HIBBING, Minn.
Hibbing Community College announced Wednesday it has suspended its football program indefinitely because of the poor academic performance of its players.
The school will use the $50,000 to $60,000 it has spent annually on football to increase diversity programs on campus.
According to school statistics, the grade point average for the 285 football players who have been on Hibbing’s teams from 2000-01 to 2005-06 is 1.81. A minimum of 2.0 is needed to be eligible for sports.
Provost Kenneth Simberg said classroom performance of the football team “is significantly below that of other sports.” The baseball team had the next lowest team GPA over that time, with 2.53.
Meanwhile, 90 percent of all football players have needed to take “developmental” or remedial courses. And to stay eligible for sports, players must earn 12 credits a semester — on average, football players earned half that.
As a result, less than two of every five football players came back for a second year.
