Commodores Recognized For 2002 Graduation Success; Top 10 Finish Comes One Year After Leading Nation 7/24/02

The Vanderbilt football team was recognized along with eight other squads for its success in graduating student-athletes, according to a recent survey conducted by the American Football Coaches Association.

Vanderbilt was recognized for graduating more than 90% of its student-athletes over a five-year period concluding with the 2001-02 school year, according to the AFCA Association.

In 2001, Vanderbilt shared the AFCA’s prestigious Academic Achievement Award with Notre Dame, graduating 100% of its football student-athletes. It was the second time Vanderbilt earned the award. This year, top honors went to Northwestern University with a 100% graduation rate. The national average for graduation rates among the 80 universities surveyed was 60%.

“It is an indication of our student-athletes’ total commitment to the college experience. Success in the classroom is critically important to the goal of producing great citizens when they leave Vanderbilt,” Commodore Football Head Coach Bobby Johnson said. “It shows a commitment to education not only from our student-athletes, but also the former coaching staff and entire athletic department.”

Other notable universities joining Vanderbilt and Northwestern with academic excellence were Boston College, Duke, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Penn State, Rice and Western Michigan.

The survey focused on scholarship athletes who enrolled as freshmen or transfers during the 1996-97 academic year and included data collected from 80 Division 1 programs.