UM ranks high in study of athletic departments

College Report

An independent study has ranked the University of Maine Athletic Department 39th in the country among the 192 Division I (I-A or I-AA) schools which play football.

The study is called the “Gourman Report,” and was prepared by University of California professor Jack Gourman.

The criteria Gourman used for ranking the schools included quality of administration, support services and facilities, departmental auspices and control, educational opportunities, quality of students’ scholastic work and graduation rates, admissions requirements, coaching, financing, of instruction.

Gourman attaches numerical values to each of the 10 categories. The results make for interesting reading.

According to Gourman, the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) offers the best athletic department in the country with a score of 4.86. The Wolverines are followed by Stanford (4.83), Notre Dame (4.82), Duke (4.80), Princeton (4.78), and Pennsylvania (4.75).

Perhaps more interesting are those ranked at the bottom of the list.

The worst Division I, football-playing athletic department in the country, according to Gourman, is at Southern Methodist University in Texas (0.98). Just above SMU is Miami, Fla. (1.01), Oklahoma State (1.03), Texas A&M (1.04), Nevada-Las Vegas (1.05), Cal State-Long Beach (1.06), and Maryland (1.07).

Maine received a score of 3.71, ranking just ahead of No. 40 Lehigh (3.66) and just behind No. 38 Delaware (3.74).

Of interest: Maine ranks sixth among non-Ivy League I-AA institutions. Included in the schools ranked behind Maine are New England rivals Massachusetts (50th), Northeastern (54th), Rhode Island (57th), New Hampshire (62nd), and Connecticut (73rd).

“We are indeed very pleased to be listed near the top 20 percent of all Division I institutions in the country,” said UM Athletic Director Kevin White.

Some of the big schools ranked behind Maine include North Carolina (41st), Syracuse (44th), Ohio State (71st), Villanova (80th), and Michigan State (153rd). – – –

Husson College basketball center Buster Frederick of Hartford, Conn., was recently named an honorable mention NAIA All-American. The 6-foot-6 Frederick completed his career for the Braves by averaging 15 points and 11.5 rebounds per game last season, helping the team to a 26-13 record.

Frederick, the only three-time captain in Husson history, finished as the No. 2 scorer in Husson history with 1,846 career points. He trailed only Dana Wilson (2,471). Frederick is the Braves’ all-time career leader in rebounding (1,382), steals (327), and games played (126).

As a senior, Frederick was named to the All-Maine and All-Western Maine Athletic Conference teams. He was the District 5 Tournament MVP, as well as MVP of the team.