ArticleAnd since the Air Force Academy's coach is hardly the only one who noticed that African-Americans are integral to football success (just the one who got hammered for noticing it publicly), Lapchick also reported on significant academic disparities between black and white athletes. Among the 56 bowl teams, half had graduation rates for white players that were more than 20 percent higher than that of black players"”and another 10 schools had discrepancies of more than 30 percent between white and black graduation rates.
Since 'tis the season"”starting with Arkansas State vs. Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl (played in Lafayette, La.) next Tuesday and concluding with the Rose Bowl, USC vs. Texas for the national championship, on Jan. 4"”let's name names. Among the schools with graduation rates for football players below 50 percent are: University of California, University of Minnesota, University of Florida, University of Alabama, West Virginia University, University of Louisville, North Carolina State, Auburn, University of Colorado, Rutgers, University of Utah and Georgia Tech. (One irony is that the University of Central Florida, Lapchick's employer, will enjoy the warm, tropical breezes of the Hawaii Bowl"”despite a sorry 34 percent graduation rate for its footballers.)
Among those schools not meeting the current APR standard are Ohio State, UCLA, University of Wisconsin, Arizona State, University of Missouri, University of Toledo, University of Oregon, University of Kansas and University of Houston. And among those with a huge discrepancy between graduation rates for their white and black players are West Virginia (56-33), Florida State (71-43), Auburn (74-40), LSU (61-35), University of Iowa (64-38), Iowa State (63-36), Louisville (53-27), Minnesota (60-27), Clemson (77-35), Colorado (60-29), Akron (66-28) and Memphis (59-29).
Amid this bleak picture of college-football America, it is worth noting that four teams appear to hold up the academic end of the bargain with their players. They are Navy, which probably shouldn't count, but which has the highest APR rate among all 56 bowl teams; Northwestern, where the graduation rate for football players exceeds 80 percent and is actually higher"”90 percent"”for black players, and the two Catholic schools in the bowl mix, Boston College and Notre Dame, both of which have graduation rates for players that approach 80 percent.
But it would be dishonest to leave on a high note. Rather we should take a look at that blockbuster of a Rose Bowl, but from a slightly different perspective. The University of Texas has been showered with plaudits for its return this season to the pinnacle of college football. But a glance at its academic report card certainly should"”though it won't"”mute the "hook-˜em-horns" fever in Austin. There might be consolation in the fact that UT graduates its white and black players at an almost identical rate"”if it weren't so equally terrible at 36 and 33 percent respectively. By comparison, USC's 58 percent graduation rate looks downright Ivy Leaguish. But USC is no model either. It is currently below the minimum APR standard (as, notably, are all five Pac 10 teams headed to bowls) and has a 13 percent discrepancy between graduation rates for white and black players.
I'm not going to pretend that, because of this appalling classroom performance, I won't be watching the Rose Bowl on Jan. 4. Or that I won't get swooped up in the excitement of Matt Leinart vs. Vince Young, the magic feet of Reggie Bush and the enormity of Southern Cal's three-year reign. I came to sports writing because I was first and foremost a fan, and I remain susceptible to the allure of great competition. But I won't forget Lapchick's revelations either. These bowl-bound universities need constant reminders that their football successes too often come at the expense of academic rigor. At the very least, those schools that countenance this unsavory bargain should suffer some tarnish. And the folks at their helm should feel more than a little bit ashamed.