European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 4, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse None of Arizona s five non grads is More than two semesters away from his degree. For Hopkins the educational commitment of his school remains intact. Quot we provide the fifth year scholarship Quot he said. Quot they re never gone As far As we re concerned. We stay in touch with them and we done to let a the four year course of study once the accepted College regimen has fallen by the Wayside. Nationwide just 14 percent of All colleges students not just athletes graduate in four years according to the chronicle of higher education. Nationally graduation rates Are climbing estimated at 1.017 million for 1989 and 1990, up from 993,000 in 1988. In sports four year students have been replaced by redshifts a system that allows athletes to sit out a season of Competition affording them an extra year s time to accumulate the credits needed for graduation. Originally for injured players re shirting is now a common Way to save a year s eligibility for players. Some players hungry for pro contracts Are not. Interested in delaying their move into the pros for a fifth year in College. Miami a Price faces that situation next season. Quot we be got nine players who did not Redshirt Quot she said. Quot it s a business decision. They won t sacrifice another year. I be got to get them out by transfers from Junior colleges complicate the picture. Credits often do not follow athletes from one school to another. At Ohio state however adviser Larry Romanoff made certain they would for one student athlete. A Quot when Todd Bell was in Chicago with ,&Quot Romanoff said Quot i arranged for him to take courses at Depaul that could be transferred. He said. I played in the football stadium. I m going to graduate in the football stadium Quot and that s exactly what he . Syracuse s Derrick Coleman 44 dropped out Rob Hinckley 2 diplomas and a career by Hal Bock associated press when Rob Hinckley got to Stanford in 1985, he was a High school Hotshot from Walnut Creek calif., an All state linebacker with can of miss credentials. Then came the bad news he would t Start As a freshman. He even play much. A Quot you think you know everything about football when you get to College Quot Hinckley said Quot it became apparent to me that i did t. I could t read offences i did t know the the solution was to Redshirt substitute a year of eligibility at the end of his College career for one at the beginning. That did t sound like such a bad idea to. Hinckley. Quot you want to play but when it s obvious you re not going to Well there was no controversy about it Quot he said. Quot if you develop the Way you should i figured i d be. Better in my fifth year than in my f, and that s How Rob Hinckley happened to arrive at the National football league draft equipped not Only with his Bachelor s degree but with his master s degree As Well. In a sea of unfinished studies he is an Island of educational achievement. Hinckley majored in communications and his Redshirt freshman year gave him a running Start academically at one of the nations More demanding universities. Quot mentally if you know you re not playing it s easier to focus in Quot he said. Quot it s those people who screw up in their first year who find it Tough to catch he would practice with the team suit up for Home games go through All the rituals of football saturdays except playing. He spent the extra hours on his studies. By the time Hinckley was a Sophomore he had. Developed a system of combining athletics and academics. It was a Good thing too. College football he found can be a Drain on time. Quot its More time consuming than you think Quot he said. Quot i liked it especially when it was new. But All of a sudden la Rob Hinckley you re not doing a a. Anything else if you a schedule an hour to do your Homework you bettor Doit then or it s not going to happen. It s a matter of a a a priorities. Quot you re 19 or 20 years old you want to socialize and you do but you also have to take care of the. Chapter you have to Quot a. Hinckley hit Thea. Books avoiding procrastination of aft behind and the demands of football and studies can snowball Hinckley. Never did. Football players receive no special treatment at Stanford. Occasionally Hinckley got permission to take an. Exam on a Friday before leaving or a Road trip instead of the following monday test was scheduled. Other than that he was on his own fitting the demands of academics into his schedule Quot it s pretty much a 12-hour Day 8 in the morning until 8 at night Quot to said. Quot they say football practice is just a couple of hours but that Doest count i he film Lime the time you spend in the Trainer s room getting treated the tune getting taped. It All adds up Quot so did his credits. Quot Halfway through my fourth year i realized that i d to done with school Quot Hinckfot said. That meant he would have been eligible for the nil draft he needed Only petition the league for inclusion in the draft Quot i could have loft but i did t think about it Quot to said Quot i still. Had another year of football and since to was going to stick around for it tie decided to enrol in Stanford a one year graduate program in sociology. Quot i figured i was going to be Here anyway Quot Hinckley shrugged Quot so what the Oliver Barnett a dropout after 5 year by Hal Bock associated press in some places defensive tackle Oliver Barnett would have been described As a project an academic Longshot. At the University of Kentucky though he was the. Pride of the counselling department a football player who had worked hard to make it a student who was just nine hours from his degree in social work. He was a Success Story a top flight athlete who was making it in the classroom As Well. And then came the Spring semester the scouting combines the tryouts the National football league draft the minicams. After five years of classes and Counselor tutors and tests five years of working for everything he got academically Barnett dropped out. He was nine hours a not even a full semester a Short of his degree. Quot you want to graduate but the Opportunity to play pro Ball most Guys put that higher Quot Barnett said Quot there was a lot of pressure when the season was Over first there Are the All Star games. You want to play. You want to show your talents and give it ail you have. Then the pro scouts come around to test you out. They test at ail times of the Day every Day of the week it seems it puts a Strain on academics. A big in april Barnett was picked in the third round by the. Atlanta Falcons. In May Kentucky a class of 1990 graduated a without him Quot watching that seeing the. Guys i knew on the team who graduated i Felt left out Quot he said. Quot it was kind of sad a Bob Bradley is the assistant athletic director for student services at Kentucky and past president of the National association of academic advisors. The Barnett affair angered him especially when he heard the player s explanation for leaving Quot his Girlfriend told me Oliver s agent had a graduation completion program a Quot Bradley said Quot i said what s that i never heard of that she said they help you comp Fele your degree Quot. Bradley decided to investigate that with Bruce Allen. Barnett s representative Quot i called Theagene and asked f a to fax the graduation completion program to me i told them i wanted to see it they told me it s not in writing i in net surprised. Quot Oliver Barnett Allen said he works with College Counselor trying to assist players logo Back to school in i tie City they play and to make their credits transferable he cited one of his. 1 clients Sonny Gordon a defensive Back from Ohio slate who took courses at the University of Tampa after being drafted by the bucs and got an Ohio stale degree Quot for players who want to do it it s possible to do it alien said Quot i Don t believe the of l cares in they graduate i Don t think you can criticize them for leaving Early if it helps them get it s a business decision Quot Bradley called Allen s graduation completion program Quot baloney Quot Quot there is no Way that Anyox Xuy is going to Tell the University of Kentucky How he Wilt Complete his he said Quot i told Oliver there was no such thing basically it s a lie a hype Quot Barnett however bought the hype a Quot the sad part is Oliver worked Tor everything Fie Gol Quot Bradley said. Quot he was a 50 50 Gamble and he gave it a everything he had he was a kid who had to work fund to make it he gifted academically but he made solid Progress Here his skills were so enhanced socially and academically he carried Hir self so Well arid then in the last semester after five years Bjoorn. It s Over to sen it end nine hours Short that s sad Quot a Barnett says it s not Over Quot i ii go Back in the off season and finish up Quot tie said Bradley hoaxes so. But his testis turn otherwise because there Are roadblocks to returning us away two years and the University s degree Roguin Emels can change then Rune hours can turn into i maybe or will finish Bradley said but Tor every one who comes Back there Are 10 who Don t Quot gust 4, 1990 the stars and stripes a Page 15
