USAFA No. 1 in football graduation success, says NCAA report

Published Nov. 15, 2013
By Amber Baillie
Academy Spirit staff writer

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The U.S. Air Force Academy is the United States top-ranked public institution in graduation success rate for college football, according to figures released by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in October.

Of the top three public institutions, the Academy ranked first at 93 percent, Boise State came in second at 91 percent and the Army took third place at 89 percent.

"This data shows us that we're doing it right," said Troy Garnhart, the Academy's associate athletic director for communications. "The cadet athletes in our program are progressing toward their degrees at a rate that tops other schools that look like us."

The Falcons ranked fifth overall behind four private schools. Northwestern University came in first at 97 percent; Rice University took second at 95 percent followed by Boston College and Notre Dame at 94 percent. The overall graduation rate for college football was 71 percent.

"We're very proud of the work (Falcons football) Coach Troy Calhoun and his staff is doing," Garnhart said. "Our cadet-athletes also understand why they are here and are working extremely hard in the classroom."

The GSR is a four-year average in Division I athletics that includes federal cohort, and adds transfer students, mid-year enrollees, and non-scholarship students (in specified cases) to the sample.

"We didn't rank in the top 10 prior to this release," Garnhart said.