Bucknell University Athletics
Celebration of Bucknell Athletics: The Bison Scholar-Athlete
4/29/2004 8:00:00 AM | General
April 29, 2004
On May 1 at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell University held a special gala dinner, entitled "Celebration of Bison Athletics: The Bison Scholar-Athlete." More than 400 guests attended the event, which honored the scores of Bucknell student-athletes, past and present, who helped their alma mater become a national model for upholding the scholar-athlete ideal. Among the guests of honor were members of the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame, past Academic All-Americans, members of the university's Board of Trustees and many past and present coaches and team captains.
Special guest speakers included university president Steffen Rogers, vice president for student affairs Charlie Pollock, director of athletics and recreation John Hardt, volleyball co-captain Brandi Trapasso '04 and former football captain and Academic All-American David "Whitey" Berardinelli '93. The evening concluded with remarks from keynote speaker John Feinstein, the noted author whose book The Last Amateurs chronicled a season of Patriot League basketball.
Each of these speakers agreed on a common theme: that Bucknell University simply sets the standard of excellence in combining scholarship and athletics. For a sampling of comments from the May 1 celebration, CLICK HERE.
Following are just some of the accomplishments that were celebrated at the event (updated July 2006).
^ Bucknell LED THE NATION in graduation rates in the 2003 survey conducted by the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Education. Bucknell graduated 100% of the student-athletes who entered school in 1996. It is the third time Bucknell has led the nation in graduation rates.
^ In 2005-06 Bucknell captured the Patriot League Presidents' Cup, signifying the league's all-sports champion, for the 12th time in the 16-year history of the affiliation. On the strength of a school-record eight championships in women's soccer, men's basketball, women's swimming & diving, women's cross country, women's indoor track & field, women's outdoor track & field, men's golf and women's rowing, Bucknell captured the cup for the eighth time in the last nine years. In addition, the Bison also captured the women's cup for the 12th time, setting league records for points and margin of victory. For all-time Presidents' Cup results, CLICK HERE.
^ Bucknell has claimed 102 Patriot League Scholar-Athletes since joining the league in 1990-91, more than twice the next-highest total. For a complete listing of Patriot League Scholar-Athletes, CLICK HERE.
^ Bucknell ranks fourth among all Division I teams in total number of Academic All-Americans with 113 since 1970. Only Nebraska, Notre Dame and Penn State can claim more. For a list of Bucknell's all-time Academic All-Americans and Academic All-District selections, CLICK HERE.
^ Bucknell student-athletes comprised nearly one-fourth of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in 2005-06. A record total of 330 Bison recorded a GPA of 3.2 or higher during their sport's season of competition. Among all BU student-athletes, 239 made the Dean's List with GPAs of 3.5 or better in the spring of 2006. For the most recent listing of Bucknell's Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Dean's List honorees, CLICK HERE.
^ In addition to the 113 Academic All-Americans produced since 1970, Bucknell has also claimed 236 Academic All-District honorees over the same span.
^ With eight more Patriot League championships in 2005-06, Bucknell has now earned 59 crowns in 16 years in the league. In addition, Bucknell has had 79 conference players of the year, 71 coaches of the year and a whopping 414 individual Patriot League champions from sports such as cross country, track & field, swimming & diving, tennis and golf.
