
Missouri 82 54
Texas Tech 80 58
Oklahoma 79 69
Iowa St. 78 67
Kansas 69 77
Texas A&M 63 86
Texas graduation rate lowest in league
By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, September 28, 2006
The University of Texas' defending national champion football team trails the rest of the Big 12 when it comes to graduation rates, according to NCAA data released Wednesday.
Texas had a graduation success rate of 40 percent in football. No other Big 12 school had a rate lower than 50 percent for its football team.
"They're never as high as you want them to be. . . . We're making progress," Texas men's athletic director DeLoss Dodds said.
The Texas women's basketball team, meanwhile, was behind only Nebraska in that measure, scoring a 93.
The Texas men's basketball and baseball teams finished eighth and seventh, respectively, in the league and fell well short of the 80 percent graduation success rate that NCAA president Myles Brand is shooting for.
According to NCAA figures, the graduation success rate for Division I athletes increased from 76 percent to 77 percent in the past year.
"Overall, we're very encouraged," said Brand. "Academic reforms are taking hold."
The GSR reflects rates for students who entered college from 1996 to 1999 and graduated within six years. The two-year-old measure accounts for students who left in good academic standing and for those who transferred in. The older, required federal graduation rates do neither and miss about 35 percent of student-athletes, according to NCAA officials.
There are no penalties associated with the graduation success rate, although teams with a graduation rate of less than 60 percent may run afoul of other reform measures.
"It's a dashboard indicator," Walter Harrison said of the GSR. He is chair of the NCAA Executive Committee and one of the leaders of the academic reform movement. Harrison said the numbers could be used by athletic directors to warn of a possible problem.
Dodds characterized some of the teams' marks as good, some average and some not so good. He said the football rates still reflect classes that were in the transition period between former coach John Mackovic and current coach Mack Brown.
As for baseball and basketball Dodds said, "You're getting into kids leaving for the pros. . . . It will be hard for us to ever do great in those."
Iowa State men's basketball team had by far the lowest GSR in the league, a 12.
[email protected]; 445-3956
How Big 12 teams rank in graduation rates
Ranking Big 12 teams, based on the new graduation success rate and federally required graduation rates. The measure accounts for transfers and for athletes who leave in good academic standing.
FOOTBALL
School GSR Fed rate
Nebraska 88 75
Baylor 85 68
Kansas St. 76 63
Texas Tech 73 63
Colorado 68 62
Oklahoma St. 65 67
Texas A&M 63 53
Missouri 53 45
Iowa St. 52 58
Oklahoma 52 44
Kansas 51 48
Texas 40 29
MEN'S BASKETBALL
School GSR rate
Kansas State 88 44
Baylor 67 44
Missouri 60 45
Nebraska 56 30
Texas Tech 55 38
Colorado 50 31
Kansas 45 40
Texas 44 30
Oklahoma 41 25
Texas A&M 40 15
Oklahoma St. 31 13
Iowa State 12 9
BASEBALL
School GSR rate
Baylor 87 45
Iowa State 61 42
Texas Tech 60 21
Oklahoma 58 37
Kansas 55 41
Nebraska 51 31
Texas 51 26
Missouri 50 33
Kansas State 50 24
Texas A&M 46 26
Oklahoma State 44 19
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
School GSR rate
Nebraska 100 60
Texas 93 83
Baylor 92 82
Colorado 92 60
Kansas St. 89 67
Oklahoma St. 85 80
Missouri 82 54
Texas Tech 80 58
Oklahoma 79 69
Iowa St. 78 67
Kansas 69 77
Texas A&M 63 86