Three former Texas Longhorn athletes have completed their degrees, after their days playing for the university have been completed. Former football players Michael Griffin, Jaxon Shipley and Cory Redding, and former basketball star, T.J. Ford, have finished their undergraduate degrees and will join the other students graduating this spring.
Per the University’s website: A total of 80 current and former University of Texas student-athletes are projected to participate in commencement exercises on the Forty Acres throughout this coming weekend or are expected to graduate in May or August 2017.
In addition to this list of 80, another 28 UT student-athletes earned their degrees in December 2016 to increase the 2016-17 academic year total to 108 graduates.
Ford, Griffin and Redding will be getting a degree in Youth and Community Studies, while Shipley will receive his degree in Physical Culture and Sports, Coaching specialization.
For Ford, he has always wanted to become and coach, and finish his degree after leaving school in 2003. In an interview with Reporting Texas, “Ford made good on that promise in August, at age 31. He enrolled in 12 hours, working toward a degree in education. He wants to be a coach. “I came here to start my education, and this is the place where I want to finish my education,”
The spring graduates, from the football side, joined a fellow Longhorn to walk across the stage to receiver their diploma during the school year. During the December ceremony former Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams finished his time as a student. The total for the program, for the academic year, finished at 31.
Seeing these former athletes going back to school to finish their degrees after their playing careers have finished up is a great sight. It shows how valuable an education is. And, it shows how no matter what your age is, you can always go back to what you started to finish your journey.
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