MOUNT PLEASANT - Success was not limited to the playing field for the 2007 Mid-American Conference champion Central Michigan football team.

As a team, the Chippewas posted a 2.73 grade-point average during the fall 2007 semester. The team's cumulative GPA following the fall semester is 2.82. A total of 69 players earned at least a 2.5 grade-point average during the fall semester, including 41 who were above a 3.0. Three individuals posted a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall semester while balancing academic and athletic responsibilities.

The fall 2007 semester marked the second consecutive grading period in which CMU showed improvement in the classroom. During the spring 2007 semester, 53 members of the program recorded at least a 2.5 GPA. The fall 2006 semester, which coincided with the 2006 football season, saw the football team post a 2.30 grade-point average.

CMU's freshman class boasted a 2.71 GPA during the fall semester, up from a 2.24 GPA recorded by the 2006 freshmen during their first semester on campus. Eight freshmen posted at least a 3.0 GPA during their first semester.

Twenty-five student-athletes who have eligibility remaining for the 2008 season carry a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0.

The Chippewas claimed six Academic All-Mid-American Conference honorees in 2007. It marked the second consecutive season in which CMU has led the MAC in both All-MAC and Academic All-MAC selections. CMU also placed a conference-high four individuals on the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District squad.

CMU's academic success is not limited to the football program. CMU student-athletes have won the MAC Institutional Academic Achievement Award in 10 of the last 11 years. The award is presented annually to the athletic department with the highest cumulative GPA among its student-athletes.