Starting the Season off Great!

[AUloggerhead 2,253]

These AU Tigers are establishing a tradition of excellance wherever they are, on or off the field. WDE to all the graduates & the coaching staff for encouraging them to put their studies first!

Link

Last year, the majority of the senior class finished their 13-0 football season as graduate students and that will be the case in 2005. Nine of Auburn’s 15 seniors will take the field as graduate students when the Tigers open the season vs. Georgia Tech. Two of the three-year graduates will be playing for wide receivers coach Greg Knox.

“Ben and Lee have done a great job for us both on the field and off the field,” Knox says. “I have never had a player graduate in three years, much less two of them. I am proud of them.”

All-SEC senior Travis Williams and another starting linebacker, Antarrious Williams, have already earned their degree. Starting fullback Jake Slaughter and starting deep snapper Chas Crofoot are graduates, too. Steven Ross, a leading candidate to start at center, also enters the season as a graduate.

Virgil Starks, associate athletic director for student-athlete support services, says he is excited every time an AU athlete completes his or her degree. “I think the tradition of Auburn is one that is found in the (Auburn) creed--we believe in a sound mind and a sound body,” he says. “Athletics allows many of our student athletes to reach their potential. It also develops their character and earning that degree says a lot about their character.”

[AuNuma1 1]

I wonder how other fellow SEC schools stack up to us as far as graduated football players this season....9/15 is freakin awesome.

[WarTim 3,457]

In the World in which we live, this is an amazing stat. These young men will go far in life. To handle all that has been thrown at them and to already have a degree in hand is truly a source of pride for all involved with our program.

Gentlemen, I salute you.

WAR EAGLE ! ! !

[sportwareagle 0]

They didn't mention that Cooper Wallace graduarted yesterday too! Congratulations to all of them.

Doesn't it feel great?!

[Guest Tigrinum Major]

That is amazing. The coaching staff, these players and their parents must be proud.

At Tennessee, on the other hand, 9 out of 15 seniors are starting the season on work release.

Seriously, that is further evidence that the program is being run the right way down in the lovliest village.

[alexgreatau 0]

Ben Obamanu graduated with a degree in Finance. I took a couple of finance classes when I was a student at AU and they were probably some of the more difficult classes I took. Graduating in Finance in three years is truly amazing.

Alex

[quietfan 233]

If the NCAA is going penalize schools for poor baccalaureate graduation rates, they should also reward schools for good graduate school rates!

[AUesquire 1]

Now Tig, I'm tired of you demeaning the accomplishments of the UT program and it's players. When 9 out of 15 get work release, you've got to be doing something right. The court system doesn't just automatically grant work release without the player...uh, convict, showing signs of wanting to be a productive citizen.

They have to show that they are not prone to violence and pose no threat to the outside world. That in itself tells you that the reports of these players being involved in "violent" crimes is way overblown. Coach Fulmer has long been an outspoken advocate of recruiting young men whose records contain no incidents of violence or are at the very least, sealed from public view.

I say, kudos to Phil for his diligence in bringing a high percentage of non-violent offenders into the program.