Bulldogs excelled in the classroom while they excelled on the ice in 2011-12

By Michael Caples –

The 2011-12 season was one for the ages in Big Rapids.

The Ferris State Bulldogs were the ‘Cinderella Story’ of the NCAA Division 1 Ice Hockey Tournament that year, making a run all the way to the national title game in Tampa. After being CCHA regular-season champions, they made it all the way to their first Frozen Four in school history, and came up just short in the final game.

Yet some of the people around the FSU hockey program are going to be just as proud about a No. 8 finish off the ice as they will be of the No. 2 finish on it.

The NCAA recently released their Academic Progress Rates (APR) for their hockey programs, and the Bulldogs finished No. 8 in the nation for the 2011-12 season.

Ferris State finished behind only Brown, Colorado College, Dartmouth, Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Bentley in the academic assessment, which  used data from the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, along with eligibly requirements and scholarship athlete retention.

“The APR is an indicator of student-athletes staying for four years and leaving with a degree,” said FSU head coach Bob Daniels in a release on the Bulldogs’ official site.  “A lot of credit goes to Associate Head Coach Drew Famulak for recruiting kids who value the opportunity to play hockey and receive a quality education while leaving with a degree.

“It’s also a reflection on the emphasis of our athletics department in achieving excellence both in competition and in the classroom.”

The average score for men’s ice hockey teams was 983, which was the best score amongst all NCAA sports. Three other CCHA schools cracked the top 25 – Ohio State finished at No. 10, Notre Dame finished at No. 19, and Lake Superior State finished at No. 23.

It was the Bulldogs’ fifth straight season of APR score improvement, as well.

Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Chad Billins was the CCHA’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2012.