Published: February 1, 2008
Modified: January 31, 2008 at 10:40 pm
NORMAN — Renaldo Works played one year of professional football and he'd had enough.
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"I was just tired of it,” the former Oklahoma Sooner running back said. "I was tired of getting hit.”
So after a season split between the NFL's Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans, Works faced the question many athletes face when they reach the end of their athletic career: What now?
That's when Works learned about OU's Degree Completion Program, which is designed to help former student-athletes complete their degrees or attend graduate school after their athletic eligibility has expired.
Last week, the National Consortium for Academics and Sports announced that Oklahoma received the award for ranking No. 1 on the Degree Completion Honor Roll for the 2006-07 school year with 81 students-athletes returning to complete degrees.
Ohio State ranked No. 2 with 70 and Kentucky was next at 57. Only 33 universities in the country had 10 or more students return to complete degrees.
"There is a national effort to return student-athletes to the university to complete their degrees, or to make opportunities available for them to go on to graduate degrees,” said Dr. Gerald Gurney, OU's senior associate athletics director for academics and student life. "In the past three years we've had 110 student-athletes return to complete degrees.
"It's one of the things we're most proud of here. We wanted to make a commitment to bring them back, and this was our most successful year. This isn't something that should be viewed as a competition, but it's nice to have a trophy.”
Aid for the program is made available through a variety of funds, one of which is the Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund, distributed to universities by the NCAA.
The fund has been used at OU to supplement degree completion efforts for the past three years, a decision made jointly by the athletics department administration and a group of current student-athletes who comprise the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Council.
And you don't have to be a former football star to be welcomed into the Degree Completion Program.
Myria Houlihan, a former high-jumper for the OU track team, used the funds available through the SAOF to begin work on her law degree.
The Dallas native wanted to remain at OU to study, but without her athletic scholarship, the cost of out-of-state tuition would be too much.
"My decision was going to be economically based,” Houlihan said. "Through the post-eligibility scholarship, I was able to stay.
"The support staff is amazing. I always try to go by Dr. Gurney's office to shake his hand and say ‘thanks' because of this opportunity. I call him Santa Claus, because of what he has done for me.”
One of the program's requirements is that each student commits to 50 hours of community service each semester — something that turns out to be more enjoyment than requirement.
"I'm in Big Brothers/Big Sisters and my little brother — his family is like my second family,” Houlihan said. "It's a great experience, and not just because it's something you have to do. It becomes something you really enjoy.”
After two-and-a-half years in the NFL and multiple injuries, former OU football player Wes Sims decided to retire from the game. He immediately returned to school and is nearing completion of a business degree.
"It was like I never left,” the Weatherford native said. "I went to school, left for the NFL, came back and went right back to class. It'll be nice to finally graduate in May.”
When Works, a Tulsa native, returned to OU, he first had to complete the final semester of his bachelor's degree in business. Now, he is a semester away from completing his master's degree in entrepreneurship. He is working for a drilling company in Seminole with hopes of one day running his own oil rigs.
"The university has been so good to me,” he said. "They helped me come back, helped me in reaching some of my short-term goals and they're helping me get my MBA.”
For those who play professionally, the Degree Completion Program is only considered a safety net while they're still playing.
"A lot of guys think they're gonna play professional football forever,” Works said. "But on average, most guys only play four or five years, then you have to join the rest of society.”
At that point, there's a mental hurdle many players must clear before they're willing to go back to school.
"A lot of guys don't want to go back because of pride,” he said. "They don't want to feel like they didn't succeed. It's scary to go back feeling like that, especially going back to the same place where you were seen as a hero.”
But Works and Sims agree it isn't as bad as they might have feared.
"Everyone is supportive,” Sims said. "I had the goal of playing in the NFL. Now I'm done with that and I'm setting new goals. The people here are helping me get ready to go after those.
"Hopefully I'll be able to return the favor someday.”
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This is very good news. I am always amazed hearing about the stories of the older OU alums from the Wilkinson era who didn't have professional sport stardom, but who build something away from the field that is lasting. In turn, they will be the one's who build businesses and will have the ability to give back to the university years down the line. That is how you build a strong and supportive alumni base. It takes a strong leadership for the university to see the potential long term payoff even after these guys have used up their eligibility. I imagine many universities wash their hands of these guys and gals after the cycle through and really don't give themselves the opportunity to build something lasting.
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Former Sooner running back Renaldo Works returned to OU after a season in the NFL and is now working on a master's degree. the oklahoman archive
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