USM football players earn right to brag

If you overheard some bragging in the Golden Eagles locker room late last week, it wouldn't be a surprise. - NFL Football -
The football team at Southern Miss, which can be justly proud of its unbroken string of 11 winning seasons, has one of the highest graduation rates in the country.
Now that's worth bragging about.
In 2005, USM graduated 85 percent of its eligible football student-athletes. Only 25 Division I-A colleges reached the 70 percent mark. Of those, only six schools did better than 90 percent. The average graduation rate was 58 percent.
USM's accomplishment did not happen overnight. In 2000, the school had a 61 percent graduation rate. - NFL Football -
But under the leadership of coach Jeff Bower, academic performance has become more important and players are coached as much in the classroom as on the field.
Academic plans are tailored to each student. More attention is paid to students who might have learning disabilities or need extra attention. - NFL Football -
Tracy Robinson, who came to USM in 1998, is director of the student academic enhancement program. Her staff visits classrooms on a regular basis and monitors players' progress.
The USM faculty lets Robinson's staff know if players are having academic difficulties, and sends out progress reports twice a semester. - NFL Football -
Coaches meet with student academic enhancement program officials, who give them a report every Friday - who missed class, who missed study hall. They contact athletes based on those reports. The student-athletes are held accountable.
Retired schoolteachers have been hired to tutor any student-athletes who are having academic difficulties. - NFL Football -
This intensive approach has paid off handsomely.
As Neil Mead, an offensive lineman from Collins who recently graduated and is working on a master's degree, said, "It's a pride thing, a sense of reality. ... The NFL is not guaranteed to everyone so it's important to get our degree." - NFL Football -

Hattiesburg American