The University of Tennessee graduated only 8% of its football players and none of its black football players who entered the school as freshmen for the 1995-96 year, according to a report released yesterday by the NCAA.
The report is based on student-athletes being given six years to graduate, the measure used by the Department of Education for graduation success.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt graduated 100% of its football players from the same year's class.
''Because I have been very vocal on this subject, it was very important to me for us to do well because we need to have our own house in order and this shows that we clearly do,'' Vanderbilt Chancellor Gordon Gee said.
Gee has voiced a belief that scholarships should be tied to graduation rates. It's not likely to gain support, though seven SEC schools had graduation rates of 50% or higher for their football players.
The news was especially damning for the Vols football program. It was the third consecutive NCAA report in which UT's football graduation rate dipped, from 65% and 38% of black players two years ago to 35% and 25% of black players last year.
''The NCAA statistics can often be very misleading, which is the case here,'' Vols Coach Phillip Fulmer said. ''Of the 12 young men they are actually counting, six are playing pro football of some type, one graduated, one finished his eligibility and did not graduate but has plans to return to school, and four either left the program voluntarily or were dismissed.
''I believe to get a true picture you need to track all of the people who come in in that class. For example, Larry Binion has his master's from Tennessee and Leonard Little is playing in the NFL now and he graduated.''
Binion and Little were junior college transfers.
The average graduation rate for football players at Division I schools in the report was 69% overall and 46% for black players.
''Our African-American students are doing quite well,'' Commodores Athletic Director Todd Turner said. ''That's a real plus for us, and that's across the board in all sports.''
The graduation rates of football players at most other schools in the NCAA fit somewhere in the gulf between Vandy's 100% and UT's 8%, including Tennessee State (55%), Middle Tennessee State (43%) and nine of the other 10 Southeastern Conference schools.
In the SEC, only Arkansas (5%) had a lower graduation rate among its football players. The Razorbacks also graduated none of their black players who entered school that year.
''There are too many institutions that want to win at any cost,'' TSU President James Hefner said. ''That's not my style. I emphasize academics; I always have. It's not a contradiction between sound academics and strong athletics.
''I'm exhilarated to know that what we've done the past few years has paid off.''
TSU hit 57% for its football players on last year's NCAA report.
''We're very serious about our guys coming in and getting a degree, being able to get out and get jobs and be productive in the community, being solid guys all around,'' Tigers Coach James Reese said.
Schools with less than desirable graduation rates typically point to how the NCAA conducts its study to discredit its results. The NCAA counts any athlete who enters as a freshman, regardless of whether he transfers or leaves early for the pro ranks, against a school's graduation rate.
''We don't have any control over a kid transferring,'' MTSU Athletic Director Boots Donnelley sad. ''If a kid is not playing as much as he thinks he should play then he can transfer and go to another university and play. I think the kid has a right to do that. Why are we penalized because the kid did not graduate from Middle Tennessee?
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