November 27, 2005
Diploma mill stocking Division I rosters
According to a New York Times report, a Miami area diploma mill has helped at least fourteen players make the grade at big-time, Division I football programs, including Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, Colorado State, and FSU.
The school, University High School, occupies two rooms between a Starbucks and an animal hospital, and boast three desks & diplomas for $399, no matter how many courses. Founded by a man who plead guilty to mail fraud (for fake diplomas), it is currently owned by a 27-year0old man wanted by the courts in Florida.
Interestingly enough, the school is in good standing with the Better Business Bureau.
The New York Times identified 14 who had signed with 11 Division I football programs: Auburn, Central Florida, Colorado State, Florida, Florida State, Florida International, Rutgers, South Carolina State, South Florida, Tennessee and Temple.University High, which has no classes and no educational accreditation, appears to have offered the players little more than a speedy academic makeover - and illustrates that even as the NCAA presses for academic reforms, its loopholes are quickly recognized and exploited.
In the case of University High, the athletes were grateful that its classes gave them an opportunity to qualify for college, although many acknowledged that they learned little.
Lorenzo Ferguson, a second-year defensive back at Auburn, said he left Miami Southridge High School for University High, where after one month he had raised his average to 2.6 from 2.0.
"You take each course you failed in ninth or 10th grade," he said. "If it was applied math, you do them on the packets they give you. It didn't take that long. The answers were basically in the book."
The NCAA has allowed students to use correspondence school courses to meet eligibility requirements since 2000. That year, the NCAA also shifted the power to determine which classes count as core courses to high school administrators. In doing so, it essentially left schools to determine their own legitimacy.
...
The man who founded University High School and owned it until last year, Stanley J. Simmons, served 10 months in a federal prison camp from 1989 to 1990 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud for his involvement with a college diploma mill in Arizona.
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In 2004, Simmons sold University High to Michael R. Kinney, its director. Kinney, 27, who was arrested on a marijuana possession charge in 2003 and is wanted on a bench warrant, declined to comment, despite requests by phone, fax and visits to his apartment.
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Former students said in interviews that courses consisted of picking up work packets from University High and completing them at home. Grades they received on the packets counted the same on their transcripts as a yearlong high school course.
"If it was history, they had the story with the questions right next to it," Simpson said. "They were one-page stories. It wasn't really hard."
Among the players identified by name in the article:
Auburn: DB Lorenzo Ferguson & WB Ulysses Alexander
Tennessee: DB Demetrice Morley
Florida: TE Dane Guthrie (since transferred to Arizona State)
Temple: QB Philip Simpson
Comments:
cware said:
posted on November 27, 2005 9:38 PM — 68.59.109.33 — link — abuse?
Wow, this is crazy. How long has this mill been running? At least none of these players play any significan time in games. Morley probably plays the most. I guess teams have to require your diploma to be certified by an independent source.
tmape said:
posted on November 29, 2005 10:48 AM — 68.214.96.46 — link — abuse?
Dane Guthrie came to Florida, realized he was out of his league as far as academics, and transferred immediately. Ron Zook brought him in and old Daner can be chalked up as yet another mistake by the Zooker - beside that gay haircut.
Josh Centor said:
posted on November 29, 2005 5:16 PM — 149.165.251.66 — link — abuse?
As a staff member at the NCAA, I have had the opportunity to experience a lot of the great things the Association does for its more than 360,000 student-athletes. I am a former NCAA student-athlete myself, and have been the beneficiary of numerous opportunities because of that experience.
That said, the situation at University High School is utterly appalling. It gives intercollegiate athletics a bad reputation, and that is truly upsetting.
I am hopeful that NCAA institutions will take this as a wake-up call and review their admissions policies. I am confident the NCAA will also take a strong stance on this issue and do everything it can to fix the problem.
Student-athletes add a tremendous amount to campus environments, but they need to be able to succeed in the classroom. Academics must be the focus, and for the most part it is – NCAA student-athletes graduate at a higher rate than students from the regular population.
I have written more extensively on this topic on the NCAA’s blog: www.doubleazone.com.
notre dame 444 said:
posted on December 29, 2005 4:29 PM — 71.114.96.122 — link — abuse?
Is this really a surprise ????? Have you seen most of these school's give interviews ???? They can barley put a sentence together.........Football and asses in the seats is all that matters ????? Graduation rate, what graduation rate, most of these schools figured that the kid graduated from High School, and that was good enough. Look at how many 5th yr seniors are around, without a degree or their degree is in general studies. Heck the USC quarterback's only class this fall is ballroom dancing...........Education at it's best !!!!!
Tommie Trojan said:
posted on December 29, 2005 7:37 PM — 208.57.130.196 — link — abuse?
The USC QB (Leinart) is basically already graduated, moron! He did it in four years. Your lucky he is graduated also - as he won't be around to destroy your team next year. But, sad for you, somebody else will be. And, you'll be in the Coliseum next time. And, moron, USC has just as good of acedemics as Notre Dame does. Not anybody just gets to go to USC. It's funny, moron, Notre Dame is always trying to recruit the same guys that we are. What does your lerned mind tell you about that. Leinart went to a Catholic high school. Bet you didn't know that. And, I'll bet you anything that Notre Dame was trying to recruit him. Too bad for you that they did not succeed - or you could be lookin' down the barrel of three straight National Championships instead of SC'. Fight On!
Tommie Trojan
Notre Dame Fan 444 said:
posted on December 30, 2005 7:28 AM — 199.208.239.140 — link — abuse?
If the player has already graduated then he should be taking graduate courses in "grad school" but I don't see that listed. Just because ND recruits a player does not mean that he will get past ND's admissions. Look at the graduation rate of USC's atheletes and compare it to ND's and you see the difference. Your QB is a redshirt Senior not a true senior, so he should have graduated already. And oh yes, just about anyone can get into SC as long as they can put asses in the seats.....And yes, SC does put asses in the seats. I'm glad that USC is having great success on the football field. It's amazing how you can stick out your chest with pride for about 3 years, seems how the football program was not even on the radar screen from 1982-2000,(Robinson, Tollner, Hackett) And that includes Marcus Allen. And yes, ND will play USC next year, if the streak is still around, it will end on that night. Go Longhorns and remember you can't spell SUCK without the U.S.C !!!!! Or do you prefer Southern Cal, because on the east coast U.S.C. stands for Univeristy of South Carolina. As far as a kid going to a Catholic school what difference does that make, most students at Notre Dame are Methodist. As for me being a moron, you have stated that you could remember back in 1965 when you were 8 years old all the great USC players. Let's see doing the math that would make you about 48 yrs old. I guess you have nothing better to do then to defend "your" great university, which you probably didn't get to go to. Middle age crisis at it's best.........
Tommie Trojan said:
posted on December 30, 2005 9:57 AM — 208.57.130.196 — link — abuse?
Right! Wasn't smart enough to get in. You know something, ND444: I have always had respect for ND, but after reading your idiot diatribe, I think that I am just gonna have to start to hate ND like everyone else does. If you are the kind of fan that they have generally - that team doesn't deserve to ever win a game. I was gonna root for ND to beat OSU - as they are our longstanding rivals. But, I hope that OSU buries your pathetic team. And, we'll just see next year, Big Boy! One lucky game does not mean your gonna get lucky again. We'll take your pathetic team a little more seriously next year and then we'll see what happens.
Tommie Trojan
Notre Dame Fan 444 said:
posted on December 30, 2005 1:47 PM — 199.208.239.140 — link — abuse?
Tommie Trojan-
As for your last comment #7 about looking down the barrel of three straight SC Championships that is no big deal. Sitting in Iraq and staring down the barrel of a real opposing enemy is more important to me. I just blog in to talk sh*t, most of you guys think this bloging stuff is real. Well sleep tight in your warm blanket, that same blanket I provide you that protection of, as I stand watch over you. So make fun all you will of ND playing Navy, Air Force or Army, but at least my "band of brothers" are doing something.
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eddie said:
posted on November 27, 2005 12:50 PM — 65.34.215.90 — link — abuse?People call Antron Wright the "street agent" and he was responsible for Bobby Washington going to N.C. State.