Academic Progress Rate: MSU football OK

The Michigan State football team has made the cut academically, with a four-year score of 926 -- a point above the NCAA's APR (Academic Progress Rate) cut line of 925. So through four years of this new program, all of MSU's sports are in good standing academically and clear of sanctions such as scholarship losses.

    Some programs aren't as lucky. Washington State football, for example, will lose eight scholarships this year. Eight! Teams lose scholarships when they're below the cut line, and when an athlete who is not academically eligible leaves early or transfers. Such athletes are called "0-for-2s." Purdue football and basketball are in line to lose scholarships as well, although as in many cases here, the Boilermakers can have some penalties waived by devising and executing an "academic improvement plan."
    This data is from the 2003-04 academic year, when the program started, through 2006-07. Now that four years are in the books, teams can start getting hit with more severe "historical" penalties for chronic failures. Those penalties can include postseason bans, TV bans and even restricted Division I membership for an entire athletic department.
    The 925 really means 92.5 percent. In other words, 92.5 percent of athletes in a particular sport over four years were retained and eligible.
     Michigan State is happy with its standing. The men's basketball program is among the nation's best in terms of academic performance, and the football team appears to be in solid shape -- despite a coaching change, which can often lead to an increase in transfers and some "0-for-2s".
    "It's great news," said Jim Pignataro, MSU associate athletic director and the director of Student-Athlete Support Services.
    Pignataro was admittedly "really nervous" about football over the past few years. Before any sort of academic improvement plan was required, he and his department instituted the first Student-Athlete Multicultural Center in Division I. It's geared toward, but not restricted to, minority athletes. Athletes are provided on-campus mentors, separate from coaches and academic advisers, who help them "manage their experience," Pignataro said, with an emphasis on life skills.
    The mentors are professors and other staff members in some cases. Or you might have a junior track athlete mentoring a freshman football player.
    "There's no question, minority student athletes deal with different issues," Pignataro said, "just like the minority student body in general."
    MSU thinks its program is helping its athletes in the classroom by helping them in other areas.
    "We'll know if a couple years if it really works," Pignataro said.
    As for football, Pignataro isn't ready to exhale yet. The next couple years will be important. His personal goal is for the program to improve to the 935 range, which would mean long-term stability.

Comments

[Chris]

Good job, but let's do better than 935. Let's keep going up and up!!!!!

[JRS]

Congrats to MSU but they need to try harder to get it more above
the cutoff line, that is a little
too close for comfort, not much
margin for error.

[Michael Motta]

You ain't kiddin JRS! Doing some guestimating, if the cutoff is 92.5% and we're at 92.6% ("of athletes in a particular sport over four years were retained and eligible"), that sounds like it's darned near just one football student-athlete over the line! I don't think anybody wants to stake a future on a single teenager from any walk of life! Small margin for error, indeed.

On the plus side though, I think the worst has passed. We survived Smith's inheritance of the Bobby Williams reign, and survived another coaching change.

[MSU= Stupid Athletes]

Maybe if Mich. st. would stop recruiting players from the ghetto. I bet half these a-holes can't even read. Why don't they look places other than the piss holes of Detroit and Flint? Idiots!!!!!!!

[Derrick]

MSU= Stupid Athletes,

Obviously you didn't graduate from any college.

[DSJ]

Someone please delete the half-baked ramblings of Mr. Racist, "MSU = Stupid Athletes."

He appears to be a clear example of the "Michigan fan who never went to college but talks smack about MSU academics"

[Spartan58]

Nice ignorant statement. Either it was just meant to be inflammatory (which I think it is) or you are dumber than the people you just tried to smear. Enough said.

While its a little nerve wracking to have these standards now, I am one of those old fuddy duddies that believes that despite being on a athletic scholarship, you are at college to get a degree.

Only the slimmest margins of athletes go on to the next level and those that do usually don't last more than a few years. These guys need something to fall back on besides selling meat, door to door. See Icky Woods.

Programs now have no choice but to make sure their players are succeeding in the class room, which in the long run is more important.

What I still don't understand is how with all the help they get right now, there are students athletes still failing. This is a good thing.

GO GREEN!

[spartanforever]

I actually agree with some of the scUM's points. They need to find more respectable student athletes like Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Iowa do. Michigan State needs to raise their academic standards to avoid future problems.

[JRS]

Despite all of the academic help
(Clara Bell Smith Center on campus)
tutors etc. ultimately it depends
on the individual as to how much
effort they are going to put into
getting educated. There is only
so much hand holding the University can do and some are not going to make it.

[Doctor Worm]

I just received some information from a reliable source that once D'Antoni leaves Phoenix for the Knicks or Bulls, Izzo will be the top candidate there. I've also heard from this source that the Suns are the only NBA job that Izzo would definitely be interested in.

Here's the link
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8111651/Reports:-Izzo-taking over in Phoenix

[JRS]

I hope it is not true. His personality is not suited to the
pro game, while he might make more
money I don't think he will be happy. The first time an NBA player gives him some lip is going
to be a wake up call for him.

[West Coast Steve]

What could the magnet be this morning for the fringe comments (the retarded “ = ” racist and Mr. Hairy Whatever)?

"MSU =" (an MSU and humanity hater to be sure) just proved the point Barak, no perfect person though still un-bought by the Hamptons and Kennebunkport plutocrats, made about "bitter" among Middle America's guns-and-Jesus functional illiterates.

Sorry for the political reference here, and I value authentic faith and rational interpretations of the Second Amendment. But, what can a state like Michigan under such economic and social strain do with that wacked subpopulation trolling local Wal-Marts, churches, and back woods looking for another kill...typically of animals but not always, or a non-snarky-non-um group of fans (us) to sideswipe for brainless entertainment.

Last weekend I met a transplant from Toledo who sees the same set of issues with the working class in that metro area: a place generally without interest in or motivation for pursuing education (think opportunities in healthcare for the literate and motivated) and reinventing themselves. It’s another city where the brain drain and lack of vision and new ideas have swamped the economy. (But, a gun? Now that's a cure for ails us! Sheesh.)

Mr. Hairy (Xwing) on the other hand has lost the tether on his identity and is all caught up in juvenile shock value and looking for a remote grip on who he is. Hairy, see a therapist and work it out. You'll feel better!

Back to Bleeding Green and the question at hand: With Coaches Dantonio and Izzo overseeing progress and academic commitment I expect to see progress well beyond "925." We've seen a lot of stabilization over the past several years in MSU athletics, and rapidly rising GPA standards for admission in general. I gather both coaches set high standards for their incoming recruits and are more than willing to pass on, or unload, a bad apple apt to compromise the team for his ego and mounds of private-life issues. In this respect it should only get better from here.

[Spartan58]

It is ultimately up to the individual, that is why with all the resources there its so mind-boggling that someone like Saint Dic couldn't make the bowl. Which goes to my point of this being a good thing.

While I agree with Spartanforever on principal, there is what you SHOULD Do and what HAS TO BE DONE. Which over the years with our coaching changes, has often been at odds with each other. The fans want to win now, do we want to take a freshman and have to wait 3 years for results or do we take the Jo-co with a spotty background for now to just get us through and than get the freshman next year.

Its a lot easier to say than do. Especially has hard as Spartan forever has been on some of our current players. QB comes to mind. ;)

Love ya Spartanforever, just saying.

GO GREEN!

[spartanforever]

SPARTAN 58:Thank You for the kind words...I really want to see our kids do well-People like me and you will be there for them win or loose.If they loose all there games we are sted fast.If they loose and could have won-it depends on what happened...but we are not the type,like a friend of mine who waffles back and forth between woolvy and MSU.

AS for "stupid athlete,"to bad but your type will not stand to be identified,I guess 'stupid is as stupid statements...forrest gump... When I was younger your statement would invite a beautiful KNUCKLE sandwhich,but my college experience opened me to world history and I bet your people left europe (or were chased)to come here for "freedom."Well lucky you-you also got to live in a non apartheid area with assets.I grew up in Flint and I am not offended by your statements,because I know if it were just me and you on this planet-you would be finding ways to get along with me-I assure you.

People like you hide behind dominant group success and you don't like to think that someone might be better than you.Your focus on a few that make or get into trouble reflects who you are ,"a pathetic bigoted piss ant."

If you would admit the tremendous effort put in to denying assess to those "ghetto flint and detroit people,"you would have to acknowledge there efforts are still the best success story in America.If you had to:Fight your way out of bondage:endure the indignitys of jim crow(and defacto & dejure efforts)and now "stealth racism,"you would be singing a different tune.

Still I will grant you that does not detract from a few knuckle heads who go asstray.Life is a journey of learning,ask the countless white fraternity boys who whave broken untold laws,including rape,who have since cleaned up their acts and would be indignant when they heard any one else doing the same in different settings (you see some how they get a pass as a frat).

Your accusations ring hollow when you paint whole citys that way:I often get the feeling that freshmen or non students make such statements,surely a narrow limbaw type(no I don't even want to take the nrg to spell his name correctly),because if you were in the real world you would learn you are a lucky ass,because you are inheriting your priviledge, but be careful with your words...you see you are now going to find if you are ordained in near future.

There are ignorant-stupid every where,but I don't think any want to be that way.Certainly you are not christian,because you would be looking at the half full instead of the half empty.In closing I can assure you that flint cranks out intellegent,educated athletes above proportion to the # that are not.Is everyone in your town college educated stupid? (sorry don't have any other name)whats the proporion???you seem to think you know flint and detroit...

Re: being hard on Hoyer-I like Hoyer and want the best for him,and (I hope)like his dad,would want him to be great and not keep making the same mistakes and getting people to defend mediocrity.If we suck-I'm o.k. with that but not if we are better than that.I am not satisfied with last season-I think we were better than that.I don't feel that because last season was better-thats great.Who ever plays QB for us should do better.Stanton lost a lot but I am so proud of that kid-I can't tell you.I'll never forget a picture on the sideline where he had a concussion and Dixon was there with him,and you felt positive energy when the bullets were flying.You could tell Dixon would do anything for Stanton and who do you think was in the game but Hoyer.Something just happened when he had it all to himself-I just want to see him at his smart best,because we go absolutely no where without him...GO GREEN!!!!

[Michael Motta]

West Coast Steve,

I recognized your post as being yours before I finished reading the second paragraph. I enjoy your stuff! I don't always agree with every bit, but it's usually a good read.

Spartan58,
" . . .I am one of those old fuddy duddies that believes that despite being on a athletic scholarship, you are at college to get a degree."

Color me even more old fashioned than you are! To me, college isn't primarily for sports, nor for degrees, it's for education! A student may become educated without receiving a degree, and a student may receive a degree without becoming educated.

[West Coast Steve]

Michael M, thanks. I very much respect your frequent and always incisive points in Bleeding Green. "Spartanforever" is also a delight to the brain, and thanks to him for weighing in just above.

To be sure, after years in Ecuador, three foreign languages, and half a lifetime here in the Bay Area, I'm an awkward fit back home in G.R., but nonetheless hold the golden rule of my childhood farm life at the center of my vision every day. Meaning? I would never ask you to agree that much with my meanderings.

To the point of a grossly non-MSU intrusion here today: While at MSU my first roommate, an African American from Detroit, was a model citizen and human being with a great soul. For me he had such a refreshing slant on life after the 60% blonde and too often clueless Grand Rapids of those times. I am forever thankful for that opportunity every day after classes to see a person never as pigmentation, but as a friend, colleague, and human soul.

In the intervening years I've had black persons whom I see as more "family" than two of my own brothers. I'm enormously proud of my Spartan brethren for standing down the fool and psychic twerp who appeared (above) here today for nothing but ugliness. I’m always thankful at how gracefully State! eased me out of a world too small.

Go State!

[spartanforever]

Mr.West coast Steve...to you I say Here-Here-here-BRAVO to a great SPARTAN.We are naturally not going to agree all the time,after all we have different experiences(even from family members.Sounds like you have had a rich and enlightened life so far-may it grow and grow!!!

Mr.Motta,if you don't mind me saying-no other words could be more true about education and degree.Personally I noticed that our professors and studant aides were not there to hold our hands...Heck we could (and should learn as much from lectures we see on TV.Education,experience,and more should carry any of us to become self motivated in an environment like MSU-truely one of the most beautiful campuses in America and I have been to many of them.

I see ucla or usc at least once a month-nice campuses.ucla is nicer and looks very much like MSU.Can I ask an off the wall question to any of you ladys and gentlemen?Why don't MSU add an extension to that open area at SPARTAN stadium???,seems like we might get another 30,000+ there...Personally I felt we should have erected a new stadium further out:150,000 multi event stadium.Truely if its there we would come...Its one thing woolvy always harps on to prospects.

Heres to one of the greatest university experiences on planet earth-MSU!!!!!!I walked on one of Duffys (bless his soul)last teams.My locker was next to Joe Dellamellierre (there was also Billy Joe Dupree,Brad Van Pelt,Simpson and others)-I did not know Joe other than comming and going but what a great guy and for an offensive guard-its funny,he was built like Jim Brown...All athlete-big arms,huge-massive chest and small waist.MSU football was declining at that time but Duffy sent Van Pelt,Big Joe and Billy Joe Dupree to the pro's and all three were regular pro bowlers.

AS for my self-Duffy wanted me to sit out a season:we had Eric Allen then-(forgot him best RB in the nation back then,set the single game rush record that lasted 25+ years).Well I had just got out of the Army,as I was drafted (didn't take the required # of classes to stay out).Out of HS I applied to go to MSU,but they didn't think I could make it thru.You see I was one of those Dumb Flint guys 'stupid' was speaking of(not really).What is not known however is that when I got into the Army my 'army battery test scores were good enough to get me into Meteorological school(ft.Monmouth,N.J.,also our cripto school).I became a meteorologist & was assigned to White Sands Missle Range-top secret security clearance and attained the highest rank a non com could in two years E-6.i was determined to graduate from MSU,but was turned down again.Not to worry I later got in and made the deans list my first two tri-mesters.For a whole year I drove back and forth to Flint to work in the Buick foundry to help pay for my schooling (had a full load of classes also).I wanted to prove to myself that I was one of the best in America and I did.One assistant coach could not believe I was that quick,with moves (what they never got to know is that I was the complete package like Walter Payton,but a little bigger.in Flint I was on an All star team that scored at will -it took u of m loving coach's to mess us up,and my future with in sports with it.I can tell you-I was not the only kid who would have made thru MSU,yet we had a few who might have made negative headlines also.Given the opportunity,many would have been surprised with the # of out standing studant athletes that came along when I did.Many distinguished themselves at other colleges and in other areas of life.I have many cousins in Detroit the most distinguished being a guy that got his PhD at u of m in Micro-biology and numerous others that all graduated from major colleges in the USA.I also know many others from Detroit who have distinguished themselves,Like a professor friend of mine out here in Calif,who got his PhD from USC and travels the world because he's one of the best in accounting(he got his BA at MSU and Masters in accounting at u of m).I really hope 'stupid,' is just some freshman who is a work in progress and I wish him well and hope that he grows intellectually-prejudice is a terrible waist,because its kin to ignorance.Best wish's to MSU!!!!& apologys for the rant...

[B Knapp]

Can we talk about sports again?

[Dick Bell]

What is going on at Indiana U. basketball? Are Izzo & Crean still good friends? Please give us an update. Our local paper The Naples Daily News says they lost another player and are down to 7 scolarship players. Also in trouble with NCAA report.

[JRS]

The Indiana basketball program is in chaos right now with people leaving right and left, best thing
to do for the details is a google
news search under Indiana basketball.

[West Coast Steve]

Mr. Knapp, good point, sports it is. I think some of us have a short fuse for over-the-top bigots...and appropriately so.

I'm glad Spartan Stadium came up. First of all, I like the stadium so far enormously. Surely campus planning knows she’s a bit old in a couple of aspects and plans are in place to bring her fully into the new millennium. (Sorry for the length below, but this needs fleshing out via the media so the fan base sees where we’re headed and can get behind it.)

Reflecting on what I see here in the West, and putting the Rose Bowl and it's fantastic setting aside for the moment, the Pac 10 has crud for stadiums by comparison to ours. I was amazed at how tiny AZ's was. Sun Devil Stadium is ok, the Coliseum (SC) is wobbly, Cal Memorial is awful (though about to begin renovation), Oregon's is loud but unsightly, WSU's looks dull on TV, Stanford's new stadium and Oregon State’s are tiny by Big Ten standards, etc. And, in my mind we still have quite an excellent facility.

At MSU, to meet imminent potential demand and for many Big Ten competitive challenges, we need to take Spartan Stadium capacity up another notch. I'd also love to see the entire exterior enhanced to match the recent renovation and expansion. It is just a very handsome piece of campus architecture to me, making Spartan Stadium itself an event waiting to happen. I guess we all know how much praise has been piled on the Brez over the years and that should be our architectural standard for athletics.

Additionally, while MSU has so many unique and appealing attributes, Spartan Stadium's capacity issue has much to do with access and local populations. AA as a Detroit suburb (exurb if one insists) has had immediate access to a huge market for the better part of a century. If the AA stadium were in Amarillo where it belongs (matching quality of spirit with quality of surroundings) and removed from any major metro area, it would be a lot smaller than Spartan Stadium. And, as West Michigan grows and Metro Detroit and southeastern MI stagnate further that equation will continue to shift in MSU's favor.

That said it does seem that, at a minimum, one of the end zone sections could be raised to fully enclose the bowl...or even match the height of the expansion of 3-4 years ago. I definitely see demand for 90,000 tickets three times a year even in mediocre demand cycles through some combination of ND, OSU, WISC, PSU, homecoming, and um games. How this would impact recruiting must be obvious too. And, TV coverage maps to big programs, big stadiums, big fan base, etc. I hope active support for expansion, and marketing to make it all pay, are in Dantonio's comp plan.

[jerseyjohn]

why should we expand the stadium when halfway through each season there are thousands of empty seats and you can scalp your way in for 5 bucks...also to spartan forever..i'm sure you make some good points but i have now quit reading your novels..plz heep it shorter and sweeter.

[JRS]

They spent a ton of money building
those luxury viewing boxes and "club" area and still can't sell them out. I can't see pouring more money into expanding a stadium that most of the times
does not sell out anyway. One upmanship games with other universities is not fiscallly responsible in these tough budget times.

[Spartan58]

Ignore what's his nuts. I'm sure he never made a mistake while blogging.... ever. What an idiot.

Anyway, yes spartan stadium should add more seats. I think they would like to see some more back to back winning season before they dump that kind of money into it. Makes sense, no need in adding seats if the demand isn't there just yet.

Like Spartanforever, I was a walk-on as well. A new respect for you, if you had mentioned that before I apologize for not picking up on it. Its a much different experience than being on scholarship, that is for sure.

I still like to bust your chops over riding BH so much though and will as long as you do. lol

GO GREEN

[West Coast Steve]

Clearly current budget issues put up a hurdle to quick expansion. But, with MSU creeping back into the "pre-pre-season" polls as with CBS Sports recently, last year's attendance slide should reverse soon.

Also, we need to remember that we now have in the range of 400,000 alumni...and growing rapidly. A lot of these new fans will be plenty affluent to buy up tix and some will make major contributions. This is a national trend as are second homes for boomers near their alma maters. All of these elements, probably among others, are feeding the national trend toward bigger stadiums. I for one did not expect to have 100,000+ stadiums at PSU, OSU, TN, etc. as quickly and easily as those expansions happened. Many others are not far behind, and now there are additional notable players like Rutgers, CT, MO, and KS emerging too.

I believe Dantonio's decade (e.g., 2010-2019) could be close on the horizon. What I mean is MSU ought to be well above its 1990s and new millennium average performance in the Big Ten again with our new leadership and greatly increased program stability. If we become only as consistent as Iowa, we will fill an expanded stadium with our vastly larger alumni base.

Finally, as a former Grand Rapidian, MSU has to market better to its immediate geographic neighbors. We've been lazy that way and opened the door to the ummies, who flunk out with their pi--y attitude but began eating our lunch in the 70s in in-state and national marketing. The new med school facility in G.R. might be a nice point of leverage for rebuilding on our huge West Michigan alumni base. Of my G.R. high school class less than 10 went to um, and as many as 75 finished at MSU within about 4 years...this is a no-brainer.

Bottom line? Let's get the plan together for expanding to 90,000 or so soon. As referenced above, "Build it and we will come."

[spartanforever]

Stupid-I don't care what you can,"tell." I will say however,"I feel there is hope for you-you can't be all bad-you're here on this blog.May be you put a little to much sauce on your comment and maybe I took offence.What you said was not correct-thats what I took offence to.Like I said if it were you and me-I don't think you would see the world as you do .Further I said Flint and Detroit has no shortage of out standing people who have excelled in spite of...

[spartanforever]

West coast Steve-I agree on your points...I visited Cal,Stanford,lived in Mesa,Az,and of course seen the LA stadiums-youre-right. I also agree- Jersey John you got a point (brevity also) but I mean in the (near?)future, a multi-event stadium state of the art(entertainment,track and field,conventions...).MSU is a beautiful place and such a facility would make a crowning statement and bring possibly international visitors-the next 20 years will see an increasingly compact world and the Michigan economy could use (monetarily)such a venue with possible spin off $$$$$$$'s.

[spartanforever]

JRS and Jersey John you both sound like MONEY men (bottom line)and believe me I respect what you both are saying.You are thinking sober-I see a vision and I think Xwing said it best-our neighbor is not standing still.I'm not saying we should be tip for tap,honestly I'm thinking beyond that-the future belongs to the creative-the innovative-seeing the vision...Being sober and practicle is also part of the future.

[spartanforever]

West coast steve-you have an overwhelming # of great points-forgive me but you just shut me up-gotta turn in.

Spartan 58-respects to you,finally some one who knows for sure what its like.No one talks about the total AZZ kicking every player takes in pain,at practice:the ankles like cantelopes,swollen knuckles,hip pointers,muscle tears from shere man on man exertion,and don't forget the concussions(have a couple of those and you will have a whole new perspective on life let alone football).

I don't want you beating me up about BH,but I'm sure you agree that we want him at his best.I hope he reads what I say and its o.k. if he puts a--h---by my name when he mentions me.Like I said yesterday:,"his dad and all of us want to see him great!!!What I say is to make him better,by the way thats the way the old guard was on us in Flint-they made you better as the criticism was scathing,but you got EXCELLENCE from that.I feel he is better than that qb at oklahoma who had a break-out season.lets lite a fire under BH-i want to see him joinED,Smith (what a dude),Stanton,Banks,Burke(did his best vs woolvy)E Morral and was steve Juday (Baggett) our last All American (1st team) QB???Expectation,(and unconditional love)along with potential can =success...We love BH in the end,like all those before him.

[DoctorWorm]

Now he's imitating my screen name? Who is this joker, and why hasn't he been banned yet?

[Doctor Worm]

Yeah please ban this yahoo using my screen name. You can tell who the real one is because I have a space between my name. Please remove DoctorWorm, Joe.

[JRS]

It is interesting that UofM didn't
go the luxury viewing box route until after Spartan Stadium did it. They sort of followed in our
footsteps so to speak but it would have happened anyway due to the economics of big time college
football these days.

The redesign of the "big house" has been controversial with some feeling that something is being lost altering the stadium for the big money rollers.

[Mark Feather]

Sorry about that everyone. This "troll" has been banned and will not interupt our blogs again.

Please shoot me an email at mfeather@lsj.com should you see this type of behavior in the future.

Best regards and Go State!