PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh football program has been named a co-recipient of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 2018 Academic Achievement Award presented by the Touchdown Club of Memphis, it was announced Thursday.
(Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)
A first-time winner of this prestigious distinction, Pitt shares this year’s recognition with Clemson, Kansas State, Nevada and Oklahoma State. All five schools recorded a perfect 1,000 for their single-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) in 2016-17.
The award will be presented to the head coach of each program during the Honors Luncheon on January 7 at the 2019 AFCA Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
“Our players understand from the time they are recruited as high school prospects that our program’s highest priority is their academic achievement and earning a degree from the University of Pittsburgh,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “We are extremely proud to receive this recognition from the AFCA. It is a result of the young men in our program committing to classroom excellence and leaving Pitt with a life-changing degree. I also want to recognize our outstanding Academic Support Services staff and the tremendous support of our university and athletic administration. They all can take great pride in this award.”
Further highlighting Pitt’s academic success, the Panthers entered the 2018 season with 16 graduates on the roster, the third-highest total among all FBS football programs.
“I know firsthand the tremendous emphasis Coach Narduzzi places on the academic development of his student-athletes, and I also know the great pride each of us have when they walk on stage to receive their University of Pittsburgh degree,” said Pitt director of athletics Heather Lyke. “On behalf of our entire university, I want to congratulate Coach Narduzzi, our football program and our Academic Support Services division on this outstanding recognition from the AFCA.”
This is the first year that the NCAA’s single-year APR has been used to select a winner for the Academic Achievement Award. The APR holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.
From 1981 to 2007, the award was presented based on a formula used by the College Football Association and the AFCA. From 2008 to 2017, the AFCA used the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate to select a winner.
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.
