UT's football graduation rate tied for last in SEC

Tennessee's men ranked low among SEC colleagues in NCAA Graduation Success Rate data released Wednesday for the major sports.

Football's GSR of 52 percent tied with Auburn for last in a survey of student-athletes entering school between 1999-2002.

Basketball's 30 percent ranked 10th, ahead of LSU and Georgia.

Baseball's 56 percent ranked ninth, ahead of Arkansas, Auburn and College World Series champion LSU.

The Lady Vols were joined by Vanderbilt and Florida at 100 percent GSR for basketball.

The NCAA, at the urging of its member schools, developed the GSR to account for athletes who transfer and others not tracked by the federal government statistics. Schools felt they were unfairly penalized by the federal system for students who transferred in good academic standing.

Florida's national champion football team had a GSR of 69 percent, tying for second in the SEC with Ole Miss behind Vanderbilt's 91.

Vanderbilt and Alabama tied in men's basketball at 85.

The Vols led the conference in men's cross country/track at 87.

UT men finished last in golf (57) and tennis (75) and tied for fifth (83) among the eight swimming teams.

Tennessee's women paced the SEC in cross country/track (96) and tied for first with 100 percent rates in soccer, tennis and volleyball.

The overall national GSR for the study period is 72 percent for men and 88 for women.

By sport, the national rate is 67 percent for football (Bowl Subdivsion), 64 for men's basketball, 69 for baseball and 83 for women's basketball.

NCAA men's basketball champion North Carolina's rate was 75 percent.

Connecticut's NCAA champion women's basketball team hit 100.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!