Better report card
Fresno Bee 1/23/07
It's not on the scoreboard — the team finished with its worst record in coach Pat Hill's 10 seasons — but off the field in academics. The football team members earned a 2.81 cumulative grade-point average in the fall semester.
Too often the "student" part of student-athlete is under-valued as many college sports programs only look to a glitzy win-loss record and post-season appearances as measures of success. But Hill has consistently pushed his players to meet his expectations in the classroom as well as on the field.
Put these stats on that monster-screen scoreboard at Bulldog Stadium:
Kicker Clint Stitser, cornerback Marcus McCauley and offensive lineman Andrew Jackson earned all A's and 38 others out of 100 players had at least a 3.0 GPA. Only one player posted a GPA under 2.0.
The players passed an average of 13.9 units.
The team's GPA improved for the third straight semester.
The team ranked fifth among western region schools (teams in the Western Athletic Conference, Pac-10 and Mountain West Conference).
More than 70% of the current football players have a higher GPA at Fresno State than what they finished with in high school.
17 players posted their highest single-semester GPA from the fall.
So what's going on there? Give part of the credit to associate head coach John Baxter, who heads the team's academic program and wrote the 96-page workbook "Academic Gameplan," designed to help players organize their daily responsibilities.
Folks have always expected the coaches to teach football, but if the "student" part of the job description is going to work, someone has to teach the student how to study, how to score as big in the classroom as well as on the football field. That's where Baxter comes in. Just as in any sport, excelling in class requires training, supplies and skills so they can make the big plays when the pressure is on.
The academic scores are expected to pay off on the field as well. The coaches believe high academic numbers will help them recruit serious student-athletes.
"The No. 1 thing we sell to recruits is if you come here, you will learn to manage your life better," Hill said. "We want you to become better football players and better students."
That scores big with us.