Murray State hit with maximum penalty

MURRAY, Ky. -- The Murray State football program received the maximum penalty for academic underperformance as part of the NCAA new academic reform program.

The schools were penalized for scoring under the NCAA-mandated minimum Academic Progress Rate score of 925. Murray's football score was 825.

The APR is determined by using a scoring system that allows scholarship players to earn two points per semester. One point is for returning to school the next term and the other is given for staying academically eligible. The total number of points for the team is then divided by the maximum number of points possible and then multiplied by 1,000.

According to the NCAA, a score of 925 reflects a graduation rate of 60 percent. The average for all Division I programs is 955.

Teams that fall below the NCAA's cutoff line will not be able to replace those scholarships when academically ineligible athletes leave school..

The Racers, who as members of NCAA Division I-AA have 63 scholarships available, were penalized the maximum. The school has until the 2006-07 season to impose the scholarship penalties.

-- AP