Feb. 26, 2009
By Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The term “dumb jock” isn’t just politically incorrect at the University of New Mexico. The phrase is extinct.
You have about as much of a chance of finding an academically challenged athlete roaming around the Lobos’ athletic complex as you would finding a near-sighted T-Rex. And the Lobos work hard to keep this extinction and this distinction alive.
The combined grade point average (GPA) of the Lobos’ 21 athletic teams for the 2008 fall semester was 3.14 – a school record. And this fact is equally as impressive: The Lobos have reached a GPA of 3.0 or better for 12 of the past 13 semesters.
“It starts with the coaches and the administration,” said Henry Villegas, a UNM assistant athletics director in charge of academic services. “We provide the support and the direction, but the coaches have to provide the discipline. The coaches accept that their athletes are students first and they are very active in holding the kids accountable.”
The grades for Lobo athletes were phenomenal for the fall of 2008, especially when you consider what athletes have to go through in order to be successful on the competitive arena and in the classroom. It’s not easy.
The Lobos have vigorous and demanding training schedules plus lots of travel and actual events. Plus, there is stress that comes from being a student-athlete. Heck, sometimes you are just too sore and tired to study.
“It’s difficult being a student-athlete and maybe more difficult being in New Mexico because the amount of travel is often more than other teams,” said Kit Vela, the Lobos’ women’s soccer coach whose team has reached a 3.25 GPA for seven consecutive semesters.
“We had eight freshmen traveling and it’s even more difficult for a freshman in a fall sport. All of a sudden you are in college for the first time and all of a sudden you are being thrown to the dogs (traveling/competing).
“With the amount of work we expect from them, the amount of traveling we do, the level of competition we expect from them, well, that’s a lot to ask while maintaining grades.”
Coach Jeff Nelson’s volleyball team was tested this past September with 11 road matches vs. no home matches that month. His team turned in a 3.29 with four 4.0s.
“That was pretty impressive with how much we traveled,” said Nelson. “I was pretty proud of them. It can be hard on an athlete with all that travel, but they are on task, they know the expectations and they get after it.”
Another example of team travel is baseball. The Lobos missed approximately 17 school days in 2008 and will miss around 19 this spring. Coach Ray Birmingham’s Lobos turned in a 3.17 – the program’s highest ever GPA.
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“I don’t need an NCAA rule for me to ride my kids about grades. I believe in developing a whole man. You send me your kid and I’ll give you back a man you can be proud of.” Lobo baseball coach Ray Birmingham |
“This isn’t by accident,” said Birmingham. “This is a mandatory bar that baseball will always have while I’m around. I believe in school first and program second.
“I don’t need an NCAA rule for me to ride my kids about grades. I believe in developing a whole man. You send me your kid and I’ll give you back a man you can be proud of. My guys are going on to be doctors and lawyers and CPAs and teachers, whatever, but they are going to be solid members of a community.”
Nelson, Vela, Birmingham and all the UNM coach also know the importance of chasing down successful students while looking for winning athletes. Lobos have to maintain their eligibility in order to compete in their sports, but UNM looks for kids that overachieve in both arenas.
“For 99 percent of athletes, education is why they are here,” said Nelson. “There are very few athletes who will go pro. When you recruit kids, you are after high-achievers and that means both in the classroom and on the court. You want kids with goals, character, integrity.”
Said Vela: “I think there is a correlation between what a kid does in class and what a kid achieves on the field. We look at grades almost as much as we look at what they can do on the field. I think, in general, student-athletes are overachievers.”
Vela also makes another good point about Lobo students: “It’s hard to fail here. There is too much support.”
Henry Villegas said there has been numerous changes in the Lobos academic staff and philosophy. He said UNM now has a freshman experience course specifically designed to provide incoming freshmen athletes with the needed structure and support to make the jump from high school to college.
UNM also has a student support and service center located at the northwest corner of University and Caesar Chavez. The athletic department has a learning specialist to help Lobo athletes with learning disabilities.
“The general public doesn’t realize how difficult it is to be a student-athlete,” said Vela. “This is a job. It’s a fun job. But with all the time we ask them to put into a sport, it’s still a job.”
The general public might also think about this GPA thing the next time they think about a Lobo jock. The Lobo athletes represent your university. They represent your state. And they do it in a way that should make all Lobo fans appreciative, proud and supportive.