Oklahoma's football program goes out of its way to avoid troubles like the situation at Ohio State University.
Ohio State suspended running back Maurice Clarett for an unspecified length of time. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported before the season that Clarett could be out as many as six games. Now, head coach Jim Tressel is saying the suspension will be "significant."
OU's players have avoided off-the-field problems involving academics.
A lot of the classroom success of OU athletes can be attributed to Dr. Gerald Gurney and Teresa Turner at the Prentice Gautt Academic Center. The efforts of everyone involved there keep OU players from getting in trouble for something not related to football.
"I know they work hard at [academics]," head coach Bob Stoops said. "We do the best we can. We don't claim to be better or worse than anyone else. We've been fortunate that things have worked pretty well for us."
Yesterday, the NCAA published its graduation rates. OU student-athletes'graduation rate was 74 percent. That represents a 40 percent increase from the last report. OU's was the best rate among Big 12 teams. The football team's graduation rate was 65 percent, ranking second in the conference behind Baylor.
Gurney is the associate athletic director and supervises the 60-70 part-time tutors and four advisers at the academic center.
"We've demonstrated through our last graduation rate that student athletes that remain at the university and take advantage of our programs succeed," Gurney said.
The efforts of Gurney and advisers like Turner help players like defensive tackle Kory Klein.
"Here it's something we focus on," Klein said. "When you report for fall camp, all the academic counselors and all those folks come down and focus on getting to class and making sure you have all the help you need. Coach Stoops and the rest of the coaching staff know that we're here to get an education first and play football second."
Klein is a member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll. Klein says awards like that can erase the stereotypes others have of athletes.
"You can prove them wrong and show that you're not just some dumb jock," Klein said.
Klein said he spends just as much time in the classroom as he does on the practice field. Studying and preparing for tests adds to his workload. Skipping class may be a temptation for other overloaded students. For the football players, especially the freshmen, skipping is not an option.
"All [freshman] class attendance is monitored daily," co-defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "They're required 10 additional study hall hours, and many of them seek more. There's a real checks-and-balances system that's in place at Oklahoma that doesn't allow players to slip through the cracks."
Kline said the position coaches make sure the older players are responsible academically.
Those tutors keep the players from shifting their focus away from their classes. By not allowing their players to lose focus academically, the Sooners keep their players on the field.
"We've made a real financial commitment to our players with the staffing and quality of the staff," Venables said. "The resources they have in the academic learning center are second to none. I really believe that at Oklahoma you'd have to make a concerted effort to fail."
The Prentice Gautt Academic Center is where the players meet with those advisers. There they can also be mentored and receive career counseling. The center provides skills for more than academics.
"Our focus is to help our student athletes graduate from the university with academic integrity," Gurney said. "Our focus is on providing life skills to contribute to the working world."
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