U-M Has Ten Varsity Sports W/ 100% Graduation Rate

Submitted by Stay.Classy.An… on

I have learned not to link to the FREEP. So I have copied and pasted the best parts of the article for your consumption. It goes without saying that Michigan was better than Sparty across the board, I'm just choosing to have as little about MSU as possible in this post. No doubt Michigan is truly among the leaders and best! Have a great day and GO BLUE!

The Graduation Success Rate for Division I college athletes has climbed to 86% — 2 percentage points over last year and the highest rate ever.

According to NCAA findings released Wednesday, Michigan football graduated 72% of its athletes and Michigan State football 66% in the latest four-year measure, which covers freshmen who entered school between 2005-06 and 2008-09.

U-M men's basketball was at 89% and MSU men's basketball at 63%. Between U-M and MSU in men's basketball are Western Michigan (83%), Oakland (82%), Central Michigan (79%), Eastern Michigan (79%) and Detroit Mercy (64%).

U-M had 10 varsity programs with a 100% four-year grad rate: men's golf, men's tennis, women's basketball, women's cross-country/track and field, women's golf, women's gymnastics, softball, women's swimming and diving, women's tennis and water polo.

BornInAA

November 5th, 2015 at 9:32 AM ^

From the NCAA

 When compared using the federal graduation rate, Division I student-athletes continue to outpace their peers in the student body. The federal rate for Division I student-athletes rose one point to 67 percent, the highest rate ever. The student body federal graduation rate remained flat at 65 percent.

So much for the dumb jock theory. 

I tend to believe the structure of partipating in sports helps kids in school. Along the lines of "idle time devils playground", non-atheletes get more involved in the party lifestyle.

bgoblue02

November 5th, 2015 at 9:37 AM ^

plus when you add in the benefits they get of tutors, probably early class selection so they can pick classes around practice etc, it sets them up nicely assuming they do use their time wisely.   I also think they know that if their grades slip they could be kicked off the team and lose their scholarship which is some extra motivation.

thanks for posting!  Go Blue!

Red is Blue

November 5th, 2015 at 10:47 AM ^

Could also be a sample selection bias. What kind of person ends up playing a varsity sport in college? Generally, they would have higher than normal drive and dedication. If you selected folks from the non-varsity athlete population that also had high demonstrated higher levels of drive and dedication, they would probably have elevated graduation rates even without the structure provided you sports.

MadMatt

November 5th, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^

I think you and the other folks have made valid points.  I think we should also bear in mind that many (but certainly not all) of them are on scholarship, which will continue even if injury cuts their career short.  If they keep up their grades, participate in team activities, and keep their personal behavior above a minumum acceptable level, they are insulated from the kinds of financial uncertainty that might cause a non-scholarship student to drop out.  We all focus on personal responsibility and things a student can control, appropriately so, but we also need to acknowledge that sometimes it really is all about the Benjamins.

LSAClassOf2000

November 5th, 2015 at 10:49 AM ^

Not knowing how old you are, of course, but this is Bob Ross the painter, whose PBS program "The Joy Of Painting", was a regular staple on public television just about everywhere for a good porition of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. As I recall, he was forced to stop due to an ongoing battle with lymphoma, which would eventually take his life. 

As for why it is posted, other than the nostalgia value - if it has any to you - I couldn't begin to guess. It was a very popular show though.

lilpenny1316

November 5th, 2015 at 10:05 AM ^

And I know first hand that the kids worked their tails off to graduate.  When our study groups met, we met at times to accomodate their practice and other team related activities.  This includes the football players.  

I just have to get something off my chest:

I hate the idiots that talk about the "general studies" degree and think we're just a football factory with dumb jocks.  I was faced with two options after my sophomore year, when I was determined to get a degree in journalism: (1) Get a degree in General Studies or (2) transfer into Kinesiology.  Why?  UM scrapped their journalism program the year before I started and all the applied communications classes that remained were dumped into Kinesiology.  If these guys wanted to follow that career path, they were forced into the same boat...and Kines was a small school then.  Not everyone could get in.  

I'm sorry to thread jack, but I had to just say it in case someone runs into one of those "General studies are for dummies" dummies.  

victoriaed90

November 5th, 2015 at 1:32 PM ^

I had a friend who did general studies and she actually had to take way more 300+ level classes than I did (and I double majored), so it's certainly no joke. The only real upside is the lack of foreign language requirement. 
 
I had some spanish classes with a couple players (Desmond Morgan and I dont remember the other guy's name) and they both were there every day and always had their shit done so it's not like they were coasting through.

JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

November 5th, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^

msu has a history of keeping highly ranked players around for four years and still has the lowest graduation rate when compared to Michigan and the directional schools.

Can't use "the players left for the NBA" either.

justingoblue

November 5th, 2015 at 4:06 PM ^

Special shoutout to Hutch specifically. That team is loaded with talent, very likable, and seems to have more fun playing the game than anyone, anywhere. 100% graduation is the other side of the juggernaut she's built, and probably the more important one.