Buffs Football Graduation Rate Continues To Hit Impressive Numbers

BOULDER — Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre has a simple message for his players that he reiterates constantly.

There is life after football. Use the scholarship opportunity they are given to make sure they are prepared when that moment arrives.

MacIntyre's players have clearly paid close attention. Since his arrival in Boulder, 105 of the 116 players who have reached their senior seasons at CU have earned their diplomas — an eye-popping 90.5 percent.

"Coach Mac does a great job of putting in our heads that there is life after football and making sure we understand that," said former Buffs standout Phillip Lindsay. "... Your body will only last so long, but that degree is forever. You have that opportunity here and you have to take advantage of it."

MacIntyre said he does his best to make sure his players understand the opportunity they have.

"What I tell them is to use football to reach your goals and dreams, get your education, give you a bright future," MacIntyre said. "I explain to them that they can leave school without any debt, with a passion, and the life experience of seeing and accomplishing so many things. It's an opportunity we try to help them achieve."

Lindsay is one of those who took advantage of the opportunity by earning his degree last fall. That gave him the chance to spend this spring preparing for an NFL career, and he ended up signing a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos.

But no matter what happens in that regard, he will have his degree.

"It's something we believe very strongly in — earning a degree," MacIntyre said. "From the minute we start recruiting young men, we stress the importance of taking advantage of the opportunity to get an education and prepare for life after college."

While MacIntyre's players have quite obviously heeded that advice, it is a trend at CU that stretches back before his tenure.

Over the last 17 years, Colorado has had 310 of its 341 seniors graduate. That includes 21 of 24 seniors from the 2017 team and 28 of 31 from the 2016 team — a number that increased by one just last week when former quarterback Sefo Liufau picked up his diploma after returning to school for the spring semester.

Over the last 10 years, 195 of 211 seniors (92.4 percent) have graduated, with eight of the 16 who have yet to pick up a degree still playing in the NFL. Because the NFL is now a year-round endeavor, the task of completing school while still playing football on a full-time basis is much more difficult.

In MacIntyre's tenure, seven of the 11 seniors who have yet to graduate — Kenneth Crawley, Jimmie Gilbert, Tedric Thompson, Josh Tupou, Ahkello Witherspoon, Shay Fields and Bryce Bobo — are all either playing in the NFL or pursuing an opportunity this spring.

"No doubt, we love it when our players have a chance to play in the NFL," MacIntyre said. "For many of them, that has been their dream since they were little kids and it is great to see them have that chance. But even then, we do our best to encourage them to come back and finish their education when they have the opportunity if they haven't already gotten their degree."

Indeed, CU has done an excellent job in recent years in helping former — and current — NFL players return to school and complete their studies.

Two summers ago, former Buffs quarterback Kordell Stewart returned to Boulder for the summer to pick up his degree after an 11-year NFL career.

This spring, along with Liufau, former Buffs defensive lineman Josh Tupou (now with the Cincinnati Bengal) returned to school and is now just one class away from getting his degree.

"When we recruit football players we talk about making a commitment to each other," said Katie Bason, CU's director of football academics. "Our commitment to them goes way beyond football. They know that they aren't just coming to CU to play football and that we will do absolutely everything we can to help make sure they finish what they started on and off the field."

Of course, the best-case scenario is that players earn their degrees before their eligibility is expired. But given the time commitment required to play Division I football, it is not always possible. It's why Bason and the entire Herbst Academic Center staff encourage athletes to return and get their degrees even after their eligibility has expired.

"Our commitment to academics is authentic and doesn't stop when their eligibility is up," Bason said. "Our goal is to have them graduate either before or as their eligibility expires, but they know that if they have to come back they will get the same love and support that they received when they were playing."

Bason said several players from the past several seasons who are currently playing in the NFL — including Crawley, Thompson and Witherspoon — have also worked with her to put together a graduation plan. Another former Buff, Paul Richardson, has also expressed an interest in wrapping up his degree work.

"That degree is always with you," MacIntyre said. "Nothing can take it away. When you leave Colorado, we want our players to be prepared to succeed, and a degree is always going to be a great step in that direction."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu