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Sports Editor The University of Arkansas-Monticello football team
improved its reputation academically. Twenty-two members made a 3.0 or
better this fall, which is a vast improvement from last year when only
five members made a 2.5. Gwaine
Mathews, head coach of the football team, and the rest of the coaching
staff pushed their players to strive for academic excellence by making
players attend four study sessions per week and attend every class. “(The
players) are not here to play football; they are here to get an
education,” Mathews said. “They have two goals - first to graduate,
second to win championships.” Mathews,
who earned Academic All-Gulf South Conference honors in 1988 at Delta
State University, said his insistence that players go beyond being
eligible comes from his own experience in college.
After his playing days ended, Mathews earned two separate master's
degrees in social science education and health, physical education and
recreation. “Down
the road, I don’t want the kids to say ‘Coach we won a bunch of games,
but now I’m pumping gas for a living.’ I want them to graduate,”
Mathews said. Provost
David Ray, vice chancellor of Academic Affairs, commends the coaching
staff for pushing the players to not only perform of the field but in the
classroom. “The goal of any student athlete coming here is to
complete a degree. Academic
performance is as important to student-athletes as performance on the
field,” Ray said. “I’m appreciative that UAM coaches realize the
importance of helping the students succeed off the field.” Other
UAM sports programs made academic accomplishments last fall. The softball
team under Alvy Early, head coach and Athletics' Director, posted a
collective 3.4 GPA last fall. Have a comment? Please e-mail us. ŠThe Voice 2007 Revised 01/13/2008 03:30:43 PM — http://www.uamont.edu/Organizations/TheVoice/4_15/fbgpa.htm |
