Clemson Football Team Sets Record in the Classroom

Jan. 11, 2008

Clemson, SC — Clemson’s football team had a top 25 national finish on the field and had its highest fall semester on record in the classroom in the fall of 2007. Tommy Bowden’s Tigers had a team GPA of 2.53 for the fall semester, the program’s top in-season GPA in history. Overall, it was the third best semester for the program on record. Bowden has now been the head coach for each of the top eight semester GPAs on record.

“I am proud of the team’s academic performance this past semester,” said Bowden, who just finished his ninth season at Clemson. “With the time demands of meetings and practice, it is obviously much more difficult to be successful in the classroom during the season. The help we have received from the staff at Vickery Hall has been outstanding and they are to be commended.”

The team had 39 members who made the academic honor roll, including 15 who made the dean’s list. The 39 academic honor roll selections rank as the third best total in Clemson history for a single semester. Bowden has been the head coach for each of the top seven semesters in terms of academic honor roll selections in Clemson history.

The list of honor roll students included starting cornerback Chris Chancellor, who made the dean’s list, starting place kicker and ACC scoring leader Mark Buchholz, Chick-fil-A Bowl MVP Thomas Austin, starting cornerback Crezdon Butler, starting punter Jimmy Maners, and second team quarterback Willy Korn.

Clemson had a graduation success rate of 75 percent according to the NCAA in a release made public in October. Clemson had the third best graduation success rate among the top 25 teams in the nation that week. The graduation success rate was also 11th best in the nation among the 64 schools who went to a postseason bowl game. Clemson was also fourth among the top 27 public universities ranked in the US News & World Report for its graduation success rate. It had a higher rate than top 10 public institutions California, Michigan, Virginia and Illinois.

Clemson football players who made academic honor roll for Fall Semester 2007:Robert Adams, Chris Chancellor, Jimmy Maners, Brandon Oliver, Michael Palmer, Alex Pearson, Thomas Ramsey, Tribble Reese, Caleb Simmons, Brian Sorrells, Brandon Speweik, Preston Stone, Joel Varnedoe, Michael Wade, Jacob Walker, Britton Whetsell, John WrightNote: President’s list bold and italics, dean’s list bold.