Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Earns 2003 AFCA Academic Recognition
6/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 18, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University's football program is being recognized by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) for exemplary graduation rates among its football players.
Northwestern is one of only six institutions to achieve a graduation rate of 90 percent or better: Boston College, Connecticut, Rice, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest are the others. Thirty-one other institutions are being recognized by the Touchdown Club of Memphis for graduating 70 percent or more of its football student-athletes.
Northwestern has been eligible for the AFCA award since 1998, and in that time the Wildcats have won the award outright two times (1998, 2002). The Wildcats also earned honorable mention honors in 1999, 2000, 2001 and now 2003. Prior to 1998, the award honored only members of the College Football Association.
Since 1998, when the award was expanded to include all Division I-A conferences, Big Ten schools have been honored 28 times. Northwestern is the only Big Ten school to win the award.
The 2003 award, which is presented annually by the Touchdown Club, goes to Duke University. The Blue Devils won their 11th award, graduating 100 percent of their freshman class from 1997-98.
The overall graduation rate of the 102 Division I-A schools that responded was 59 percent, one percent less than the previous year. Fifty-one of the members responding were above the average and 51 were below the average. The median graduation rate was 59 percent, compared to 61 percent last year and 58 percent the four previous years.
The study involves the freshman class from the academic year of 1997-98, including those who entered at that time but who did not receive financial aid until after their initial year, or who transferred from another institution and subsequently received a grant-in-aid.
All-Time Academic Achievement Award Recipients*
1981: Duke
1982: Notre Dame
1983: Notre Dame
1984: Duke & Notre Dame
1985: Virginia
1986: Virginia
1987: Duke
1988: Notre Dame
1989: Kentucky
1990: Duke
1991: Notre Dame
1992: Boston College & TCU
1993: Duke
1994: Duke
1995: Boston College, Duke & Wake Forest
1996: Boston College, Duke & Vanderbilt
1997: Duke
1998: Northwestern
1999: Duke
2000: Syracuse
2001: Notre Dame & Vanderbilt
2002: Northwestern
2003: Duke
