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Program helps drive academic emphasis for football team

The Scholar Baller logo is prominently displayed on an Arizona State University football jersey.

This fall, as the ASU Sun Devils take to the football field, 29 student-athletes will be wearing a special logo signifying their commitment to victory in the classroom and on the football field.

The players are part of the “Scholar Baller” program, which rewards football players for strong academic performance. Among the rewards, players who achieved a 3.0 grade point average in the previous academic year will wear a Scholar Baller patch on their jerseys. The “Thinkman” logo will be highly visible on the left front of a player’s jersey.

“There are lots of ways by which athletes are recognized for their athletic accomplishments, but there are very few that recognize academics,” says Jean Boyd, assistant athletic director for student-athlete development. “To my knowledge, there has not been an institution that has recognized academic achievement on a jersey. The players are really excited about it.”

The Scholar Baller paradigm is a mentality – and an incentive program to support the university’s regular academic efforts. All incoming football players are screened academically and monitored throughout the semester. There are mandatory tutoring sessions for some, and study halls and regular meetings with academic advisers for all. Those considered at-risk are placed in additional programs to aid them academically.

Scholar Baller builds on conventional efforts, creating an atmosphere of success, positive peer pressure and academic competition. Boyd says every member on the team understands the concept of a “baller” – an urban or hip-hop term for a top performer or outstanding athlete. Boyd has challenged the team with the idea of being more than just a baller, but a Scholar Baller, or a top academic performer.

“There are some athletes who will do great, regardless of what we do,” Boyd says. “But we do have some that have historically struggled academically who are really getting on board.”

Boyd, who played as a safety with the Sun Devils from 1991-94, grew up in the inner city of Los Angeles. He says he understands the mindset of many of the athletes when they come into the program.

Many, he says, are told their only option to escape their neighborhood or to be successful in life is to excel athletically. That is continually reinforced with praise for athletic success.

Football players (l-r) Rabdy Hill, Chaz White, Lamar Baker (standing) and Kyle Caldwell.

In reality, only a fraction of the athletes will make it professionally. Boyd made it into several NFL training camps but was unable to make it onto a regular-season roster. Since then, he has gotten his master’s degree, in part with the help of mentor and Scholar Baller co-creator Dr. C. Keith Harrison, a former faculty member and director of the Paul Robeson Research Center for Academic and Athletic Prowess at the University of Michigan, currently a visiting scholar at ASU. Boyd joined ASU to lead its academic program for football in 2001.

“We are going after a change in mindset with these players,” Boyd says. “In essence, we are trying to reprogram them to grab hold of a new concept. It’s important for them to know that there are plenty of opportunities and benefits  to competing in the classroom.”

In addition to the jerseys, all of the Scholar Ballers were recognized at Camp Tontozona and received items such as backpacks or T-shirts. This past spring, all of the Scholar Ballers had a special steak dinner in recognition of their accomplishments.

“The players were calling their teammates who weren’t there,” says Boyd. “They were saying things like, ‘Man, this is good, you should be here.’ We want it to be something they all want to be a part of.”

The idea seems to be catching on. When Boyd first started, only a handful of players would have been eligible to participate. In 2002, there were 27. By 2003, there were 38.

For the third straight year, the team has no players declared academically ineligible for the upcoming football season.

Now, when the team takes the field for its first game Sept. 2, they can show pride in their accomplishments in the classroom as well as on the field.

By Gary Campbell
Campbell, with Media Relations & Public Information, can be reached at (480) 965-7209 or (garycamp@asu.edu).