Dec. 9, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Despite the end of the fall academic semester, December is a busy month for UCF Athletics. Listed below are three updates from UCF Athletics featuring the George O' Leary Call-In Show in St. Petersburg, the updated student-athlete Academic Progress Rate (APR) and the top web coverage results for the year.
George O'Leary Show
The next George O'Leary Call-In Show will take place on Friday, Dec. 19 at Ferg's Sports Bar and Grille in St. Petersburg. UCF football fans are encouraged to come to Ferg's Sports Bar and Grille on Central Avenue from 5-6 p.m. to get an exclusive preview on the St. Petersburg Bowl game. For more information on the location please visit fergssportsbar.com.
The show will also be broadcast on 740AM The Game for those in Central Florida who cannot attend in person and streamed for free at UCFAthletics.com.
There is still time to order tickets directly from UCF for the St. Petersburg Bowl and be seated amongst the legion of Knight fans who are making the short trip to Tropicana Field for the game against BIG EAST foe Rutgers on Dec. 19 Go to UCFBowl.com for all of the latest ticket and travel information.
Knights Succeed in the Classroom
UCF has been consistently strong with its Academic Progress Rate standings. The APR is a current assessment of a team's academic success each semester by looking at current academic progress of every student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention and graduation as factors in the rate calculation and provides a much clearer picture of the current academic culture in each sport.
The APR is the base upon which the entire academic-reform structure rests. The system works on a point scale. The APR awards two points each term to student-athletes who meet academic-eligibility standards and who remain with the institution. A team's APR is the total points earned by the team at a given time divided by the total points possible.
Earlier this year, UCF posted an overall average of 962 for all 16 sports. More specifically, football has continually increased each year. Head coach George O'Leary has always kept academics as a first priority for the team. According to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, a nationally-profound extension of UCF's DeVos Sport Business Management Program, the upcoming St. Petersburg Bowl will host two of the strongest academic teams in the country.
UCF football has an APR score of 960 while Rutgers' is a 980. The 970 average between the two universities is the highest of any of the 34 bowl games nationwide this year. With a score of 960 UCF tied LSU for 23rd in the nation.
Web Ratings Increase with Bowl Game
Following the end of the football regular season, UCFAthletics.com received a lot of attention due to bowl game information. According to the Central Florida Weekly Web Traffic Reports on Dec. 1, 53,765 visits were made to UCFAthletics.com. As a non-game day this coverage ranks second during the fall at UCF.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.