Graduation: Football graduation rate ranks high in NCAA
Brett Larson
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports
Patterson said students often start school with the idea that they have it made and studying takes a back seat to athletics and social activities.
To counter the new student-athlete's inexperience, the team implements mandatory summer school and study hours for freshmen and sophomores.
Dalton said the coaches require and monitor his study hours. He said the transition from high school to college is a big leap, but the team always offers help.
"When you first get here, college is obviously different from high school, especially when you're playing a sport," Dalton said.
Roach said it is important for players to drop bad habits they may have picked up in high school.
"It's very easy to transfer things - bad mistakes," Roach said.
Patterson said he personally keeps a record of every player's GPA and hours as another measure to ensure his players' success on and off the field.
By doing so, Patterson said, he does not need to rely on anyone else to keep track of his players' progress and can look up any player at any time.
The push Patterson makes for good grades and high performance in class often leaves his players upset with him, he said.
"If they're mad because I've been pushing them too hard, it usually takes them five years to come back," Patterson said. "But they usually come back whether they like me or not and thank me."
Junior defensive tackle Cody Moore said he has gotten to the point where he no longer needs to worry about school because he is confident in his ability to get good grades, and he thanks Patterson for helping him get there.
"I appreciate the things he does," Moore said, "like keeping a close eye on us with the grade checks."
Playing time is a tool Patterson uses to motivate students to study and go to class.
"The only thing coaches really have on kids is playing time," Patterson said. "If you don't go to class or you don't study, then you're not going to suit up."
To counter the new student-athlete's inexperience, the team implements mandatory summer school and study hours for freshmen and sophomores.
Dalton said the coaches require and monitor his study hours. He said the transition from high school to college is a big leap, but the team always offers help.
"When you first get here, college is obviously different from high school, especially when you're playing a sport," Dalton said.
Roach said it is important for players to drop bad habits they may have picked up in high school.
"It's very easy to transfer things - bad mistakes," Roach said.
Patterson said he personally keeps a record of every player's GPA and hours as another measure to ensure his players' success on and off the field.
By doing so, Patterson said, he does not need to rely on anyone else to keep track of his players' progress and can look up any player at any time.
The push Patterson makes for good grades and high performance in class often leaves his players upset with him, he said.
"If they're mad because I've been pushing them too hard, it usually takes them five years to come back," Patterson said. "But they usually come back whether they like me or not and thank me."
Junior defensive tackle Cody Moore said he has gotten to the point where he no longer needs to worry about school because he is confident in his ability to get good grades, and he thanks Patterson for helping him get there.
"I appreciate the things he does," Moore said, "like keeping a close eye on us with the grade checks."
Playing time is a tool Patterson uses to motivate students to study and go to class.
"The only thing coaches really have on kids is playing time," Patterson said. "If you don't go to class or you don't study, then you're not going to suit up."
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