Bad Grades Bite MUTS In Football

MeanGreen61 · January 30, 2006

Bad grades bite MTSU in football

By DAVID CLIMER

Senior Writer

When Chris Massaro took over as athletics director at Middle Tennessee State, he wanted his program to be an example.

But not this kind of example.

The Blue Raiders' new coaching staff hits the final days of football recruiting with one hand tied behind its back. Because of some embarrassing academic shortcomings on the watch of Coach Andy McCollum, MTSU is short eight scholarships this signing period.

"Unfortunately, we're going to be the program that a lot of people are going to point at and say, 'Be careful. You don't want to put yourself in the position they're in,' " Massaro said.

It all centers on those three little initials that mean so much — APR. These days, the NCAA is keeping score via each school's Academic Progress Rate in every sport. A score of 925 equals a 50-percent graduation rate.

Suffice it to say, Middle Tennessee's football program did not quite measure up in terms of graduating its players. When it was announced last August that the Blue Raiders' APR dragged in at 812, the piper had to be paid.

ARTICLE

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl...342/1106/SPORTS

FirefightnRick · January 30, 2006

Wow, that's tough. Glad NT is at the top of the APR in Texas. Curious, does anyone remember MTSU losing a key player to grades? Seems they did but I can't remember who it was?

Rick

PHSCoach · January 30, 2006

Do we have any idea what is happening to ??

332 University of Texas at El Paso 916

335 Texas Tech University 914

337 Texas State University at San Marcos 913

351 University of Texas at San Antonio 906

358 University of Texas at Arlington 898

373 Texas Southern University 845

BlueRaiderPride · January 31, 2006

Wow, that's tough. Glad NT is at the top of the APR in Texas. Curious, does anyone remember MTSU losing a key player to grades? Seems they did but I can't remember who it was?
Rick
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Rick, you MIGHT be referring to LaRue Beck. It was a couple years ago and he wound up dropping out of Middle Tennessee.

BlueRaiderPride · January 31, 2006

Do we have any idea what is happening to ??
332 University of Texas at El Paso 916
335 Texas Tech University 914
337 Texas State University at San Marcos 913
351 University of Texas at San Antonio 906
358 University of Texas at Arlington 898
373 Texas Southern University 845
←

I didn't think 1-AA schools were held to the same guidelines on APR as 1-A schools. In fact, I don't remember 1-AA schools being put on the APR system at all.