TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (May 11) - The FAMU Rattlers baseball team made several strides this season.  On the field, under the guidance of interim head coach Brett Richardson, the Rattlers won 17 games, nearly twice the number of wins a year ago.  Off the field, the Rattlers are taking care of business in the classroom, with two prominent spring graduates on the current team.

Pitcher Andre Dawson (no relation to the hall of fame player), and Tobi Adeyemi earned their college degrees this semester. 

Dawson, graduated with honors, earning a degree in business administration.  Dawson's rotation in the lineup allowed him to skip a road trip with the baseball team to Baltimore, on the day of graduation.  Dawson walked across the stage with several other graduates from FAMU's acclaimed School of Business and Industry.

Adeyemi, the Rattlers' star left fielder, didn't have that option.  He chose to travel with his team in Baltimore, and skip what other students dream about...the walk across the stage and shaking hands with the president of the university.

Derek Horne, FAMU Director of Athletics, decided to surprise Adeyemi on Senior Day.  After each of the five seniors received their traditional framed photos, Adeyemi was hooded with a graduation cap.  FAMU President Dr. James H. Ammons, who made a special appearance for the ceremony, handed Adeyemi his graduation diploma folder.  Adeyemi's mother, Ronke Champion-Adeyemi, was in total shock as she stood next to her son.  After Ammons handed Adeyemi the green graduation folder, he asked him to switch his tassle over to represent graduation.

Adeyemi responded by jubilantly moving his tassle, and throwing his hat in the air, as if he was at a commencement ceremony.  The packed house at Moore-Kittles Field, who came to see the Rattlers face the Troy Trojans, was treated to a baseball game and graduation, all rolled into one.

Of the unusual ceremony, Ammons said he felt compelled to be there.  "I thought it was my responsibility to come out and give honor to a young man who has excelled academically and athletically at the university.  He is an honor graduate, and while I feel he has a future in baseball, I also think he has a future in academia, going on to complete advanced degrees.  I wanted to be there, to be a part of it with him and his family celebrating this milestone in his academic career,'" he said.

Horne, also felt an obligation to the gesture.  Horne said, "That's why they put student before athlete.  It's so important when an athlete comes in and performs in competition and graduates as well.  That let's us know that we're recruiting the right athletes, and putting them in position to be successful."

Ammons and Horne took time to congratulate the young men for their balancing of education and athletics.  Ammons added, "FAMU has been cited by the NCAA for having one of the most improved academic performance rates for our student-athletes and we want to continue to have that designation as one of the universities that graduates their student-athletes."