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James Mungro
Mungro Earns NFL Continuing Education Degree Completion Award
7/13/2004 12:51:46 PM | Football
by Reid Whiting
Syracuse University graduate James Mungro was presented the National Football League Continuing Education Degree Completion Award at the National Association of Academic Advisors (N4A) annual convention. Mungro, who played at SU from 1998 through 2001, finished his SU career third on SU’s all-time rushing record list. He accepted the award at N4A’s 29th Annual Awards Luncheon during the association’s 2004 National Convention in Indianapolis.
“The award is given annually to an NFL player who has or is working towards degree completion,” said N4A President Demetrius Marlowe.
In 2002, Mungro left Syracuse University for the NFL without a degree. He committed himself to academics, however, and recently completed the internship he needed to receive his B.S. in selective studies in education.
His on-field exploits have always been outstanding. Mungro also took the popular adage “academics first, athletics second” to heart. He could not make an athletic impact when he first stepped on campus and he was redshirted for his freshman season in 1997. He focused his energies on schoolwork and made the SU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in the 1998 spring semester.
“For the short period that I served as his counselor he demonstrated the capacity to listen to instruction and follow through on his obligations,” said Marlowe, who was SU’s coordinator for academic support for SU football from 1994-1997. “He was anxious yet seemingly confident.”
Kenneth Miles took over as SU’s coordinator for academic support for SU football after Marlowe left the University and worked with Mungro and all of the SU gridiron student-athletes.
Mungro does not take for granted the valuable education he received while at SU and wants others to have the resources to achieve academically, as well. He established The Mungro Scholarship Fund financially to assist those who are dedicated to lifelong education.
“This is a great accomplishment for James,” Todd Wyant, SU’s Associate Athletic Director for Student Services, said. “We are proud of his hard work and determination to complete his degree. He can take great pride in knowing that he is a member of the Indianapolis Colts and a Syracuse University graduate. The Player Development Program with the Colts should be applauded as well.”
Mungro, who had a standout high school career at East Stroudsburg (Pa.) High School, enrolled at Syracuse as Pennsylvania’s all-time leading rusher. He recorded 2,869 yards in his four-year career, trailing just Larry Csonka and Joe Morris on SU’s career record list. Mungro was the Most Valuable Player of the 2001 Insight.com and 1999 Music City bowls. As a senior, he made the All-BIG EAST Conference Second Team and was a candidate for the Doak Walker Award, which is presented to the nation’s best collegiate running back.
During his two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Mungro has accumulated 121 yards rushing and 77 yards receiving.
“The mission of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A) is to cultivate and improve the opportunities for academic success for student-athletes in universities and colleges by providing informed, competent, and holistic advising while enhancing communication between the academic and the athletic communities,” Marlowe said.
The NFL has been the lead sponsor for the N4A Awards luncheon since 2002. The NFL Continuing Education Program (NFL-CEP) staff, in cooperation with NFL Player Development staff, select the recipient for this award.
“We have partnered with the NFL as a means to provide a unified front concerning the value of degree completion for collegiate football student-athletes,” Marlowe said. “The N4A-NFL CEP Advisory Committee was developed by Jon Harris (manager of the NFL Career Transition Program) and myself and charged with providing advice to the NFL-CEP relative to strategies that can be employed by college and universities to increase football student-athlete graduation rates.”
The NFL-CEP seeks to help NFL players who are pursuing the completion of undergraduate, graduate or professional degrees.
The NFL-CEP will help players enroll in their former university, a university near their team’s facilities or a university near their off-season residence, depending on the player’s preference. The NFL-CEP continues to assist players during and after degree completion by offering tutors and planning ways to use their degrees to become a professional in something other than football.
“Targeting rookies and first year players helps the players and institutions in many ways,” Harris said. “It helps the colleges and universities graduate players within the six year window that allows them to count toward NCAA graduation rates. It also allows the players who only play one or two years to have something concrete that will help their transition out of football easier.”
To offset the cost of tuition, the NFL may reimburse players up to $15,000 per year, Harris said. With the assistance of the NFL-CEP, 32 players graduated this year.
Tony Richardson of the Kansas City Chiefs and Shane Matthews of the Tennessee Titans are past recipients.
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