The Vanderbilt football program received the 2008 Academic Achievement Award from the American Football Coaches Association during the 2009 AFCA Convention in Nashville. Commodore Head Coach Bobby Johnson accepted the trophy that recognizes graduate rate successes on the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.

Representatives of the AFCA and sponsoring Touchdown Club of Memphis were on hand to present the trophy to Johnson. The Vanderbilt program was recognized for graduating 95 percent of its 2001 freshman class, the highest graduation rate among all 119 FBS teams.

“I am tremendously proud to accept this trophy on behalf of our student-athletes and entire staff,” Johnson said. “Earning this trophy says a tremendous amount about our football program and Vanderbilt University.

“This recognition goes hand-in-hand with our expectations of young men entering our program. We work to reach their potential in athletics and we work to see them succeed in the classroom. Accepting this award and earning a bowl victory says that we have success in both areas,” Johnson added.
Officials of the AFCA and Touchdown Club of Memphis praised the Commodore program.

“Vanderbilt has always placed great emphasis on academics. This year Bobby Johnson proved that you can be a winner on the field and a winner academically,” AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff said.

“Congratulations to Coach Johnson and Vanderbilt University,” Touchdown Club of Memphis board member Bill Harper said. “College football should be about the student-athlete, and every coach ought to be striving to win this award. Coach Johnson and his staff are obviously working toward that goal.”  

This marks the third time that Vanderbilt has received the Academic Achievement Award since the AFCA started the award in 1981. The Commodores previously shared the honor with Boston College in 1996 and Notre Dame in 2001, and have been an annual contender for the prestigious trophy. In 2007, Vanderbilt narrowly missed sharing the honor, finishing third behind co-winners Northwestern and Notre Dame.