Not All Athletes are Dumb Jocks

There is a stereotype that college athletes are dumb jocks. As a result the NCAA set up the Academic Performance Program in 2003 to “incent” colleges to help their students be better athletes, thus eliminating this label.

In late May the University of Colorado released the results of the Academic Progress Rate (APR) report prepared by the NCAA for its 17 programs. Highlights of the report are:
• 13 of 17 team averages exceeded the national average for their sport.
• The men’s cross country team had a perfect four-year APR score of 1000 (top 10 percent in its sport), along with an NCAA Championship and 4 consecutive Pac-12 championships.
• The women’s lacrosse team, completed its second year with a perfect 1000 APR score;
• Five sport programs achieved a perfect 1000 score for the 2013-14 academic year, men’s cross country, men’s skiing, women’s basketball, women’s golf, and women’s lacrosse. (not shown in the table below)
• Football increased its APR performance to a 957 score. In 2008-09 the program had a 919 score that led to a six-scholarship penalty.

This year CU had a composite APR score of 977, well above the penalty level of 930. In other words, not all athletes are dumb jocks.

This score projects graduation rates that will be above those of the general student population. It is common for special groups (music, theatre, clubs, and other organizations, etc.) to have GPAs or academic achievement rates above the school average. In the case of athletics that is also a result of the special academic and tutoring programs established for athletes to help them meet the demands of sports and school.

Go Buffs!