The University of Alabama’s student-athletes combined to post a 2.914 grade point average for the fall 2005 semester according to a recent release by Jon Dever, UA’s Assistant AD for Student Services.
“That overall grade point average is remarkable,” said Dever, “and overall, I think we had a very successful fall semester. The fall numbers were better than the cumulative GPA’s (2.872) of all athletes during their academic careers at UA.”
Additionally, 195 student-athletes compiled a 3.0 GPA or better last fall and 11 of the Tide’s 16 sport teams posted a 3.0 or better team grade point average.
“There are teams we’d like to have a little better, but overall, it was a very solid semester. Every women’s team was above a 3.0 and several of the men’s teams were above a 3.0,” Dever added.
Led by the gymnastics team with a 3.677 average, the Crimson Tide’s female student-athletes posted a combined 3.272 GPA last fall.
“That GPA is nearly perfect,” Dever said of the gymnasts’ average, “that is pretty neat to see and when you have all the female sports at 3.27, it is an outstanding showing.”
The Crimson Tide’s male athletes combined for a 2.681 mark led by swimming (3.208) and golf (3.100), with baseball (2.982), basketball (2.748) and track (2.765) not far behind.
The Alabama football team posted a 2.379 average last fall, an average buoyed by 14 players who participated in the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic who had already earned their degrees.
“We are improving in every sport,” Dever said. “Having consistency across the board with our coaching staff is a big help.”
Another factor, Dever said, is the completion of a $10.3 million renovation to Bryant Hall, which is now home to a state-of-the-art academic center for all of Alabama’s 425 student-athletes. The center officially opened in April, 2005 and serves as a tutorial and study facility for Crimson Tide athletes.