Michigan State Spartans
Encyclopedia
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic
team that represent Michigan State University
. The school's athletic program includes 25 varsity
sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan
warrior named Sparty
, and the school colors are green and white. The university participates in the NCAA
's Division I-A and in the Big Ten Conference
in all Varsity sports except ice hockey, which competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
. Michigan State offers 12 varsity sports for men and 13 for women.
The university's athletic director is Mark Hollis, who was promoted to the position on January 1, 2008. Hollis replaced Ron Mason
, who also served as head hockey coach from 1979 to 2002, retiring with a 608–261–64 record at MSU.
MSU's football
team has won or shared six national championships in 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965 and 1966, and has won the Rose Bowl
in 1954, 1956 and 1988. Its men's basketball team won the NCAA National Championship
in 1979 and 2000. The MSU men's ice hockey
has won national titles
in 1966, 1986 and 2007. MSU's golf team won the Big Ten Championship in 1969 and again in 2005.
and the Capital News went through the losing entries to find a shorter and more heroic name. They decided on the "Spartans
". By coincidence, Justin Morrill had once compared the Land Grant colleges to the schools of ancient Sparta. With a heroic name and a historic precedent, the "Spartans" quickly caught on as the teams' new nickname. They later changed the lyrics of the Fight Song
to reflect the name change of the College and its sports teams.
As the college grew in size, it looked to join a major collegiate conference. When the University of Chicago
eliminated varsity football
and withdrew from the Western Conference (now the Big Ten
) in 1946, Michigan State president John A. Hannah
lobbied hard to take its place. Despite opposition from the University of Michigan, the Big Ten finally admitted M.S.C. in 1949. After joining the conference, head football
coach Clarence L. "Biggie" Munn
led the Spartan football team to the Rose Bowl
in the 1953–54 season, beating UCLA
28–20. Successor coach Hugh "Duffy" Daugherty
carried the football team to a second Rose Bowl where it again defeated UCLA, 17–14.
Division I-A varsity
teams: 11 varsity sports for men and 12 for women. They participate in the Big Ten Conference
in all sports except ice hockey, which competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
and fencing, where until 1997, from the University founding, MSU featured fencing as a varsity sport. During that time, MSU was coached by the first American recognized as a master of fencing, Charles Schmitter
, for 45 years, from 1939 to 1984. Upon his retirement, his student, Fred Freiheit, coached from 1984 until fencing was demoted from varsity status in 1997. The Michigan State University Fencing Club is a competing member of the Midwest Fencing Conference, which consists of sixteen (16) schools with varsity or club programs.
MSU's men's basketball team has won the National Championship
twice: in 1979 and 2000. In 1979, Earvin "Magic" Johnson
, along with Greg Kelser
, Jay Vincent
and Mike Brkovich, carried the MSU team to a 75–64 win against the Larry Bird
-led Indiana State
Sycamores. In 2000, three players from Flint
, Morris Peterson
, Charlie Bell
and Mateen Cleaves
, carried the team to its second national title. Dubbed the "Flintstones", they were the key to the Spartans' win against the University of Florida
. Lost to UNC 89-72 in the 2009 NCAA National Championship game.
On December 13, 2003, Michigan State and Kentucky
played at the most-attended basketball game in history, when they played a match in front of 78,130 at Ford Field
, a stadium in Detroit. Kentucky won 79–74. Since 1995, Michigan State has been coached by Tom Izzo
, who has a 364–146 record. Izzo's coaching helped the team make six of twelve NCAA Final Four
s from 1999 to 2010, winning the title in 2000.
Michigan State basketball has been selected for 13 consecutive NCAA tournament bids from 1998 to 2010, making six final fours during that span. This span has provided every four-year player under Tom Izzo the opportunity to play in a final four. Overall, Michigan State has made it to the final four eight times and has made 25 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Spartans formerly or currently in the NBA
include Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Shawn Respert
, Steve Smith
, Greg Kelser
, Jay Vincent
, Steve Smith
, Scott Skiles
, Jason Richardson
, Mateen Cleaves
, Alan Anderson, Zach Randolph
, Morris Peterson
, Eric Snow
, Mike Peplowski
, Kevin Willis
, Charlie Bell
, Shannon Brown
, Jamie Feick
, Maurice Ager
, Paul Davis
and Drew Naymick
.
MSU also has a fairly successful women's basketball team, with its greatest accomplishment being a national runner-up finish to Baylor
in 2005
. Suzy Merchant
took over as head coach in 2007, and replaced Joanne P. McCallie
who left MSU to coach for Duke University
. Before coming to Michigan State, Merchant spent nine years as head coach of Eastern Michigan University
's team, where she won the most games in the school's history. During the 2007–2008 season, the team won more games, 23, than any other Big Ten team.
has a long tradition at Michigan State. Starting as a club sport in 1884, football gained varsity status in 1896. During that time, the Spartans had a roster of impressive players, including Lynn Chandnois, Dorne Dibble, Meredith Assaly, and Don McAulliffe. In 1951, the Spartans finished the season undefeated, and performed the same feat the following year in addition to the nation's longest winning streak of 24 games. The team was named the "undisputed national champions by every official poll".
After waiting for several years, the team was finally admitted into the Big 10 as a regular member in 1953. They promptly went on to capture the league championship (losing only one game during the season) and beating UCLA in their first Rose Bowl game
. After the 1953 season Biggie Munn
, the legendary Spartan coach, turned the team over to his protégé and future legend Duffy Daugherty
. Daughtery went on to win the 1956 Rose Bowl
. George Perles was the head coach when the Spartans defeated USC in the 1988 Rose Bowl
. All told, Michigan State has won six national championships and nine Big Ten championships.
Today, the football team competes in Spartan Stadium, a renovated 75,005-person football stadium in the center of campus. The coach is Mark Dantonio
, who was hired on November 27, 2006. Dantonio has a 33–19 (20-12) in his tenure coaching Michigan State Spartans football
. Dantonio won the Big Ten Championship in 2010 and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
MSU's traditional archrival is the University of Michigan
, against whom they compete for the Paul Bunyan Trophy
. MSU has a 23–34–1 record in the annual trophy game. The Spartans have won the trophy each of the last four years: 2008, 2009 2010, and 2011. Michigan State is one of three Big Ten teams to have an annual non-conference football game against Notre Dame
, with whom they compete for the Megaphone Trophy
. MSU's record in the trophy series against the Fighting Irish is 26–31–1. One tie was memorable games in this series was in 1966 when the teams were ranked first (Notre Dame) and second (MSU) in the country. The result of the game was a 10–10 tie when Notre Dame elected not to attempt a score when they had the ball late in the game. Michigan State won the Megaphone Trophy in 2010 after beating the Irish 34–31 in East Lansing on an OT fake field goal play known as "Little Giants".
In the National Football League
, MSU alumni include Morten Andersen
, Plaxico Burress
, Andre Rison
, Derrick Mason
, Muhsin Muhammad
, T. J. Duckett, Flozell Adams
, Julian Peterson
, Charles Rogers, Jim Miller
, Earl Morrall
, Wayne Fontes
, Bubba Smith
, Tony Banks, Percy Snow
, Rob Fredrickson
, Jeff Smoker
, Tony Mandarich
, Lorenzo White
, Hank Bullough
, Drew Stanton
, Devin Thomas
, Tupe Peko
, Domata Peko
, Chris Morris
, Javon Ringer
, Chris L. Rucker
and Greg Jones.
Michigan State has two varsity hockey
teams: a men's ice hockey
team and a women's field hockey
team. Rolf van de Kerkhof is the head coach of the women's field hockey team. A native of Tilburg
, Netherlands
, van de Kerkhof's first win as head coach came on September 3, 2006, with a 2–1 overtime victory against Temple University
.
The men's ice hockey
team plays at the Munn Ice Arena
. The head coach
is Rick Comley
, who has a 116–73–19 record at MSU. Since the Big Ten Conference
does not cover Division I ice hockey
, Michigan State competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
. Along with the University of Michigan
(U-M) and the Ohio State University
, it is one of three Big Ten schools in the CCHA.
On October 6, 2001, the team was involved in the most-attended hockey
game in history: The Cold War. The Spartans set up a hockey rink in the middle of their football stadium, Spartan Stadium and played U-M before a crowd of 74,554. The game ended in a 3–3 tie.
The MSU ice hockey program has seven CCHA regular season championships and 11 CCHA Tournament
titles. MSU has also won 11 Great Lakes Invitational
titles. The Spartans have been in the NCAA tournament 23 times, with nine Frozen Four appearances and three national titles (1966, 1986
and 2007
). On April 7, 2007, the Michigan State Spartans won their third Collegiate Championship by beating the Boston College Eagles
3–1.
Former Michigan State players in the National Hockey League
include Rod Brind'Amour
, Anson Carter
, Donald McSween
, Adam Hall
, John-Michael Liles
, Shawn Horcoff
, Justin Abdelkader
, Jim Slater, brothers Kelly Miller and Kip Miller
, as well as their cousins, brothers Ryan Miller
and Drew Miller
. Two players for MSU have won the Hobey Baker Award
: Kip Miller
in 1990 and Ryan Miller
in 2001. Few other players also excelling in other leagues including forward Brock Radunske
and defenseman Brad Fast
.
team for men and a softball
team for women. Jake Boss Jr. is head coach
of the MSU baseball
team. Former Michigan State players in Major League Baseball
include Kirk Gibson
, Steve Garvey
, John Smoltz
, Robin Roberts
and Mark Mulder
. The MSU women's fastpitch softball
team won the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
(AIAW) Division I national title in 1976. Its coach, Jacquie Joseph, has headed the program since 1994. Since taking over the program, Joseph has helped bring MSU to a record of 445–372–1 and four NCAA Regional appearances. The Spartans also have a men's soccer team, which won two back-to-back championships in 1967 and 1968. They shared the 1968 title with the University of Maryland, College Park
. The men's coach is Joe Baum, who is in his 31st year as head coach at Michigan State. The men's soccer team battles Michigan
annually in the Big Bear Trophy
game, a series in which the Spartans lead 7-1-1 against their in-state rival. Coaching the women's team is Baum's former assistant, Tom Saxton. There is also a volleyball team; Cathy George has been the head coach of the women's volleyball
team since 2005. During her first year at Michigan State, she led her team to a 12–18 record, including a 5–15, ninth-place finish in the conference standings.
There are a number of contact sports at MSU, including boxing
and wrestling
. MSU's boxing
team won national titles
in 1951 and 1955, although it is no longer an NCAA varsity
sport. Wrestling was one of the earliest sports formed at the Michigan Agricultural College. While the sport was dropped in 1906, it was reformed by the college 15 years later. The school's wrestling
team has won the NCAA Division I championship once, in 1967. Its current coach, Tom Minkel, has produced 33 All-Americans, 11 Big Ten Champions and one NCAA Champion.
Water sports at MSU include rowing and swimming. MSU's women's rowing
crew coach is Matt Weise. In his third year as MSU head coach, Weise coached the Spartans to a program-best sixth-place team finish at the NCAA Championship. Matt Gianiodis is the head coach of both the men and women's swimming and diving
. In his four years as head coach, Spartan swimmers and divers have broken 14 varsity records.
Other sports at MSU include cross country
, golf
, gymnastics
and tennis
. Historically, the Michigan State Cross Country
men's team has been one of the school's most successful programs. Between WWI and WWII, Michigan State College competed in the Central Collegiate Conference, winning titles in 1926-1929, 1932, 1933 and 1935. Michigan State also experienced success in the IC4A
, at New York’s Van Cortlandt Park
, winning 15 team titles (1933–1937, 1949, 1953, 1956–1960, 1962, 1963 and 1968). Since entering the Big Ten in 1950, Michigan State has won 14 men’s team titles (1951–1953, 1955–1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1970 and 1971). Michigan State hosted the inaugural NCAA cross country championships in 1938 and every year thereafter through 1964 (there was no championship in 1943). The Spartans won eight NCAA championships from 1930 to 1959, including 1939, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1959. Walt Drenth is the current director of both the men's and women's cross country and track & field programs. After joining MSU in 2004, Drenth led men's cross country team to an NCAA Championship bid during the 2004 season. The women's cross country team also advanced to the NCAA Championship Meet after winning the Great Lakes Regional race.
Golf has had a long tradition at MSU. Hall of Fame Coach Bruce Fossum helped carry MSU to its first Big Ten title in 1969. The Big Ten title would elude the Spartans until 2005, when arguably, the best team ever assembled, took home the rings in stellar fashion. Not only did the Spartans win the Big Ten Championship in 2005, but they captured two other titles along the way and rose all the way to #5 in the U.S. Sam Puryear coaches the men's golf
team. A former assistant coach at Stanford University
, this is his first year as a head coach. Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll coaches the women's team. In the last ten seasons, she has brought the Spartans to nine straight NCAA regional appearances.
The men's gymnastics team at MSU won one national title, which they shared with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
in 1958. In 2001, the MSU Board of Trustees disbanded the team in order to comply with Title IX
regulations. The women's team retained its varsity status. Its coach is Kathie Klages, who has had 16 winning seasons in a row. In 2008, the team ranked 17th in the nation in the final season standings, the highest placement in program history.
Gene Orlando is the coach of the men's tennis team. In his 17 years as MSU head coach, Orlando has taken the Spartan men to four NCAA Championship singles qualifiers. Coaching the women's team is Erica Perkins, a second-year head coach who, in her first year, led the Spartan women to a 12–11 record (2–8, Big Ten.)
as its charter class. On October 1, 1999, the University opened its new Athletics Hall of Fame, in the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center.
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
team that represent Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
. The school's athletic program includes 25 varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan
Spartan Army
The Spartan army was the military force of Sparta, one of the leading city-states of ancient Greece. The army stood at the centre of the Spartan state, whose citizens' primary obligation was to be good soldiers. Subject to military drill from infancy, the Spartans were one of the most feared...
warrior named Sparty
Sparty
Sparty is the mascot of Michigan State University. Sparty is usually depicted as a muscular male Spartan warrior/athlete dressed in stylized Greek costume. After changing the team name from "Aggies" to "Spartans" in 1925, various incarnations of a Spartan warrior with a prominent chin appeared at...
, and the school colors are green and white. The university participates in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division I-A and in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
in all Varsity sports except ice hockey, which competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
Central Collegiate Hockey Association
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship...
. Michigan State offers 12 varsity sports for men and 13 for women.
The university's athletic director is Mark Hollis, who was promoted to the position on January 1, 2008. Hollis replaced Ron Mason
Ron Mason
Ron Mason is a Canadian former ice hockey player, head coach and university executive. As head coach of various universities, notably including Michigan State University , he became the winningest ice hockey coach in NCAA history with 924 career wins...
, who also served as head hockey coach from 1979 to 2002, retiring with a 608–261–64 record at MSU.
MSU's football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team has won or shared six national championships in 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965 and 1966, and has won the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
in 1954, 1956 and 1988. Its men's basketball team won the NCAA National Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
in 1979 and 2000. The MSU men's ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
has won national titles
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament determines the top men's ice hockey team in NCAA Division I and Division III. The semi-finals and finals of the Division I Championship are branded as the Frozen Four, a passing nod to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - known...
in 1966, 1986 and 2007. MSU's golf team won the Big Ten Championship in 1969 and again in 2005.
History
In 1925, the institution changed its name to Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, and as an agricultural school, its teams were referred to as the Aggies. Looking to move beyond its agricultural roots, Michigan State held a contest to find a new nickname. They decided to call the teams the "Michigan Staters". Local sports writers for the Lansing State JournalLansing State Journal
The Lansing State Journal is a daily newspaper published in Lansing, Michigan owned by Gannett.-Overview:The Lansing State Journal is the sole daily newspaper published in metropolitan Lansing...
and the Capital News went through the losing entries to find a shorter and more heroic name. They decided on the "Spartans
Spartan Army
The Spartan army was the military force of Sparta, one of the leading city-states of ancient Greece. The army stood at the centre of the Spartan state, whose citizens' primary obligation was to be good soldiers. Subject to military drill from infancy, the Spartans were one of the most feared...
". By coincidence, Justin Morrill had once compared the Land Grant colleges to the schools of ancient Sparta. With a heroic name and a historic precedent, the "Spartans" quickly caught on as the teams' new nickname. They later changed the lyrics of the Fight Song
Michigan State University Fight Song
The MSU Fight Song is the official fight song of Michigan State University, USA. MSU's fight song was created in early 1915 , when MSU was known as Michigan Agricultural College...
to reflect the name change of the College and its sports teams.
| Rose Bowls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Michigan State | 28 | UCLA | 20 |
| 1956 | Michigan State | 17 | UCLA | 14 |
| 1966 | UCLA | 14 | Michigan State | 12 |
| 1988 | Michigan State | 20 | Southern California | 17 |
As the college grew in size, it looked to join a major collegiate conference. When the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
eliminated varsity football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and withdrew from the Western Conference (now the Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
) in 1946, Michigan State president John A. Hannah
John A. Hannah
John Alfred Hannah was president of Michigan State College for 28 years, making him the longest serving of MSU's presidents. He is credited with transforming the school from a little-known, regional agricultural college into a large national research institution...
lobbied hard to take its place. Despite opposition from the University of Michigan, the Big Ten finally admitted M.S.C. in 1949. After joining the conference, head football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach Clarence L. "Biggie" Munn
Biggie Munn
Clarence Lester "Biggie" Munn was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator in the United States. He was the head football coach at Albright College , Syracuse University , and most notably Michigan State College , where his 1952 squad won a national championship...
led the Spartan football team to the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
in the 1953–54 season, beating UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
28–20. Successor coach Hugh "Duffy" Daugherty
Duffy Daugherty
Hugh Duffy Daugherty was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Michigan State University from 1954 to 1972, where he compiled a career record of 109–69–5. Duffy's 1965 and 1966 teams won national championships...
carried the football team to a second Rose Bowl where it again defeated UCLA, 17–14.
Varsity sports
Michigan State has 23 NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I-A varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
teams: 11 varsity sports for men and 12 for women. They participate in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
in all sports except ice hockey, which competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
Central Collegiate Hockey Association
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship...
and fencing, where until 1997, from the University founding, MSU featured fencing as a varsity sport. During that time, MSU was coached by the first American recognized as a master of fencing, Charles Schmitter
Charles Schmitter
Charles R. SchmitterCoach of Michigan State. Co-founder of the NFCAA . He was the first recipient of the coach of the year award . He was one of those responsible for the growth of fencing in the Midwest....
, for 45 years, from 1939 to 1984. Upon his retirement, his student, Fred Freiheit, coached from 1984 until fencing was demoted from varsity status in 1997. The Michigan State University Fencing Club is a competing member of the Midwest Fencing Conference, which consists of sixteen (16) schools with varsity or club programs.
Basketball
| Retired Basketball Jerseys | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Years |
| 4 | Scott Skiles Scott Skiles Scott Allen Skiles is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and former American professional basketball player. He also is the former head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. Skiles holds the NBA record for assists in one game, with 30... |
1982–1986 |
| 12 | Mateen Cleaves Mateen Cleaves Mateen Ahmad Cleaves is an American former professional basketball player who played in six NBA seasons. He is currently a music talent manager.... |
1996–2000 |
| 21 | Steve Smith Steve Smith (basketball) Steven Delano "Steve" Smith is a retired American basketball player. He played with several teams in his 14-season National Basketball Association career, including the Miami Heat, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, but is perhaps best known for his five-year stint with the... |
1987–1991 |
| 24 | Johnny Green Johnny Green (basketball) John M. Green is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'5" power forward/center from Michigan State University, Green spent 14 seasons in the NBA, playing for the New York Knicks, Baltimore Bullets, San Diego Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Cincinnati Royals, and Kansas City-Omaha Kings... |
1955–1958 |
| 24 | Shawn Respert Shawn Respert Shawn Christopher Respert is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'1", 195 lb. shooting guard, he attended Bishop Borgess High School, and he came to prominence while playing college basketball at Michigan State University where his jersey is now retired... |
1991–1995 |
| 31 | Jay Vincent Jay Vincent Jay Fletcher Vincent is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'7" forward, Vincent played at Michigan State University under coach, Jud Heathcote, where he teamed with Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser to win the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament... |
1978–1981 |
| 32 | Greg Kelser Greg Kelser Gregory Kelser is a retired American basketball player and current television color commentator. Kelser played in the NBA from 1979–1986 and is best known for his standout career at Michigan State.... |
1976–1979 |
| 33 | Earvin "Magic" Johnson | 1977–1979 |
| 42 | Morris Peterson Morris Peterson Morris Peterson, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.- College career :... |
1995—2000 |
| Terry Furlow Terry Furlow Terry Furlow was an American basketball player. Furlow was a 6-foot-4-inch shooting guard from Flint, Michigan. He played collegiately at Michigan State. In 1975-76, as a senior, he led the Big Ten in scoring, and finished his career at MSU with 1717 points – which places him seventh on the... |
1972—1975 | |
| Coach | Jud Heathcote Jud Heathcote George Melvin "Jud" Heathcote is a former college basketball coach. He was a head coach for 24 seasons at the collegiate level: five at Montana and 19 at Michigan State... |
1976–1995 |
MSU's men's basketball team has won the National Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
twice: in 1979 and 2000. In 1979, Earvin "Magic" Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
, along with Greg Kelser
Greg Kelser
Gregory Kelser is a retired American basketball player and current television color commentator. Kelser played in the NBA from 1979–1986 and is best known for his standout career at Michigan State....
, Jay Vincent
Jay Vincent
Jay Fletcher Vincent is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'7" forward, Vincent played at Michigan State University under coach, Jud Heathcote, where he teamed with Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser to win the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
and Mike Brkovich, carried the MSU team to a 75–64 win against the Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
-led Indiana State
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
Sycamores. In 2000, three players from Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
, Morris Peterson
Morris Peterson
Morris Peterson, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.- College career :...
, Charlie Bell
Charlie Bell (basketball)
Charlie Will Bell III is an American professional basketball guard for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA.-Career:He began playing basketball at Flint Southwestern Academy High School, and had an excellent college career at Michigan State University, appearing in three NCAA Final Fours, and...
and Mateen Cleaves
Mateen Cleaves
Mateen Ahmad Cleaves is an American former professional basketball player who played in six NBA seasons. He is currently a music talent manager....
, carried the team to its second national title. Dubbed the "Flintstones", they were the key to the Spartans' win against the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. Lost to UNC 89-72 in the 2009 NCAA National Championship game.
On December 13, 2003, Michigan State and Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
played at the most-attended basketball game in history, when they played a match in front of 78,130 at Ford Field
Ford Field
Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
, a stadium in Detroit. Kentucky won 79–74. Since 1995, Michigan State has been coached by Tom Izzo
Tom Izzo
Tom Izzo is an American college basketball coach. Since 1995, he has been the head coach for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, presiding over a prolonged period of success....
, who has a 364–146 record. Izzo's coaching helped the team make six of twelve NCAA Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
s from 1999 to 2010, winning the title in 2000.
Michigan State basketball has been selected for 13 consecutive NCAA tournament bids from 1998 to 2010, making six final fours during that span. This span has provided every four-year player under Tom Izzo the opportunity to play in a final four. Overall, Michigan State has made it to the final four eight times and has made 25 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Spartans formerly or currently in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
include Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Shawn Respert
Shawn Respert
Shawn Christopher Respert is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'1", 195 lb. shooting guard, he attended Bishop Borgess High School, and he came to prominence while playing college basketball at Michigan State University where his jersey is now retired...
, Steve Smith
Steve Smith (basketball)
Steven Delano "Steve" Smith is a retired American basketball player. He played with several teams in his 14-season National Basketball Association career, including the Miami Heat, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, but is perhaps best known for his five-year stint with the...
, Greg Kelser
Greg Kelser
Gregory Kelser is a retired American basketball player and current television color commentator. Kelser played in the NBA from 1979–1986 and is best known for his standout career at Michigan State....
, Jay Vincent
Jay Vincent
Jay Fletcher Vincent is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'7" forward, Vincent played at Michigan State University under coach, Jud Heathcote, where he teamed with Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser to win the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
, Steve Smith
Steve Smith (basketball)
Steven Delano "Steve" Smith is a retired American basketball player. He played with several teams in his 14-season National Basketball Association career, including the Miami Heat, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, but is perhaps best known for his five-year stint with the...
, Scott Skiles
Scott Skiles
Scott Allen Skiles is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and former American professional basketball player. He also is the former head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. Skiles holds the NBA record for assists in one game, with 30...
, Jason Richardson
Jason Richardson
Jason Anthoney "J-Rich" Richardson is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association.A 6'6", 225 lb...
, Mateen Cleaves
Mateen Cleaves
Mateen Ahmad Cleaves is an American former professional basketball player who played in six NBA seasons. He is currently a music talent manager....
, Alan Anderson, Zach Randolph
Zach Randolph
Zachary Randolph , nicknamed Z-Bo, is an American professional basketball player currently with the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA...
, Morris Peterson
Morris Peterson
Morris Peterson, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.- College career :...
, Eric Snow
Eric Snow
Eric Snow is a retired American professional basketball player and businessman. He is now an analyst on NBA TV and an announcer for the Philadelphia 76ers.-High school career:...
, Mike Peplowski
Mike Peplowski
Michael Walter Peplowski is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 2nd round of the 1993 NBA Draft. A 6'10" and 270 lb center, Peplowski played for the Kings, Detroit Pistons, Washington Bullets and Milwaukee Bucks in 3 NBA seasons...
, Kevin Willis
Kevin Willis
Kevin Alvin Willis is a former American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. He is a 7-foot power forward/center...
, Charlie Bell
Charlie Bell (basketball)
Charlie Will Bell III is an American professional basketball guard for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA.-Career:He began playing basketball at Flint Southwestern Academy High School, and had an excellent college career at Michigan State University, appearing in three NCAA Final Fours, and...
, Shannon Brown
Shannon Brown
Shannon Brown is an American professional basketball player who plays at the shooting guard and point guard positions. He last played in the National Basketball Association for the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, was named Illinois Mr...
, Jamie Feick
Jamie Feick
Jamie Feick is retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2nd round of the 1996 NBA Draft. A 6'9" center from Michigan State University, Feick played in five NBA seasons from 1996 to 2001...
, Maurice Ager
Maurice Ager
Maurice Darnell Ager is an American professional basketball player. He played collegiately for the Michigan State Spartans from 2002 until 2006...
, Paul Davis
Paul Davis (basketball)
Paul Davis is an American professional basketball player. Davis started his career at Reuther Middle School where his number has been retired. Davis played for Rochester High School, earning Mr. Basketball of Michigan honors in 2002. As a center for the Michigan State Spartans, he finished the...
and Drew Naymick
Drew Naymick
Drew Naymick is an American professional basketball player with the ČEZ Nymburk of the Czech basketball league. He played collegiately at Michigan State...
.
MSU also has a fairly successful women's basketball team, with its greatest accomplishment being a national runner-up finish to Baylor
Baylor Lady Bears basketball
The Baylor Lady Bears basketball team represents Baylor University in Waco, Texas, in NCAA Division I women's basketball competition. They currently compete in the Big 12 Conference...
in 2005
2005 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
-East Regional:-Midwest Regional:-Mideast Regional:-West Regional:-East Regional:-Midwest Regional:-Final Four:West-Tempe; Mideast-Chattanooga; East-Philadelphia; Midwest-Kansas City.-Record by conference:...
. Suzy Merchant
Suzy Merchant
Suzy Merchant is the current head coach for the Michigan State University Women's Basketball team. She is married to Gary Rakan and has a young son, Tyler Rakan.-Coaching career:...
took over as head coach in 2007, and replaced Joanne P. McCallie
Joanne P. McCallie
Joanne P. McCallie is the head coach of the Duke University women's basketball team. McCallie is known as "Coach P" because of her maiden name, Palombo.-Coaching career:...
who left MSU to coach for Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. Before coming to Michigan State, Merchant spent nine years as head coach of Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
's team, where she won the most games in the school's history. During the 2007–2008 season, the team won more games, 23, than any other Big Ten team.
Football
FootballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
has a long tradition at Michigan State. Starting as a club sport in 1884, football gained varsity status in 1896. During that time, the Spartans had a roster of impressive players, including Lynn Chandnois, Dorne Dibble, Meredith Assaly, and Don McAulliffe. In 1951, the Spartans finished the season undefeated, and performed the same feat the following year in addition to the nation's longest winning streak of 24 games. The team was named the "undisputed national champions by every official poll".
After waiting for several years, the team was finally admitted into the Big 10 as a regular member in 1953. They promptly went on to capture the league championship (losing only one game during the season) and beating UCLA in their first Rose Bowl game
1954 Rose Bowl
The 1954 Rose Bowl game, played on January 1, 1954 was the 40th Rose Bowl game. The Michigan State Spartans defeated the UCLA Bruins, 28–20. Michigan State halfback Billy Wells was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game. This was the first year that Michigan State University was counted in...
. After the 1953 season Biggie Munn
Biggie Munn
Clarence Lester "Biggie" Munn was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator in the United States. He was the head football coach at Albright College , Syracuse University , and most notably Michigan State College , where his 1952 squad won a national championship...
, the legendary Spartan coach, turned the team over to his protégé and future legend Duffy Daugherty
Duffy Daugherty
Hugh Duffy Daugherty was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Michigan State University from 1954 to 1972, where he compiled a career record of 109–69–5. Duffy's 1965 and 1966 teams won national championships...
. Daughtery went on to win the 1956 Rose Bowl
1956 Rose Bowl
The 1956 Rose Bowl game, played on January 2, 1956 was the 42nd Rose Bowl game. The Michigan State Spartans defeated the UCLA Bruins, 17–14. Michigan State halfback Walt Kowalczyk was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game. The game was played on January 2, because New Year's Day was a Sunday...
. George Perles was the head coach when the Spartans defeated USC in the 1988 Rose Bowl
1988 Rose Bowl
The 1988 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1988. It was the 74th Rose Bowl Game. The Michigan State Spartans defeated the USC Trojans 20-17. Michigan State Linebacker Percy Snow was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game. This was the last Rose Bowl game to air on NBC...
. All told, Michigan State has won six national championships and nine Big Ten championships.
Today, the football team competes in Spartan Stadium, a renovated 75,005-person football stadium in the center of campus. The coach is Mark Dantonio
Mark Dantonio
Mark Dantonio is the current head football coach at Michigan State University. He was hired on November 27, 2006 and became the 24th head coach at Michigan State. He is credited for winning the 2010 Big Ten Championship and his 4 game win streak over arch-rival Michigan...
, who was hired on November 27, 2006. Dantonio has a 33–19 (20-12) in his tenure coaching Michigan State Spartans football
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
. Dantonio won the Big Ten Championship in 2010 and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
MSU's traditional archrival is the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, against whom they compete for the Paul Bunyan Trophy
Paul Bunyan Trophy
The Paul Bunyan–Governor of Michigan Trophy is a college rivalry trophy awarded to the winner of the annual American football game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines. The winner retains possession of the trophy until the next year's game...
. MSU has a 23–34–1 record in the annual trophy game. The Spartans have won the trophy each of the last four years: 2008, 2009 2010, and 2011. Michigan State is one of three Big Ten teams to have an annual non-conference football game against Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, with whom they compete for the Megaphone Trophy
Megaphone Trophy
Started in 1949 the Megaphone Trophy is awarded each year to the winner of the football game between the University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University. Notre Dame and Michigan State started competing against each other 114 years ago in 1897...
. MSU's record in the trophy series against the Fighting Irish is 26–31–1. One tie was memorable games in this series was in 1966 when the teams were ranked first (Notre Dame) and second (MSU) in the country. The result of the game was a 10–10 tie when Notre Dame elected not to attempt a score when they had the ball late in the game. Michigan State won the Megaphone Trophy in 2010 after beating the Irish 34–31 in East Lansing on an OT fake field goal play known as "Little Giants".
In the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, MSU alumni include Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen , nicknamed "The Great Dane", is a former National Football League kicker. He holds the distinction of being the all-time leading scorer in NFL history, as well as being the all-time leading scorer for two different teams; the New Orleans Saints, with whom he spent 13 seasons, and...
, Plaxico Burress
Plaxico Burress
Plaxico Antonio Burress is an American football wide receiver who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers eighth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...
, Andre Rison
Andre Rison
Andre Previn Rison is a retired American football wide receiver who played professionally for the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and the Canadian Football League's...
, Derrick Mason
Derrick Mason
Derrick James Mason is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.Mason has also played for the Baltimore Ravens where he...
, Muhsin Muhammad
Muhsin Muhammad
Muhsin Muhammad II is a retired American football wide receiver who played for the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
, T. J. Duckett, Flozell Adams
Flozell Adams
Flozell "The Hotel" Adams is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State....
, Julian Peterson
Julian Peterson
Julian Thomas Peterson is a free agent linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State...
, Charles Rogers, Jim Miller
Jim Miller (quarterback)
James Donald Miller is a former NFL quarterback, last under contract with the New York Giants. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 178th overall. Miller attended Waterford Kettering High School and graduated in 1989...
, Earl Morrall
Earl Morrall
Earl Edwin Morrall is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Morrall, who also occasionally punted, played 21 seasons in the National Football League as both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he became known as the greatest backup quarterback in NFL...
, Wayne Fontes
Wayne Fontes
Wayne Fontes is a former American football coach and college and professional football player who was the head coach of the NFL's Detroit Lions from 1988 to 1996. His 67 wins and 71 losses are each the most for a head coach in team history.-Background and early career:Fontes was born in the...
, Bubba Smith
Bubba Smith
Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith was an American professional football player who became an actor after his retirement from the sport. He first came into prominence at Michigan State University, where he twice earned All-American honors as a defensive end on the Spartans football team...
, Tony Banks, Percy Snow
Percy Snow
Percy Lee Snow is a retired American football linebacker who played at Michigan State University and was a first-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs. Snow made the College Football All-America Team at Michigan State...
, Rob Fredrickson
Rob Fredrickson
Rob Fredrickson is a former American football linebacker. Michigan State University and was drafted in the 1st round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders....
, Jeff Smoker
Jeff Smoker
Jeff Smoker is an American football quarterback who played for the National Football League's St. Louis Rams from 2004 to 2005. He was also the starting quarterback for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.-Michigan State:Jeff Smoker attended Michigan State University...
, Tony Mandarich
Tony Mandarich
Ante Josip "Tony" Mandarich is a former football offensive lineman of the NFL. He was the first round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 1989, second overall behind quarterback Troy Aikman, and ahead of the third selection, running back Barry Sanders, the fourth selection, linebacker Derrick...
, Lorenzo White
Lorenzo White
Lorenzo Maurice White , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 1st round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He attended Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale in Florida. A 5 ft 11 in running back from Michigan State University, White played in 8...
, Hank Bullough
Hank Bullough
Henry Charles "Hank" Bullough is a former American Football player and coach. He played college football at Michigan State and graduated in 1954. Bullough was a starting guard for the Spartans team that won the 1952 Rose Bowl...
, Drew Stanton
Drew Stanton
Drew Emeric Stanton is a quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He played collegiately for the Michigan State Spartans.-Early life:...
, Devin Thomas
Devin Thomas
Devin Thomas is an American football wide receiver currently playing for the New York Giants. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State...
, Tupe Peko
Tupe Peko
Siitupe Marcus "Tupe" Peko, is an American Football offensive lineman. Peko attended La Serna High School and first played at the collegiate level at Cerritos College and transferred to Michigan State University and has spent 4 years in the NFL, at first primarily as a backup and started in 11...
, Domata Peko
Domata Peko
Peko was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.The Bengals signed Peko to a five-year extension worth $29.3 million.-External links:*...
, Chris Morris
Chris Morris (American football)
Chris Morris is an American football guard and center who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
, Javon Ringer
Javon Ringer
Javon Ringer is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at Michigan State....
, Chris L. Rucker
Chris L. Rucker
Chris L. Rucker is an American football cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.-External links:**...
and Greg Jones.
Ice hockey
Michigan State has two varsity hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
teams: a men's ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team and a women's field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
team. Rolf van de Kerkhof is the head coach of the women's field hockey team. A native of Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, van de Kerkhof's first win as head coach came on September 3, 2006, with a 2–1 overtime victory against Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
.
The men's ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team plays at the Munn Ice Arena
Munn Ice Arena
Munn Ice Arena is a 6,470-seat hockey-only arena in East Lansing, Michigan on the campus of Michigan State University. It is home to the MSU's ice hockey team...
. The head coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
is Rick Comley
Rick Comley
Rick Comley is a former collegiate ice hockey player and former head coach at Michigan State University. Following the 2005-06 season, Comley has an overall coaching record of 768-596-106...
, who has a 116–73–19 record at MSU. Since the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
does not cover Division I ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, Michigan State competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
Central Collegiate Hockey Association
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship...
. Along with the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(U-M) and the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, it is one of three Big Ten schools in the CCHA.
On October 6, 2001, the team was involved in the most-attended hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
game in history: The Cold War. The Spartans set up a hockey rink in the middle of their football stadium, Spartan Stadium and played U-M before a crowd of 74,554. The game ended in a 3–3 tie.
The MSU ice hockey program has seven CCHA regular season championships and 11 CCHA Tournament
CCHA Tournament
The CCHA Tournament is the conference tournament for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association . The winner of the tournament receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the tournament also receives the Mason Cup, which began in 2001...
titles. MSU has also won 11 Great Lakes Invitational
Great Lakes Invitational
The Great Lakes Invitational is a four-team NCAA men's ice hockey tournament held annually at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit between Christmas and New Year as part of College Hockey at The Joe....
titles. The Spartans have been in the NCAA tournament 23 times, with nine Frozen Four appearances and three national titles (1966, 1986
1986 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament
The 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament involved 8 schools playing in a 2-game series followed by single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. It began on March 21, 1986, and ended with the championship game on March 29. A...
and 2007
2007 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament
-Northeast Regional – Manchester, New Hampshire:-West Regional – Denver, Colorado:-Midwest Regional – Grand Rapids, Michigan:-Frozen Four – St...
). On April 7, 2007, the Michigan State Spartans won their third Collegiate Championship by beating the Boston College Eagles
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams representing Boston College. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. The women's crew team competes in the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing...
3–1.
Former Michigan State players in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
include Rod Brind'Amour
Rod Brind'Amour
Roderic Jean Brind'Amour is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League for the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. He captained the Hurricanes to the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship in...
, Anson Carter
Anson Carter
Anson Carter is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger of Barbadian descent who last played for HC Lugano in the Swiss Nationalliga A. In the past, he has played for eight different National Hockey League teams, most notably with the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver...
, Donald McSween
Donald McSween
"They're definitely a more talented team than we are, but the talented team doesn't always win" --Don McSween...
, Adam Hall
Adam Hall
-Playing career:Hall was a member of the United States National Development Team Program, and twice represented the United States at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, in 1999 and 2000. He was selected 52nd overall by the Nashville Predators in the second round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft...
, John-Michael Liles
John-Michael Liles
John-Michael Liles is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL...
, Shawn Horcoff
Shawn Horcoff
Shawn Horcoff is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League . He was selected in the fourth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, 99th overall, by the Oilers, the team with which he has spent his entire NHL career...
, Justin Abdelkader
Justin Abdelkader
Justin Abdelkader is an American ice hockey forward currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings.-College career:On April 7, 2007 Abdelkader scored the game-winning goal in the 2007 NCAA Championship Game against Boston College, securing the NCAA Division 1 National Championship for Michigan State...
, Jim Slater, brothers Kelly Miller and Kip Miller
Kip Miller
Kip Charles Miller is a retired American ice hockey forward. He last played for the American Hockey League Grand Rapids Griffins in 2006–07. He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques as their 4th-round pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, 72nd overall.Miller played college hockey for the Michigan State...
, as well as their cousins, brothers Ryan Miller
Ryan Miller
Ryan Miller is a professional ice hockey goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres.Other people named Ryan Miller:*Ryan Miller , video game designer and author*Ryan Miller , lead singer and guitar player for the band Guster...
and Drew Miller
Drew Miller
Andrew Miller is an American professional ice hockey winger currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League ....
. Two players for MSU have won the Hobey Baker Award
Hobey Baker Award
The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player.It is named for hockey player and World War I veteran Hobey Baker, who played collegiately at Princeton University and learned the game at St...
: Kip Miller
Kip Miller
Kip Charles Miller is a retired American ice hockey forward. He last played for the American Hockey League Grand Rapids Griffins in 2006–07. He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques as their 4th-round pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, 72nd overall.Miller played college hockey for the Michigan State...
in 1990 and Ryan Miller
Ryan Miller
Ryan Miller is a professional ice hockey goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres.Other people named Ryan Miller:*Ryan Miller , video game designer and author*Ryan Miller , lead singer and guitar player for the band Guster...
in 2001. Few other players also excelling in other leagues including forward Brock Radunske
Brock Radunske
Brock Radunske is a professional ice hockey forward for Anyang Halla of Asia League Ice Hockey in South Korea. He was selected in the third round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, 79th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers....
and defenseman Brad Fast
Brad Fast
Brad Fast is a former professional ice hockey defenceman. He spent his amateur career in the British Columbia Hockey League, and was selected in the third round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, 84th overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes. He played for ERC Ingolstadt in the German Eishockey League for...
.
Other sports
MSU has a number of other team sports. As in many other NCAA institutions, Michigan State has a baseballCollege baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
team for men and a softball
College softball
College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is normally played by men.As with other intercollegiate...
team for women. Jake Boss Jr. is head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the MSU baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team. Former Michigan State players in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
include Kirk Gibson
Kirk Gibson
Kirk Harold Gibson is a former Major League Baseball player and currently the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. As a player, Gibson was an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed...
, Steve Garvey
Steve Garvey
Steven Patrick Garvey , nicknamed "Mr. Clean" because of the squeaky clean image he held throughout his career in baseball, is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current Southern California businessman...
, John Smoltz
John Smoltz
John Andrew Smoltz is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and active sportscaster. He is best known for his prolific career of more than two decades with the Atlanta Braves, in which he garnered eight All-Star selections and received the Cy Young Award in 1996...
, Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts (baseball player)
Robin Evan Roberts was a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who pitched primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies . He spent the latter part of his career with the Baltimore Orioles , Houston Astros , and Chicago Cubs...
and Mark Mulder
Mark Mulder
Mark Alan Mulder is a retired left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Oakland Athletics:...
. The MSU women's fastpitch softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
team won the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships. It evolved out of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women . The association was one of the biggest...
(AIAW) Division I national title in 1976. Its coach, Jacquie Joseph, has headed the program since 1994. Since taking over the program, Joseph has helped bring MSU to a record of 445–372–1 and four NCAA Regional appearances. The Spartans also have a men's soccer team, which won two back-to-back championships in 1967 and 1968. They shared the 1968 title with the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. The men's coach is Joe Baum, who is in his 31st year as head coach at Michigan State. The men's soccer team battles Michigan
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
annually in the Big Bear Trophy
Big Bear Trophy
The Big Bear Trophy is presented to the winner of the annual Michigan-Michigan State men's soccer game. The trophy originated in 2000 when Michigan head coach Steve Burns purchased the wooden bear sculpture to commemorate the rivalry...
game, a series in which the Spartans lead 7-1-1 against their in-state rival. Coaching the women's team is Baum's former assistant, Tom Saxton. There is also a volleyball team; Cathy George has been the head coach of the women's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team since 2005. During her first year at Michigan State, she led her team to a 12–18 record, including a 5–15, ninth-place finish in the conference standings.
There are a number of contact sports at MSU, including boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and wrestling
Collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...
. MSU's boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
team won national titles
NCAA Boxing Championship
The following is a list of NCAA Team Champions in Boxing. The National Collegiate Athletic Association discontinued the boxing championship after 1960; however in 1976, American collegiate boxing was picked up again by the National Collegiate Boxing Association....
in 1951 and 1955, although it is no longer an NCAA varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
sport. Wrestling was one of the earliest sports formed at the Michigan Agricultural College. While the sport was dropped in 1906, it was reformed by the college 15 years later. The school's wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
team has won the NCAA Division I championship once, in 1967. Its current coach, Tom Minkel, has produced 33 All-Americans, 11 Big Ten Champions and one NCAA Champion.
Water sports at MSU include rowing and swimming. MSU's women's rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
crew coach is Matt Weise. In his third year as MSU head coach, Weise coached the Spartans to a program-best sixth-place team finish at the NCAA Championship. Matt Gianiodis is the head coach of both the men and women's swimming and diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
. In his four years as head coach, Spartan swimmers and divers have broken 14 varsity records.
Other sports at MSU include cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. Historically, the Michigan State Cross Country
Michigan State Cross Country
-Men's Teams:Cross Country, first run as an intramural competition in 1907 and as an intercollegiate competition in 1910, has historically been Michigan State’s most successful men’s sport; especially during a four-decade period spanning roughly 1930-1970 during which the Spartans won eight NCAA...
men's team has been one of the school's most successful programs. Between WWI and WWII, Michigan State College competed in the Central Collegiate Conference, winning titles in 1926-1929, 1932, 1933 and 1935. Michigan State also experienced success in the IC4A
IC4A
IC4A or ICAAAA is an annual men's competition held at different colleges every year....
, at New York’s Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt Park is a park located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the fourth largest park in New York City, behind Pelham Bay Park, Flushing Meadows Park and Staten Island Greenbelt....
, winning 15 team titles (1933–1937, 1949, 1953, 1956–1960, 1962, 1963 and 1968). Since entering the Big Ten in 1950, Michigan State has won 14 men’s team titles (1951–1953, 1955–1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1970 and 1971). Michigan State hosted the inaugural NCAA cross country championships in 1938 and every year thereafter through 1964 (there was no championship in 1943). The Spartans won eight NCAA championships from 1930 to 1959, including 1939, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1959. Walt Drenth is the current director of both the men's and women's cross country and track & field programs. After joining MSU in 2004, Drenth led men's cross country team to an NCAA Championship bid during the 2004 season. The women's cross country team also advanced to the NCAA Championship Meet after winning the Great Lakes Regional race.
Golf has had a long tradition at MSU. Hall of Fame Coach Bruce Fossum helped carry MSU to its first Big Ten title in 1969. The Big Ten title would elude the Spartans until 2005, when arguably, the best team ever assembled, took home the rings in stellar fashion. Not only did the Spartans win the Big Ten Championship in 2005, but they captured two other titles along the way and rose all the way to #5 in the U.S. Sam Puryear coaches the men's golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
team. A former assistant coach at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, this is his first year as a head coach. Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll coaches the women's team. In the last ten seasons, she has brought the Spartans to nine straight NCAA regional appearances.
The men's gymnastics team at MSU won one national title, which they shared with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
in 1958. In 2001, the MSU Board of Trustees disbanded the team in order to comply with Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
regulations. The women's team retained its varsity status. Its coach is Kathie Klages, who has had 16 winning seasons in a row. In 2008, the team ranked 17th in the nation in the final season standings, the highest placement in program history.
Gene Orlando is the coach of the men's tennis team. In his 17 years as MSU head coach, Orlando has taken the Spartan men to four NCAA Championship singles qualifiers. Coaching the women's team is Erica Perkins, a second-year head coach who, in her first year, led the Spartan women to a 12–11 record (2–8, Big Ten.)
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame
In 1992, thirty former Spartan athletes, coaches, and administrators were inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of FameHall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
as its charter class. On October 1, 1999, the University opened its new Athletics Hall of Fame, in the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center.
NCAA Division I: Director's Cup
- See footnote and NACDA Directors' Cup
| Year | Rank: National | Rank: Big 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 60th | 10th |
| 1994-95 | 76th | 10th |
| 1995-96 | 41st | 8th |
| 1996-97 | 31st | 7th |
| 1997-98 | 54th | 10th |
| 1998-99 | 34th | 6th |
| 1999-00 | 22nd | 6th |
| 2000-01 | 39th | 8th |
| 2001-02 | 29th | 6th |
| 2002-03 | 26th | 6th |
| 2003-04 | 37th | 7th |
| 2004-05 | 33rd | 7th |
| 2005-06 | 46th | 10th |
| 2006-07 | 34th | 7th |
| 2007-08 | 29th | 6th |
| 2008-09 | 27th | 6th |
| 2009-10 | 39th | 7th |
See also
- Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
- Michigan State Spartans footballMichigan State Spartans footballThe Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
- List of Michigan State Spartans championships