MUTS lost 8 scholarships due to poor APR

[NT80]

Monday, 01/30/06

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.

For MTSU, that payment came with a pound of flesh … make that several pounds of football flesh. Under the NCAA formula, the Blue Raiders were docked eight scholarships — the maximum allowed — for the incoming signing class.

"We knew we were going to be penalized, but we just didn't realize the severity of the punishment," Massaro said. "It was a shock. Losing eight scholarships is a very serious matter."

It also is a very embarrassing matter, particularly when MTSU President Sydney McPhee is a member of the reform-minded NCAA Executive Committee.

Everybody knew the day was coming when a sub-standard graduation rate would carry dire implications. The NCAA made a test run by compiling data a year earlier, putting on alert those programs not measuring up.

But like so many things in college athletics, we sometimes push these mandates to the back burner, assuming that legislation will be altered or delays will be forthcoming. For years, the NCAA has talked about putting teeth in its academic reform package, only to lose its bite.

This time, though, the NCAA left teeth marks on enterprises like MTSU football that failed to get with the program.

"You're always thinking something like this is down the road," said Massaro, who arrived at MTSU last April. "Then the reality of it starts to sink in. You say, 'This thing is for real.' "

While nobody wants to get into specifics, it is safe to say that the APR issue factored in to the decision to fire McCollum.

It is also safe to say that some potential candidates to replace him got cold feet when made aware that they would enter the job with a shortage of available scholarships.

Credit Rick Stockstill for embracing the challenge. His attitude: "We'll take our punishment, get past this and build a solid program that we can be proud of."

The university has filed an appeal in hopes of regaining some of those lost scholarships. There's no indication if/when any might be restored.

In time, Massaro hopes he can point to a situation where his school took its punishment, got its academic act together (the APR already is up 80 points over last year) and turned the corner.

"Right now, we're an example of what can happen when you lose scholarships," he said. "But two years from now, we have a real opportunity to say, 'Look, we managed it and made it work.' "

For now, though, MTSU recruiting is behind the 8-ball. •

[BlueRaiderPride]

Monday, 01/30/06

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.

For MTSU, that payment came with a pound of flesh … make that several pounds of football flesh. Under the NCAA formula, the Blue Raiders were docked eight scholarships — the maximum allowed — for the incoming signing class.

"We knew we were going to be penalized, but we just didn't realize the severity of the punishment," Massaro said. "It was a shock. Losing eight scholarships is a very serious matter."

It also is a very embarrassing matter, particularly when MTSU President Sydney McPhee is a member of the reform-minded NCAA Executive Committee.

Everybody knew the day was coming when a sub-standard graduation rate would carry dire implications. The NCAA made a test run by compiling data a year earlier, putting on alert those programs not measuring up.

But like so many things in college athletics, we sometimes push these mandates to the back burner, assuming that legislation will be altered or delays will be forthcoming. For years, the NCAA has talked about putting teeth in its academic reform package, only to lose its bite.

This time, though, the NCAA left teeth marks on enterprises like MTSU football that failed to get with the program.

"You're always thinking something like this is down the road," said Massaro, who arrived at MTSU last April. "Then the reality of it starts to sink in. You say, 'This thing is for real.' "

While nobody wants to get into specifics, it is safe to say that the APR issue factored in to the decision to fire McCollum.

It is also safe to say that some potential candidates to replace him got cold feet when made aware that they would enter the job with a shortage of available scholarships.

Credit Rick Stockstill for embracing the challenge. His attitude: "We'll take our punishment, get past this and build a solid program that we can be proud of."

The university has filed an appeal in hopes of regaining some of those lost scholarships. There's no indication if/when any might be restored.

In time, Massaro hopes he can point to a situation where his school took its punishment, got its academic act together (the APR already is up 80 points over last year) and turned the corner.

"Right now, we're an example of what can happen when you lose scholarships," he said. "But two years from now, we have a real opportunity to say, 'Look, we managed it and made it work.' "

For now, though, MTSU recruiting is behind the 8-ball. •

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We won three of those scholarships back in an appeal to the NCAA.

[ArkansasEagle]

What are the rates of other SBC schools, including UNT?

[BlueRaiderPride]

What are the rates of other SBC schools, including UNT?

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If you are referring to new scholarships to offer it's usually around 18, I believe, but doesn't it also depend on how many scholarship players you lose to graduation, scholarship players that are injured that don't qualify for medical redshirts, or scholarships already committed to grayshirts?

Edited February 13, 2006 by BlueRaiderPride

[Eagle1855]

If you are referring to new scholarships to offer it's usually around 18, I believe, but doesn't it also depend on how many scholarship players you lose to graduation, scholarship players that are injured that don't qualify for medical redshirts, or scholarships already committed to grayshirts?

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I think he was referring to the APR rates...

[BlueRaiderPride]

I think he was referring to the APR rates...

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Well, ya'll couldn't have done worse than the minimum of 925, otherwise, ya'll would've fell victim of a disgraceful coaching staff that couldn't get their kids to turn in the homework assignments, thus, resulting in lost scholarships.