In today's colleges and universities, everyone is looking for that winning combination. Football coaches look for a good offensive line to protect the quarterback, open holes for running backs and give wide receivers time to go downfield. Basketball coaches look for a good point guard to direct the team, pass to the shooting guard and keep the big men in the game. Baseball coaches want a good shortstop, second baseman and power hitter. The winning combination means getting the right people in the right place at the right time.

This is true in sports as well as in life. So much of our success in life depends on how well our skills have been developed. The winning combination is especially important for student-athletes, since their success in competition depends on their success as a team. But to student-athletes, the winning combination is as important in the classroom as it is on the playing field.

In the classroom, creating the winning combination is sometimes difficult for the student-athlete. He or she doesn't think of the history or chemistry teacher as a coach. But they are. There is a playbook, the textbook for the course, and the Xs and Os are the lesson plans that have a sequence to learning. For many student-athletes, the textbook is tough to follow. The author's strategy is not always apparent.

Some student-athletes may learn best in teams. They learn by trial and error. They learn early in their careers that they must perform a skill repeatedly to get it right. Teachers must sense this when they teach student-athletes. Unfortunately, some university professors do not have the time to do hands-on coaching with student-athletes. They just lecture, assign reading and give exams. Many do not encourage student-athletes to practice their academic skills, such as taking notes, listening, writing and using the library or the university academic support programs.

Since some student-athletes are deficient in those skills, they have difficulty finding a winning combination in the classroom. That's the reason many student-athletes feel alienated from the classroom. They do not know how to compete in the classroom. When they make a mistake, they are not tutored and when they do well, they are not sufficiently praised. More importantly, they do not have enough collective or team support to make them engage in classroom discussions.

Student-athletes do not receive the support in the classroom that they receive on the playing field. Because they receive support and positive feedback on the playing field, they work harder and learn more effectively. They are judged on their team performance. In the classroom, they are often forced to work alone and are judged on their individual performance. In a team situation, teammates can help overcome a missed tackle or a blown coverage on a fast break. Teachers need to understand the student-athlete's dilemma.

How can student-athletes perform as well in the classroom as they do on the playing field? They can start by believing that both the playing field and the classroom are equal parts of the learning experience in college. If a student-athlete feels he does not need to come to class, then the teacher must explain that missing class is like missing practice. In each case, you let your classmates down. Student-athletes know that selfishness can hurt the team. They must learn that cutting classes hurts the class teamwork just as much as a missed practice hurts the team.

Student-athletes must understand that academics help ensure a winning combination in life. A good education and a college degree will last longer than a professional sports career. As coaches work with student-athletes to develop that winning combination in competition, so, too, must faculty members work with student-athletes to develop a winning combination in the classroom. Together, student-athletes will be assured of a winning combination in life.

Isadore A. Rich is the academic counselor for athletics at Kentucky State University.