It is with great pleasure that we share with you all of the opportunities Princeton University provides for our student athletes. When you think of Princeton, one word should come to mind: EXCELLENCE. Princeton demands excellence in everything with which the University is associated.
Academically, Princeton focuses on the undergraduate. Professors teach the lectures and make themselves available to answer questions during office hours for the more than 4600 undergraduates. In addition, the average number of students in each lecture is 23 and the student to professor ratio is 6:1. Further, many classes feature precepts, which are forums for small group discussions. This gives students an additional opportunity to interact on a personal level with their professor. Our students are not numbers here because our professors get to know them on a personal level. Many professors attend our games, and our team functions, and some even travel with our team to away games.
Our 97% graduation rate among our football players attests to our outstanding student support system that has tutors and study groups readily available to our athletes. If a student-athlete chooses Princeton to play football, he will graduate in four years.
From the earliest days of the university when it once served as the capital of the colonies, to today, when it is one of the finest educational institutions in the world, Princeton University has been at the forefront of the educational frontier. Princeton's record of placing its most recent graduates in either their preferred field of employment or postgraduate program of study is outstanding. The university's network of alumni is tight-knit and active, and its annual reunions before graduation are legendary.
Many student-athletes want to know how they will relate to the general student population. First, Princeton supports 38 varsity teams, and therefore, a large percentage of the general student population is involved in athletics. In addition, we encourage the football players to get involved in numerous campus activities such as student government, musical groups, theatre, eating club administration, and community service to name a few. Socially, our players integrate themselves very well within the student body.
Princeton boasts excellence in its rich football tradition. Princeton was the birthplace of collegiate football in 1869, when the first game was played between Princeton and Rutgers. The famous football helmet design was started by Princeton Coach Fritz Crisler, who later took it to Michigan, where it became one of the most recognized designs in college football.
When student-athletes join the football team, they are not only joining a winning football tradition, but are also joining one of the most successful athletic programs in the country. Princeton's Football Team has won 28 national championships (more than any other college in the nation), as well as 9 Ivy League championships. Princeton’s Football Team is a member of the exclusive group of schools to have a Heisman Trophy winner. Princeton has had 92 first team All-Americans and 142 first team All-Ivy selections. In addition, Princeton is the only non-scholarship institution ever to rank in the Top 25 for the Sears Cup Award given for overall excellence in university athletic programs – an honor Princeton has achieved multiple times. The Princeton football team has performed with excellence in the past and present, and will continue to strive for excellence in the future.
Princeton works hard to help its students achieve excellence by providing them with the best facilities possible. This is reflected in the Frist Campus Center, the addition of new dormitories, as well as refurbishing of the older dormitories, state of the art laboratories including the new Lewis-Sigler Center of Integrated Genomics and of course our new stadium.
The $45 million stadium provides our players with the best I-AA facility in the country. The stadium seats nearly 30,000 and our attendance consistently ranks among the I-AA leaders. Further, we have our locker room and the state of the art football weight facility right in the stadium. Our athletic facilities are among the nation's best and help our athletes develop their full potential.
Many football players have aspirations of playing in the NFL but are afraid if they attend a non-scholarship school, the NFL scouts will overlook them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Princeton has had 30 players play in the NFL and currently has multiple players on NFL rosters. In addition, numerous Princeton alums currently work either in the front office or coach for a number of NFL franchises.
Princeton can be a great springboard to the NFL for a number of additional reasons. First, you can play at the varsity level earlier in your career and therefore, get more actual game experience. Second, because you are playing earlier in your career, you can generate statistics that will attract NFL scouts. Third, you will definitely play as a freshman because we play a full junior varsity schedule every year. So if you are not quite ready for the varsity, you can still improve your game skills at an accelerated rate.
In closing, when a student-athlete chooses a college, they should realize that they are not making a decision simply concerning the next four years - it is in fact a decision that concerns the rest of their life. At Princeton, our students are surrounded by good people who are striving for excellence in all facets of their lives and it is amongst this community that life-long friendships will be developed.
When you choose Princeton to continue your academic and athletic careers, you get the best of both worlds: A prestigious degree and a winning tradition. At Princeton, you will achieve excellence in everything you do.
Sincerely,
Bob Surace
