A not-so-dirty secret about UGA football: It’s making the grade
"Yeah, baby! We aced that midterm!" (AP photo)
An oft-cited number regarding the Georgia Bulldogs: Seven losses (against six wins) in 2010. Another: Eleven players arrested in that same calendar year.
But here’s another number, a happier number: The Georgia football team had an Academic Progress Rate for the school year 2009-2010 of 976, which tied Florida for second-best in the SEC behind Vanderbilt, which is so committed to academics it no longer has an athletic department.
The Georgia football program, criticized in this and other spaces for not having its priorities in order, is clearly doing something right. This latest APR snapshot wasn’t a one-off, either: In 2007-2008, Georgia football ranked first in the SEC — yes, ahead of Vandy.
I know how it is. We sophisticates on the periphery wink when a college player is called a “student-athlete,” but what we sophisticates forget is this: Even if a college player’s only career ambition is to become a professional athlete, he still has to attend classes and pass enough of them to remain eligible.
I know, I know. You’re winking again. But hear me out.
Going to class isn’t always fun, and the temptation to skip a week’s worth is mighty. (Trust me on this.) If you’re an ordinary student, you might get away with that. If you’re a student-athlete, you can’t. You’ll have academic advisers and assistant coaches and even the head ball coach on you, and they won’t be whispering, “Please make a better effort to get out of bed.” They’ll have you up at 5 a.m. running the stadium steps.
A few of us sophisticated media types were waiting around after a Georgia Tech practice a couple of years ago, and all of a sudden the reigning ACC offensive player of the year came tearing past in full gear. Where was Jonathan Dwyer going in such a rush? He had an evening lab. It was a fleeting thing — Dwyer was running fast — but it resonated.
Some people complain that players who leave early for the pros show no loyalty to their school. Here’s the thing, though: Once you’re a pro, you don’t have to worry about evening labs, or about getting docked four games if you sell your jersey. You’re no longer a student-athlete; you’re a pro with a paying job. You’re free of the NCAA and its arcane restrictions. You’re free to go make big money, same as your head coach.
A college athlete is a big man on campus, but he’s still on campus. He gets a scholarship, yes, but he doesn’t get rich. (Here we pause for your Cecil Newton jokes.) Having been an ordinary college student, albeit in another century, I can attest that student-athletes work 10 times harder than I ever did. They have little time to themselves. (Insert Georgia arrest joke here.)
Go ahead. Make all the jokes you want. But somewhere amid the hilarity, spare a serious thought for the Georgia football program. Those players have been held up to the highest level of scrutiny — again, I’m guilty as charged — but academically they’re doing just fine. They’re ahead of the SEC curve. They’re ahead of Georgia Tech, which had an APR of 966. They have the second-highest APR among the nine Georgia men’s sports programs. (Only golf ranks ahead of football.)
We mention the APR today because, to be frank, it’s a number people forget when the games commence. In college athletics, the tail too often wags the proverbial dog. UConn just won the men’s basketball title, but it did so with a coach who will be suspended three games next season for NCAA violations and with a program that had an APR so low (826) that it cost the Huskies two scholarships. Does such a championship really qualify as “One Shining Moment”?
Consider this our chance to watch a proud dog wag its tail. Georgia football might have disappointed us in other ways, but it has held up its end on a fundamental level. Its guys are making their grades. That’s no joke.
By Mark Bradley
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279 comments Add your comment
Ted M
May 25th, 2011
2:23 pm
Uggla is 0fer 3 w/2 K’s swinging. Holy crap take some pitches dude.
Just Me
May 25th, 2011
2:23 pm
Computer Sci. 1
Pre-Business MKT 1
Pre-Business MGT 12
Pre-Business FIN 1
International Affairs 1
Anthropology 1
Consumer Econ 2
Exercise & Sports Sci 4
Telecommunication Arts 1
Economics 1
Arts & Sciences 9
Speech Communications 3
Education 8
Management 2
Finance 3
Risk MGT & Insurance 1
Biomedical Eng 1
Agricultural Eng 1
Housing 6
Biology 5
Sports MGT 8
History 1
Health & PE 2 (Ben Jones)
Pre-Journalism 1
Social Studies Education 1
Sociology 1
Psychology 1 (A Murray)
Math Education 1
Forestry & Natural Resources 1
Criminal Justice 1
Those are all the fields of study by UGA players that actually have it on their player profile.
Not a huge list of GREAT degrees. Many of the harder (Biology) the players are scout team players.
I love that Ben Jones is working to be a PE coach and teacher. That is just what a high school needs. Maybe can teach kids how to get abused and thane play dirty when Nick Fairley beats your butt all day.
Homepage | MrSEC.com
May 25th, 2011
2:32 pm
[...] 7. Mark Bradley: Georgia “is clearly doing something right.” [...]
Terry
May 25th, 2011
2:39 pm
The fact is that UGA is the flag ship College of Georgia, Georgia Tech is a break off of UGA, that is why Tech will always be the Little Brother looking up at Big Brother. Nothing against Tech they just wasn’t first, one other thing of note, most Tech Fans go into hiding when their team is not winning, if your going to be a Fan of your team, why not support them at all times? Even if you’re not winning you’re a Hell of an Engineer right?
404
May 25th, 2011
2:46 pm
Oops. Sorry about that previous post.
I vomitted all over my keyboard while reading this article.
Bradley…what a tool.
First of all, the APR is a…..TOTAL…..FREAKIN…..JOKE !!!!!
To “cheerlead” an academic fraud is pathetic. But again we’re talkng about UGA’s joke APR score.
So, UGA has an APR second only to Vandy in the SEC ??!!!
If you know nothing more than that, then you have all the proof
you need to know the APR is a joke,.
As for those UGA idiots that consider it “a source of bulldog pride”
I just ask: how friggin low are your standards ?? Passing “REMEDIAL” reading & writing courses…in college…is a disgrace, not a source of uneducated pride.
But hey, maybe to UGA folks it is.
What UGA’s APR score REALLY MEANS is that UGA has so completely and thoroughly dumbed-down the coursework for student athletes that UGA has “INVENTED”" such idiot-proof majors like Housing, Recreation & Leisure Studies, all manner of useless and valueless coursework.
Not all players and students go to GT for Engineering. And, for those that think GT’s Management program is some kind of cakewalk, try this fact:
GT’s Undergrad B-School is ranked by USNEWS and The PRINCETON COLLEGIATE REVIEW as the #26 B-School in the country. Emory is ranked #22. UGA’s B-School: Ranked #57.
And, of course, UGA is ranked #1 party school.
To compare UGA’s APR to Vandy’s or GT’s APR is like comparing the
Class Valedictorian at Westminster to the Class Valedictorian at West Clarke County High School.
YEs, both are Valedictorians, but not even close in comparison.
Keep livin’ the DELUSION dog fans.
Ted Striker
May 25th, 2011
2:53 pm
Least dedicated student athlete I ever had class with was Mikael Pernfors. Most dedicated student athlete was Kim Stephens.
I give props to all of them though — it’s not easy to do what they do.
Just Me
May 25th, 2011
2:53 pm
Exercise and Sport Science – B.S.Ed.
COLLEGE NAME: College of Education
DESCRIPTION: The undergraduate major in Exercise and Sport Science is designed to provide students an in-depth exposure to the scientific basis of physical activity, exercise and sport. Knowledge and skills related to exercise and sport biomechanics, physiology, psychology, epidemiology, physical fitness and conditioning, measurement theory, and other associated areas are obtained through prescribed and elective course work, independent study, and laboratory and field experience. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has endorsed the curricula for the University of Georgia’s Exercise and Sport Science undergraduate program. This curriculum covers the knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of an ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor. All majors take 60 semester hours of liberal arts education (University Core), including science, mathematics, social science, and humanities, and 34 semester hours of exercise science courses (EXRS Core), including exercise physiology, scientific principles of conditioning and fitness, biomechanics, exercise and sport psychology, measurement, and exercise epidemiology. An additional 19 semester hours of elective course work and practical experiences are selected based on the students academic interests and career goals. Recommendations for elective course work are available for the following six program options: Fitness Specialist, Pre-Physical Therapy, Pre-Graduate Study in Occupational Therapy, Pre-Graduate Study in Biomechanics, Pre-Graduate Study in Exercise Physiology, and Pre-Medicine or Physician’s Assistant, Pre-Graduate Study in Exercise and Sport Psychology, and Pre-Graduate Study in Measurement.
Housing – B.S.F.C.S.
COLLEGE NAME: College of Family and Consumer Sciences
DEPARTMENT NAME: Housing and Consumer Economics
DESCRIPTION: The Housing major focuses on the socio-economic aspects of housing. Special emphasis is given to housing needs and the manner in which the family, the private sector, and government policy respond to those needs. The program features an in-depth study of housing finance and the range of housing alternatives. The program may also be used as preparation for graduate study or as a pre-professional degree. Students may choose an emphasis in Residential Property Management which prepares students to work with diverse groups in property management. Coursework includes sales (leasing), accounting, development, human resources, technology services, legal issues, training, and management.
Sport Management – B.S.Ed.
COLLEGE NAME: College of Education
DEPARTMENT NAME: Kinesiology
DESCRIPTION: Students in this program investigate the social, economic, and legal factors affecting the management and administration of sport organizations. The application of business principles to the sport industry distinguishes this program, which is designed to create a foundation in economics, business, and management so that students can then apply these general principles to the sport industry.
Now there is not a Specific Degree called Arts & Sciences or Education which are the other most listed Degrees for football players. I am sure some of the player are going to be Math, Science, History, or English teachers. They just didn’t list the field same with the Arts degrees.
SSIgator
May 25th, 2011
2:54 pm
Mark -
“A not-so-dirty secret about UGA football: It’s making the grade”
Does this mean that UGA will soon get rid of its Athletic Department like Vanderbilt? They might as well since UGA has fallen into the abyss in most sports.
how2fish
May 25th, 2011
2:55 pm
404 if Bugville was ranked higher than UGA you would be talking about how important it is…now go away the adults are talking.
WDE
May 25th, 2011
2:56 pm
SSIgator any update on how many wins that new HC of yours has? The abyss took your bunch to O.T last year…with CUM at the helm.
puppykiller
May 25th, 2011
3:05 pm
Football, volleyball and basketweaving….the key to a football program’s academic success!!!!
Coach Grohbo
May 25th, 2011
3:07 pm
The APR is a joke and is easily maniplated by the universities.
As recently as 2006, the Auburn football team “outperformed” the Vanderbilt football team.
Just Me
May 25th, 2011
3:09 pm
Any new word on KING and his grades?
A week or so ago there was a lot of chatter that he did not pass his classes. Has that rumor now officially dead or are people still think he will not be eligible this coming season?
404
May 25th, 2011
3:13 pm
@ how2fish:
APR is a TOTAL FREAKIN JOKE…for EVERYONE.
Its a totally BS and meaningless score.
I go back to my example:
Class Valedictorian at Westminster compared to the
Class Valedictorian at West Clarke County High School.
There is simply NO COMPARISON between the two.
Westminster = hard as hell. West CC High School = eh, not so much.
Getting an “B” in Calculus o Chemsitry is one helluva a lot harder
than getting a “B” in English, Social Studies, or Basketweaving.
ADULTS understand that reality. Apparently you cant.
The fact reamains: NOTHING has chnaged at UGA since Jan Kemp showed the world the depth of the academic fraud & corruption that was STANDARD POLICY in Athens.
Instead of outright faking grades, UGA has simply just chosen to “invent” several degrees that even this state’s most illiterate high-school graduates can pass.
Its not a sign of progrees. Its a sign of the academic “depravity” that UGA will sink to.
Ghost of Jan Kemp
May 25th, 2011
3:13 pm
The only grade UGA Football players can make *WITHOUT* administrative assistance would be an “F,” as in Florida.
I should know.
techbandmember
May 25th, 2011
3:15 pm
Chuck,
Ga State had a marching band last year and Tech’s didn’t disappear, because they are Tech students. I understand the athletic rivarly but please respect the students who committ time and energy to support their school’s atheltic teams, whether Tech, States, or even uga.
Paul in RDU
May 25th, 2011
3:20 pm
It really gets tiresome reading the posts comparing academics and APR at GT and UGA – it’s completely apples to oranges – different types of school, available majors, number of students, yadda yadda yadda.
Scholarship athletes at any school have great time demands and the UGA football players should be proud over their high APR and the fact that they have maintained it over a long period.
LakeDawg
May 25th, 2011
3:22 pm
Great article Mark and very well written.
Coach Grohbo
May 25th, 2011
3:23 pm
“A not-so-dirty secret about UGA football: It’s making the grade.”
The dirty secret about UGA football: The players don’t go to class.
Real Dawg Fan
May 25th, 2011
3:24 pm
I love how all you LAME Tech fans always want to discredit the Dawgs anyway possible, since you’ve only won 1 game in the past 10 yrs you bring up academics, now that we are winning that too, you say we dont have “higher” degree programs as you. Be proud of young men doing something positive and not robbing ya’ll!!!
GO DAWGS and whatever other school is doing positive things!
BOSS GATOR
May 25th, 2011
3:25 pm
YO RED PANTIES….Jacksonville….Oct. 29, 2011……The world’s largest annual outdoor ass kicking….Come on down….We got your education in how to play football ready….We’re waiting…..Your BOSS
Coach Grohbo
May 25th, 2011
3:25 pm
“How many halves are in a basketball game?”
Uhh, two?
Congratulations Bubba, you just made an “A”!
And that’s another Bulldog point of pride!
LakeDawg
May 25th, 2011
3:28 pm
Hey BOSS GATOR, UGA is gonna lift that tail and do it to you Dawg-style this year.
ugafaculty
May 25th, 2011
3:28 pm
Mark,
I suspect that a little investigative reporting will show that DirtyBird is correct. I teach in a science major at UGA and we see few football players in our major. I suspect that most football players are directed toward soft majors. There are some exceptions such as Ben Reynolds, a non-starting center, who is a Foundation Fellow.
Old Dawg
May 25th, 2011
3:32 pm
I agree with you on this one, Mark. Life trumps sports. Just ask the hundreds of thousands of folks who knew they had a pro career lined up and don’t have a degree to compete in the job market.
Mutt Fan
May 25th, 2011
3:35 pm
Looks like the Mutts need to be hitting the field a little more and the books a little less. Congrats though.
Mutt Fan
May 25th, 2011
3:36 pm
Saint Mark will be pleased, at least he is successful at something.
Coach Grohbo
May 25th, 2011
3:37 pm
The only thing the UGA players excel in is their knowledge of the criminal justice system.
Mutt Fan
May 25th, 2011
3:40 pm
Can’t wait till Sept 3 when UGA gets embarrassed by BSU.. thanks for making the SEC look weak.
Just Me
May 25th, 2011
3:42 pm
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Students with a broad interest in business and management activities and operating problems would profit from the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree program. The program builds upon knowledge of the functional, environmental, behavioral, and legal aspects of business and provides analytical and conceptual tools for analyzing complicated problems. It prepares the student for business and managerial responsibilities and decision making. The large number of elective hours allows the student to tailor a program to his or her individual educational objectives. Students must complete a concentration of electives in one of the following areas: finance, accounting, marketing, operations and supply chain management, and information technology management, leading and managing human capital, and general management.
COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT
FIRST YEAR-FALL HRS
ENGL 1101 ENGLISH COMPOSITION I 3
MATH 1501 CALCULUS I or MATH 1712 SURVEY OF CALCULUS 4
HIST 2111 or 2112 or POL 1101 or PUBP 3000 or INTA 1200 3
LAB SCIENCE (BIOL, CHEM, EAS, PHYS) 4
14
FIRST YEAR-SPRING HRS
ENGL 1102 ENGLISH COMPOSITION II 3
MATH 1502 CALCULUS II or MATH 1711 FINITE MATHEMATICS 4
WELLNESS 2
LAB SCIENCE (BIOL, CHEM, EAS, PHYS) 4
CS 1315 or CS 1301 * 3
16
SECOND YEAR-FALL HRS
ECON 2105 PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS 3
MGT 2250 MANAGEMENT STATISTICS 3
ACCT 2101 ACCOUNTING I : FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING 3
HUMANITIES ELECTIVE 3
MGT 2106 LEGAL, SOCIAL, & ETHICAL ASPECTS OF BUSINESS 3
15
SECOND YEAR-SPRING HRS
ECON 2106 PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS 3
LCC 3403 TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION: THEORY & PRACTICE 3
ACCT 2102 ACCOUNTING II :MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING 3
MGT 2251 INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 3
MGT 2200 MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 3
15
THIRD YEAR-FALL HRS
MGT 3062 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 3
MGT 3101 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR 3
MGT 3501 OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT 3
HUMANITIES ELECTIVE 3
NON MANAGEMENT ELECTIVE 3
MGT 3599 CAREER DEVELOMENT WORKSHOP 1
16
THIRD YEAR-SPRING HRS
MGT 3102 HUMAN RESOURCES 3
MGT 3300 MARKETING MANAGEMENT I 3
MGT 3660 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS 3
MANAGEMENT CONCENTRATION ELECTIVE 3
SOCIAL SCIENCE ELECTIVE 3
15
FOURTH YEAR-FALL HRS
MANAGEMENT CONCENTRATION ELECTIVE 12
NON MANAGEMENT ELECTIVE 3
15
FOURTH YEAR-SPRING HRS
MGT 4195 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT 3
MANAGEMENT CONCENTRATION ELECTIVE 3
FREE ELECTIVES 10
Look at just the Math & Science classes even the EZ Football Degree requires.
Ted M
May 25th, 2011
3:46 pm
Uggla is 0fer 5 w/3 K’s swinging now…Dude take some pitches
Please
May 25th, 2011
3:49 pm
Hey, DirtyBird, I might not have gone to Vandy like you (wink, wink), but I can spell “morons.” I guess those Vandy classes aren’t as tough as I thought.
Veritas
May 25th, 2011
3:52 pm
Is Washaun Ealey really transfering to Harvard and the Ivy League?
Just Me
May 25th, 2011
3:53 pm
@Please
I am sure a person from Vandy doesn’t have to deal with many morons, but UGA fans and Grads can’t even spell DOG. To think UGA turns out most of the public school teachers in the state. Now we know why the State is so bad in Edumacation.
Mutt Fan
May 25th, 2011
3:53 pm
Is UGA really the most under achieving SEC program?
Coach Grohbo
May 25th, 2011
3:57 pm
Looks like all that extra study time in the Clarke County jail is paying off.
redryder
May 25th, 2011
3:58 pm
Ask Jake Scott. Life is about life, not just football. Still 14-0 would be good!!
Foursquare
May 25th, 2011
4:01 pm
90% of UGA players have crap majors that no parents who are paying the bills would ever send their kids to school for.
UGA is a freaking joke, especially with the #1 party school title.
Every UGA grad is just another moocher drawing unemployment and welfare.
Frances
May 25th, 2011
4:04 pm
“To think UGA turns out most of the public school teachers in the state.”
An excellent point. That’s why we have the blind leading the blind.
Coach Grohbo
May 25th, 2011
4:13 pm
UGA also turns out the most criminal football players in the nation.
BiggdawgK
May 25th, 2011
4:24 pm
Great article Mark. I hope I will not get banned on your blog for supporting the Bulldogs like I did on ledbetters blog and in the definition of irony on chip tower’s blog as well.
BiggdawgK
May 25th, 2011
4:31 pm
The reason Georgia is a state that is not at the top in education is because peolpe like Frances, Grohbo, Foursquare and Just Me are allowed to have children. If their moronic spawn are as full of hate and jealousy as they are, my heart goes out to the poor teachers.
BiggdawgK
May 25th, 2011
4:33 pm
people not peolpe
richard cranium
May 25th, 2011
5:00 pm
Yea, It’s hard NOT TO PASS UGA’s tough curriculum.
Under water basket weaving, Paint by Numbers degree that most of the 74% of the special admits on the football team…
vadawg
May 25th, 2011
5:23 pm
r u kidding me. i love the dawgs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 i love the dawgs but schools across the country during the football season have post game interviews and i can not not understand a word they r saying…. i mean like who r u kidding. how do ALL these so called atheletics graduate when the entrance score on the sat is about1250 at UGA. my son was rejected with a 1150. he is presently a finanical analyalist in atlanta!!!!!! come on give me a break….. what was Cam Newton’s degree in????????????????? there is something wrong with this picture!!!!????!!!!
vadawg
May 25th, 2011
5:25 pm
come on bloggers lets hear from u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
shane#1
May 25th, 2011
5:33 pm
More good news about UGA football players. Twenty five UGA football players made the SEC Honor Roll last year. Their Majors included everything from Middle School Education[Kris Durham] to Agricultural Eng[Orson Charles]. Durham wants to be a Middle School teacher and coach. God bless him! As for Charles, I don’t know why either!
PhD Dawg
May 25th, 2011
5:53 pm
Just Me must not have a life to take the time to find out all that information. You should probably change your screen name to the 40 year old virgin, because I’m sure with your personality or lack thereof you just ooze sex appeal to women.
First of all, any curriculum at ANY college can be easy. Just because you go to Tech doesn’t make you smarter than a UGA student. Just because you got a college education doesn’t make you any better or any smarter than the cashier at Wal-Mart. Some of y’all need to change your elitist attitude. And for a matter a fact, how many of y’all Tech fans actually went to Tech? Did you major in engineering? Well who cares? I sure as hell don’t and nobody else does either
Just Me
May 25th, 2011
6:03 pm
BiggdawgK
Sorry I don’t have children. That is a Choice we made. What is the excuse for your MORON kids? I know ALL your kids graduated from UGA. They have Masters or PhD.s too. They all run Huge corporations and make Millions a year, drive fancy cars and don’t have car loans or mortgage payments because they pay cash for everything.
Actually one sister is finishing her Doctorate at Emory. The other has a great job and 3 children. My niece is like her dad and a bulldog fan, but the rest of this Tech family works on her. She is an All Star Volleyball player and Honors Student. My sisters kids don’t attend Government schools either. Private schools are so much better than the CRAP liberal Govt. School teachers spew out as Fact and an Education.
Chuck
May 25th, 2011
6:04 pm
Nice list Just Me – pretty well illustrates the diversity of studies expected from a large state university.
The UGA football program certainly features a wide variety of students. Kudos.
And by the way – to the “normals” most of those majors are useful. Maybe secluded weirdos don’t see the need for a liberal arts education – but that list is pretty much a cross-section of what well-adjusted people think of as a college education.