June 27, 2002

LUBBOCK, Texas - The American Football Coaches Association has recognized Texas Tech football as one of the nation's top 25 programs in graduating its student-athletes.

For the second-straight year, Texas Tech's graduation rate was higher than 70 percent. Tech, Kansas State and Nebraska were the only schools from the Big 12 recognized as having graduated 70 percent or higher of the 1996-97 freshman class.

"We are obviously proud of all of our graduates within the athletics department," John Anderson, Associate Athletic Director for Student Services, said. "To be recognized by the American Football Coaches Association is not only a credit to our football student-athletes, it also is a credit to my staff, our coaches and the university faculty and staff. It takes a team effort to recruit, retain and to graduate our student-athletes."

The Big East and Big Ten conferences had four schools each recognized followed by the Big 12 (3), Mid-American (3), Southeastern (3), Western Athletic (3), Atlantic Coast (2), Independents (2) and Conference USA (1).

Eighty of the 117 NCAA Division I-A members responded to an AFCA 2002 graduation rate survey. The survey is designed to measure an entering freshman class that received athletically related financial aid from the institution of initial attendance and analyze academic progress over a period of five-plus years. The study involves the freshman class from the academic year of 1996-97, including those who entered at that time, but who did not receive financial aid until after their initial year or who transferred from another institution and subsequently received a grant-in-aid.