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Bulldogs enjoy academic success

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By Tom Uribes

The Fresno State football team's success in its first two games of the season, with victories over Colorado and then No.10-ranked Oregon State, brought national media attention to the campus last week.

But Coach Pat Hill's success with his athletes extends to the classroom also thanks to his Academic Gameplan, developed by assistant coach John Baxter shortly after Hill came to Fresno State as a head coach four years ago.

Sporting his first senior class this year at 20 strong, Hill has hit it big with all 20 graduated or near graduation. Six of the seniors already have graduated. Seven more will complete coursework at the end of this fall semester. The other seven complete their studies in May.

Steve Weakland, associate athletic director of Sports Media Relations at Fresno State, said that ESPN Gameday was expected to feature the Academic Gameplan last Saturday as part of its coverage of the Wisconsin game. Gameday airs on Saturday mornings.

Just days after being named the Bulldogs' head coach in 1997, Hill scored a coup by luring Baxter to his coaching staff - but it was as much for Baxter's experience as an educator as for the national reputation he has earned coaching special teams.

"When it comes to academics and football, he's as good as anybody in the country," Hill said.

The two worked side by side at the University of Arizona in the early 1990s, when Hill witnessed first-hand the impact Baxter's Academic Gameplan had on the players in the Wildcats' football program. Now, Fresno State football players are reaping the benefits of the innovative study-skills program developed and patented by Baxter, who earned a master's degree in higher education in 1987.

Originally designed to improve the academic success of student-athletes, the fundamentals and techniques taught in the Academic Gameplan can be utilized by all students who want to succeed or improve in the classroom.

"The Academic Gameplan eliminates the trial-and-error process for students and instead provides solid fundamentals and simple, effective strategies for learning," said Baxter, whose program has been adopted and put into practice at a number of other universities across the country.

During last week's excitement after the Oregon win, several major media organizations invaded the Fresno State campus: ESPN, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.

Back to University Journal, 9/10/01 Issue