American college football program
| Michigan State Spartans football | |
|---|---|
| First season | ; &#;years ago |
| Head coach | Jonathan Smith 1st season, 5–7 () |
| Stadium | Spartan Stadium (capacity: 75,) |
| Field surface | Grass |
| Location | East Lansing, Michigan |
| NCAA division | Division I FBS |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| All-time record | &#;&#;44&#;() |
| Bowl record | 14&#;16&#;() |
| Playoff appearances | 1 () |
| Playoff record | 0–1 |
| Claimed national titles | 6 (, , , , , ) |
| Conference titles | 11 overall 9x Big Ten: (, , , , , , , , ) 2xMIAA: (, ) |
| Division titles | 3 (, , ) |
| Rivalries | Notre Dame (rivalry) Indiana (rivalry) Michigan (rivalry) Penn State (rivalry) |
| Consensus All-Americans | 33 |
| Colors | Green&#;and&#;white[1] &#;&#;&#; |
| Fight song | Victory for MSU |
| Mascot | Sparty |
| Marching band | Spartan Marching Band |
| Outfitter | Nike |
| Website | |
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University (MSU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Spartans are members of the Big Ten Conference. Michigan State claims a total of six national championships, including two (, ) from the major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll. The Spartans have also won eleven conference championships, with two in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and nine in the Big Ten.
Home games of the Spartans are played at Spartan Stadium, which is located on the main university campus. Spartan Stadium is consistently ranked among the NCAA's Top 25 in attendance.[2] The Spartans are led by head coach Jonathan Smith.
See also: List of Michigan State Spartans football seasons
Starting as a club sport in , football gained varsity status in [3] Early teams at the then Michigan Agricultural College (MAC) competed in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), which was chartered in and is the oldest existing collegiate league in the United States. Previously, in , Albion College and Michigan Agricultural had played in the first intercollegiate football game held within the state of Michigan. MIAA's other charter members included Albion, Olivet and Hillsdale Colleges. The association's first season of competitive football was in which by then also included Eastern Michigan University (then Michigan Normal School) and Alma College; Kalamazoo College was added in In those early years the MAC Aggies could only accomplish one outright league football championship () and share another with Albion (). The first decade of the 20th century generally saw the MIAA and MAC being dominated by either Albion or Olivet Colleges. MSU left the league and became an independent in
Chester Brewer revolutionized the football program during three different stints as head coach: &#;10, , and Considered a defensive genius, his teams posted shutouts in 49 of the 88 games he coached. John Macklin took over as head coach in and owned a winning percentage of (29&#;5), which is the highest in Michigan State history.
Jim Crowley, one of Notre Dame's immortal Four Horsemen, served as the head football coach at Michigan State from to Charlie Bachman, another Notre Dame alumnus, succeeded Jim Crowley as head football coach at Michigan State, coming to East Lansing after a successful stint at Florida. A teammate of Knute Rockne, Bachman employed the Notre Dame system and forged 10 winning seasons in 13 years.
Clarence Lester "Biggie" Munn took over as head coach of Michigan State from Charlie Bachman in His and squads won national championships. Munn retired from coaching in to assume duties as Michigan State's athletic director, a position he held until Each year, the Michigan State Spartans football team hands out the "Biggie Munn Award" to the team's most motivational player. MSU's Munn Ice Arena, built in , is named in his honor. Munn was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in , and, in , he became Michigan State's first inductee into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. He authored the coaching textbook Michigan State Multiple Offense in
Shortly after the Rose Bowl victory, MSU's athletic director, Ralph H. Young retired. Munn stepped down from coaching to assume duties as athletic director and remained in that position until Munn named his assistant, Duffy Daugherty, as his successor to helm the football team. During his tenure as Michigan State's head football coach, Munn tutored 17 All-Americans. His teams have retained the school's top four season marks for rushing-yards-per-game: ( yards/game), ( yards), (), and (). Munn was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in
During the s when Detroit was known as the world's leading automobile manufacturer, Michigan State was often referred to as the nation's "football factory." During this era, the Spartans produced great players such as Lynn Chandnois, Dorne Dibble, Don McAulliffe, Tom Yewcic, Sonny Grandelius, Bob Carey, Don Coleman, Earl Morrall and Dean Look.
Duffy Daugherty replaced Biggie Munn in December , following Munn's retirement to become Michigan State's athletic director. Daugherty would serve as the head coach at Michigan State University from to , where he compiled a career record of –69–5. Duffy's and teams won national championships. Duffy's tenure of 19 seasons at the helm of the Michigan State Spartans football team is the longest of any head coach in the program's history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in
During Daugherty's time in East Lansing, he recruited and coached some of the best players in Michigan State's history, including Herb Adderley, Brad Van Pelt, Bubba Smith, George Webster, Joe DeLamielleure, and Billy Joe DuPree who is recognized as the greatest tight end in Michigan State history. He was one of the first college football coaches to field a racially integrated team.
After returning from US Army active duty, George Perles returned to Michigan, where he enrolled at Michigan State University and played football under legendary coach Duffy Daugherty. Perles played the season before his playing career was cut short by a knee injury. Perles then started his football coaching career as a graduate assistant at Michigan State before moving on to the high school ranks in Chicago and Detroit, where his St. Ambrose High School team won their first Detroit City League Championship in Perles returned to Michigan State as defensive line coach under his mentor, Daugherty.
In , Chuck Noll, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, offered Perles the position of defensive line coach. In Perles’ first season, the Steelers made the NFL playoffs for the second time in franchise history, the first since , losing to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game. In , the Steelers won the first of six consecutive AFC Central division championships and also their first Super Bowl. Perles became the defensive coordinator for the Steelers in and then assistant head coach under Noll in During Perles' ten years with Pittsburgh (–), the Steelers won a then-record four Super Bowls and became known as the team of the decade for the s, largely on the back of their "Stunt " defense designed by Perles.
Perles returned to Michigan State University on December 3, In 12 years, he led the Spartans to two Big Ten Conference titles, seven bowl games and a victory in the Rose Bowl. The season marked the Spartans' last outright Big Ten title until During the season Perles and Michigan State beat Southern California twice in the same season, once in the regular season and one in the Rose Bowl.
During –, an extensive external investigation conducted by the law firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC. uncovered various infractions including grade tampering by an athletic department administrator. MSU president M. Peter McPherson fired Perles before the end of the season, and ordered the Spartans to forfeit their five wins for that season. Perles was found "not culpable". Many fans and alumni believed he was treated unfairly. He later went on to be the founder of The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and served on the MSU board of trustees. Perles died in January
When Nick Saban arrived in East Lansing, Michigan, prior to the season, MSU had not had a winning season since , and the team was sanctioned by the NCAA for recruiting violations committed under his predecessor and former mentor, George Perles.[4]
Saban never won a bowl game in his tenure at Michigan State, going 0–3 and losing those bowl contests by a combined 85 points.[6]
On November 27, , Mark Dantonio was hired from the University of Cincinnati to become Michigan State's new football head coach. Dantonio served as an assistant coach at MSU from to and was Ohio State's defensive coordinator during their national championship season.[7] Dantonio was also an assistant at Kansas and Youngstown State University. In , Dantonio led MSU to earn a share of the Big Ten Championship after finishing the year in a three-way tie with Ohio State and Wisconsin. His team won their division and appeared in the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game. His Spartans would win outright Big Ten Championships in and with victories in the and Championship Games. He has compiled an 8–4 record against the arch-rival Michigan. Michigan State's streak of four wins in a row, from the season through , tied Michigan State's best in the rivalry. Dantonio's record also includes a 4–4 mark for the Megaphone Trophy, which goes to the winner of the Notre Dame rivalry game. Since leading Michigan State to a College Football Playoff berth in , Dantonio compiled a 24–23 (15–18 in conference games) record.
He is considered a defensive-minded coach and has been on the coaching staffs of Glen Mason, Jim Tressel and Nick Saban. On September 21, , Dantonio became Michigan State's winningest coach with a 31–10 victory over Northwestern that gave him his th win at the program and moved him past Duffy Daugherty.[8] As of February , his contract was set to run through Dantonio made approximately $ million annually.[9] On February 4, , Dantonio announced that he would be stepping down as head coach and planned to move into a different role in the athletic department.
On February 12, , Mel Tucker was hired from the University of Colorado to become Michigan State's new football head coach. Tucker served as a graduate assistant at MSU from to , and also had stops as Ohio State's co-defensive coordinator in , assistant head coach at Alabama in , as well as the defensive coordinator for Georgia from to He was also an assistant at Miami (OH) and LSU. Tucker also served as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, and the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, and he also served as interim head coach of the Jaguars in
In his first season, the COVID shortened season, the Spartans finished the season 2–5 with a win over rival Michigan.[10]
In , helped by the transfer into the program of running bank Kenneth Walker III, the Spartans again beat Michigan and started the season 8–0 and were ranked third in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. Losses at Purdue and Ohio State dropped the Spartans out of playoff consideration, but they finished the regular season 10–2.[11] MSU was selected to participate in the Peach Bowl on December 30, the school's first New Year's Six bowl game since [12] The Spartans defeated Pittsburgh 31–21 in the Peach Bowl.[13] Walker was a consensus All-American[14][15] and became the first Spartan to win the Walter Camp and Doak Walker awards.[16] Walker led the Spartans and was second in the country with 1, rushing yards.[17] MSU had the nation's worst passing defense, allowing yards per game.[18]
On November 24, , the school announced that Tucker had signed a year, $95 million contract extension, allegedly all through donor money, amid speculations of Tucker being sought after for other college and NFL coaching positions.[19][20]
Looking to build on the success of the season, the Spartans opened the season ranked No. 15 in the AP poll. After winning the first two games of the season, the Spartans lost four consecutive games before a double-overtime victory over Wisconsin. However, the Spartans lost three of their final five games, including to rival Michigan, to end the season. They finished the season 5–7, 3–6 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place in the East division. They failed to qualify for a bowl game for the second time in three years.[21]
On September 10, , after the first two games of the season, Mel Tucker was suspended without pay pending an investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct.[22] On September 27, the school fired Tucker for cause.[23]
Defensive backs coach Harlon Barnett was named the team's interim coach.
Michigan State announced it had hired Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith on Nov. 25, [24]
Michigan State has won six national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors,[25]:&#;–&#; including two (, ) from the major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll.[26][27][28]:&#;&#; Michigan State claims all six championships.[29]
| Year | Coach | Selectors | Record | Bowl | Result | Final AP | Final Coaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarence Munn | Billingsley, Helms, Poling[28]:&#;&#; | 9–0 | No. 2 | No. 2 | |||
| Clarence Munn | AP, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, NCF, Sagarin, UPI Coaches, Williamson[28]:&#;&#; | 9–0 | No. 1 | No. 1 | |||
| Duffy Daugherty | Boand[28]:&#;&#; | 9–1 | Rose | W 17–14 | No. 2 | No. 2 | |
| Duffy Daugherty | Dunkel[28]:&#;&#; | 8–1 | No. 3 | No. 3 | |||
| Duffy Daugherty | Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FB News, FW, Helms, Litkenhous, NFF, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI Coaches [28]:&#;&#; | 10–1 | Rose | L 12–14 | No. 2 | No. 1 | |
| Duffy Daugherty | Football Research, Helms, NFF, Poling[28]:&#;&#; | 9–0–1 | No. 2 | No. 2 |
Michigan State has won 11 conference championships, six outright and five shared.
| Year | Conference | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIAA | Chester Brewer | 6–1–1 | 3–1 | |
| † | MIAA | Chester Brewer | 9–2 | 4–0 |
| † | Big Ten | Clarence Munn | 9–1 | 5–1 |
| Big Ten | Duffy Daugherty | 10–1 | 7–0 | |
| Big Ten | Duffy Daugherty | 9–0–1 | 7–0 | |
| † | Big Ten | Darryl Rogers | 8–3 | 7–1 |
| Big Ten | George Perles | 9–2–1 | 7–0–1 | |
| † | Big Ten | George Perles | 8–3–1 | 6–2 |
| † | Big Ten | Mark Dantonio | 11–2 | 7–1 |
| Big Ten | Mark Dantonio | 13–1 | 8–0 | |
| Big Ten | Mark Dantonio | 12–2 | 7–1 |
† Co-champions
† Co-champions
Main article: List of Michigan State Spartans bowl games
Michigan State has appeared in 30 bowl games, garnering a 14–16 record.
List of Michigan State head coaches.[30]Mark Dantonio is Michigan State’s all-time winningest coach with wins. Duffy Daugherty was the longest tenured coach at 19 years. Daugherty won four national titles while Clarence Munn won two; no other MSU coach has won a national title. Munn leads coaches since with a winning percentage.
* The Big Ten split into the Leaders and Legends Divisions with the addition of Nebraska for the season. Michigan State played in the Legends Division from to In , with the addition of Maryland and Rutgers, the divisions were realigned and Michigan State now plays in the East Division.
Main article: Spartan Stadium (East Lansing)
Until the s, the Spartans played on Old College Field just northwest of the current stadium. In the early s school officials voted to construct a new stadium. The new College Field was ready in the fall of with a capacity of 14, In the seating capacity was increased to 26, and the facility was dedicated as Macklin Field. By , upper decks were added to the east and west sides, boosting the capacity to 76, That same season Michigan State dropped the name Macklin Stadium in favor of the current name, Spartan Stadium.[31]
In the university finished a new $64 million expansion project to Spartan Stadium. It featured the addition of nearly 3, club seats in the "Spartan Club," 24 suites and a seat press box, bringing the current stadium capacity to 75, The original World War II-era terracotta cast of "The Spartan" statue was moved indoors to the atrium of the new structure to protect it from the elements and occasional vandalism, and a new bronze cast was made for outdoors. The ,square-foot (19,&#;m2) addition also houses the MSU Alumni Office, University Development, Career Services and other units.[32]
The stadium boasts a capacity of 75,, making it the Big Ten's 6th largest stadium and 23rd largest college football stadium in the country. In Spartan Stadium had the 19th highest attendance in NCAA Division I FBS.[33] Crowd noise in the stadium gets so loud that Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus () uses a recording of the crowd noise during the Michigan State-Notre Dame game.[34]
For the season, the student section held approximately 13, fans.[35] Like the basketball student section (the Izzone), the Michigan State Student Alumni Foundation used to oversee a subgroup in the football student section named "Corner Blitz." When head coach Mark Dantonio took over the football program in , "Corner Blitz" was united with the normal student section. The entire student section now receives a special T-shirt which is voted on annually.[36]
Three new video boards were installed prior to the season. The larger South LED board measures feet (&#;m) high by feet (&#;m) wide for a total of 5, square feet (&#;m2). The two North LED boards measure feet (&#;m) high by feet (&#;m) wide for a total of 1, square feet (&#;m2) each. When combined, the three boards measure 8, square feet (&#;m2), making it the largest combined board system in the country. Also, the stadium includes a 10 feet (&#;m) high by feet (&#;m) wide ribbon video board along the top of the bleachers in the north endzone, which adds another 4, square feet (&#;m2) to make a grand total of 13, square feet (1,&#;m2).
In Michigan State expanded its Duffy Daugherty Football Building with a $15 million expansion and renovation project. The face-lift started with construction of the 25,square-foot (2,&#;m2) Skandalaris Football Center that features new team, staff and position meeting rooms, coaches' offices, MSU football Players Lounge and The Demmer Family Hall of History. MSU alumni Robert and Julie Skandalaris of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., donated $5 million as the lead gift for the $15 million project. In , weight room was increased in size from 9, to 16, square feet (1,&#;m2) at a cost of $2 million. The complex includes a 86,square-foot (8,&#;m2) indoor practice facility with a full in-door football field, two outdoor practice football fields and a training room with a rehab and hydrotherapy section. Graphics in the space were provided by Ohio-based environmental designer, Ze Design.[37]
Main article: Michigan–Michigan State football rivalry
The Paul Bunyan-Governor of Michigan Trophy is a college rivalry trophy awarded to the winner of the annual football game between Michigan and Michigan State. Michigan leads the trophy series through the season.[38]
Main article: Michigan State–Notre Dame football rivalry
The Megaphone Trophy is awarded each year to the winner of the football game between Notre Dame and Michigan State. The rivalry includes games such as a "Game of the Century," often considered as one of the greatest college football games ever played. Notre Dame leads the series 48–28–1 through the season.[39] The teams are next scheduled to play in [40]
Main article: Indiana–Michigan State football rivalry
The Old Brass Spittoon is presented to the winner of the Indiana–Michigan State football game and was first presented in After facing each other in one of the so-called protected cross-division rivalry games from to , MSU and Indiana continue to face off each year as members of the Big Ten East division. Michigan State holds the trophy, and MSU leads the all-time series 50–18–2 through [41]
Main article: Michigan State–Penn State football rivalry
Michigan State and Penn State play for the Land Grant Trophy, so named because Penn State University and Michigan State University are the nation's oldest land-grant universities as founded in When Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference in , the Nittany Lions and Spartans have played each other for the trophy in the last week of conference play until the season. The trophy, designed by former Michigan State coach George Perles, features pictures of Penn State's Old Main and Michigan State's Beaumont Tower. After spending the to seasons in opposite Big Ten conference divisions, MSU and PSU resumed playing each other annually for the trophy in [42] Penn State currently leads the series through the season.[43]
College football game
Main article: Notre Dame vs. Michigan State football game
The Michigan State vs. Notre Dame football game ("The Game of the Century") remains one of the greatest, and most controversial, games in college football history.[44] The game was played in Michigan State's Spartan Stadium on November 19, Michigan State entered the contest 9&#;0 and ranked No. 2, while Notre Dame entered the contest 8&#;0 and ranked No. 1. Notre Dame elected not to try for the end zone on the final series, thus the game ended in a 10&#;10 tie with both schools recording national championships.[45][46]
Irish quarterback Terry Hanratty was knocked out after getting sacked in the first quarter by Spartan defensive lineman Bubba Smith. Starting Notre Dame running back Nick Eddy was out entirely after hurting his shoulder. Michigan State held a 10–0 lead by early in the second quarter. But the Irish came back, scoring a touchdown right after State's field goal and tied the game on the first play of the fourth quarter. Notre Dame had the ball on its own yard line with to go, needing about 40 yards for a game-winning field goal. But Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian chose to run the clock out, not wanting to risk a turnover, preserving the tie and Notre Dame's No. 1 ranking. The game ended in a 10–10 tie.
Notre Dame beat Rose Bowl bound USC 51–0 in Los Angeles the next week, completing an undefeated regular season and moving to No. 1 in both polls. The Irish did not accept bowl bids until , and Michigan State was the victim of a pair of Big Ten rules that would be rescinded a few years later: The same school could not represent the league in the Rose Bowl in back-to-back seasons, and only the league Champions could accept a bowl bid, unless they refused the Rose Bowl bid or, because it was on probation, were prohibited from accepting the bid, which, in either case, would then go to the second-place team. So despite being Big Ten Champions and undefeated in the regular season, in each case for two seasons in a row, the Spartans could not play in the Rose Bowl.
For nearly 50 years, Parseghian has defended his end-of-the-game strategy, which left fans feeling disappointed at the game not having some sort of resolution. College football expert Dan Jenkins lead off his article for Sports Illustrated by saying Parseghian chose to "Tie one for the Gipper." Others chided Notre Dame by calling them the "Tying Irish" instead of the "Fighting Irish."
The game was not shown live on national TV. Each team was allotted one national television appearance and two regional television appearances each season. Notre Dame had used their national TV slot in the season opening game against Purdue. ABC executives did not even want to show the game anywhere but the regional area, but pressure from the West Coast and the South (to the tune of 50, letters) made ABC air the game on tape delay.
The Sporting News named the Fighting Irish and –66 Spartans the 11th and 13th greatest teams of the 20th century respectively.[citation needed]
Through the season, there have been 33 consensus selections of which 11 were unanimous.[48]
† Unanimous All-American
See also: List of NCAA football retired numbers
See also: College Football Hall of Fame
14 former Michigan State players and coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, located in Atlanta, Georgia.[55]
See also: Pro Football Hall of Fame
Three former Michigan State players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, located in Canton, Ohio.[71]
See also: Canadian Football Hall of Fame
There are three Michigan State alumni inductees to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.[75]
The Rose Bowl has inducted three Michigan State player into the Rose Bowl Game Hall of Fame.
Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington are set to join the Big Ten beginning with the season, moving the conference to 18 total teams.[81] On October 4, , the Big Ten announced a new scheduling structure beginning with the season to accommodate the four teams joining the conference.[82] The conference had previously announced the elimination of divisions after UCLA and USC had announced their intent to join the conference.[83]
The scheduling model, named "Flex Protect XVII model," will protect 12 intra-conference matchups each year (protected rivalry games), with MSU playing Michigan each year.[84] The conference announced matchups for all teams from through
In , the Spartans will play four home games and five road games in conference.[85]
| home | away |
|---|---|
| Maryland | Indiana |
| Michigan | Iowa |
| Penn State | Minnesota |
| UCLA | Nebraska |
| USC |
In , the Spartans will play five home games and four road games in conference.[85]
| home | away |
|---|---|
| Illinois | Michigan |
| Nebraska | Rutgers |
| Northwestern | UCLA |
| Oregon | Wisconsin |
| Washington |
In , the Spartans will play four home games and five road games in conference.[85]