Rutgers Football Earns AFCA Academic Honor
Nov 29 | Football
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (November 29, 2011) — The Rutgers football program is one of 44 schools to earn the 2011 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA ) Academic Achievement Honorable Mention Award. The 2011 award reflects the academic success of the class that entered in the Fall of 2004.
The academic honor is another in a long list for the RU football program under head coach Greg Schiano. The Scarlet Knights currently have the nation’s second-best APR, according to the most-recent NCAA figures.
This year’s award marks the fourth time the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR)?formula has been used to select the winner. From 1981 to 2007, the award was presented based on a formula used by the College Football Association and AFCA. Since 2008, the criteria for the AFCA’s Academic Achievement Award is based on the highest NCAA GSR, at least 15 students in the GSR Cohort, and a Federal Graduation Rate of 75 percent or better.
The Academic Achievement Award was established by the College Football Association in 1981. The award recognized the CFA-member Football Bowl Subdivision institution with the highest graduation rate among members of its football team. When the CFA disbanded in 1997, the AFCA stepped in to present the award and conduct a graduation rate survey that encompassed all members of the FBS.
The GSR is based on a six-year graduation window for student-athletes which is a change from the five-year window used by the CFA?and AFCA. The GSR was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees.
Under GSR calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. These outgoing transfers are passed to the receiving institution’s GSR cohort. By counting incoming transfer students and midyear enrollees, the GSR increases the total number of student-athletes tracked for graduation by more than 37 percent.
The Scarlet Knights finished the regular season 8-4 and 4-3 in the BIG EAST. For the sixth time in seven years, Rutgers will play in a bowl game. RU should find out its bowl destination and opponent Sunday.
