SU Earns 18th AFCA Academic Honor
12/10/2009 2:18:16 PM | Football
The Orange football program is one of 41 schools to earn the 2009 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA ) Academic Achievement Honorable Mention Award, marking the 18th time the Orange has been honored. The 2009 award reflects the academic success of the class that entered in the Fall of 2002. Notre Dame and Miami (Fla.) won the 2009 AFCA Academic Achievement Award.
The award is presented annually by the Touchdown Club of Memphis, which Syracuse won in 2000 for having a graduation rate of 100 percent. Syracuse's 18 awards ranks eighth among all schools in the country and is the highest total in the BIG EAST Conference. Rutgers is the closest to Syracuse with six appearances on the list. Syracuse has been recognized in 11 of the last 13 years.
The award is based on the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) formula to select the winner. From 1981 to 2007 the award was presented based on a formula used by the College Football Association and AFCA.
The Academic Achievement Award was established by the College Football Association in 1981. The award recognized the CFA-member Football Bowl Subdivision institution with the highest graduation rate among members of its football team. When the CFA disbanded in 1997 the AFCA stepped in to present the award and conduct a graduation rate survey that encompassed all members of the FBS.
Notre Dame is tops in the nation with 28 appearances since 1981. They have been recognized every year since 1982. Duke (26), Virginia (23), Boston College (21), Rice (21), Vanderbilt (21) and Penn State (19) are second through seventh.
