Michigan State Spartans football


The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Spartans are members of the Big Ten Conference. Michigan State claims a total of six national championships ; the AP Poll voted Michigan State as national champion one time. They have been named national champions twice in the Coaches Poll. The Spartans have also won two Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships and nine Big Ten championships.
Spartans home games are played at Spartan Stadium, which is located on the main university campus. Spartan Stadium has ranked among the NCAA's Top 25 in attendance for 61 consecutive seasons, from 1953 through 2016. The team's iconic Spartan helmet logo has been ranked as one of the game's best.

History

Early years

Starting as a club sport in 1885, football gained varsity status in 1896. Early teams at the then Michigan Agricultural College competed in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which was chartered in 1888 and is the oldest existing collegiate leagues in the United States. Previously, in 1884, 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 1894 which by then also included Eastern Michigan University and Alma College; Kalamazoo College was added in 1896. 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 1907.
Chester Brewer revolutionized the football program during three different stints as head coach: 1903-10, 1917, and 1919. Considered a defensive genius, his teams posted shutouts in 49 of the 88 games he coached. John Macklin took over as head coach in 1911 and owned a winning percentage of.853, 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 1929 to 1933. 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 "Biggie" Munn era (1947–1953)

took over as head coach of Michigan State from Charlie Bachman in 1947. His 1951 and 1952 squads won national championships. Munn retired from coaching in 1953 to assume duties as Michigan State's athletic director, a position he held until 1971. 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 1974, is named in his honor. Munn was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1959, and, in 1961, he became Michigan State's first inductee into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. He authored the coaching textbook Michigan State Multiple Offense in 1953.
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 1971. 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: 1948, 1951, 1952, and 1950. Munn was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959.
During the 1950s 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 era (1954–1972)

replaced Biggie Munn in December 1953, following Munn's retirement to become Michigan State's athletic director. Daugherty would serve 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. 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 1984.
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, and Joe DeLamielleure. He was one of the first college football coaches to field a racially integrated team.

George Perles era (1983–1994)

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 1958 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 1961. Perles returned to Michigan State as defensive line coach under his mentor, Daugherty.
In 1972, 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 1947, losing to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game. In 1974, 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 1978 and then assistant head coach under Noll in 1979. 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 1970s, largely on the back of their "Stunt 4-3" defense designed by Perles.
Perles returned to Michigan State University on December 3, 1982. In 12 years, he led the Spartans to two Big Ten Conference titles, seven bowl games and a victory in the 1988 Rose Bowl. The 1987 season marked the Spartans' last outright Big Ten title until 2013. During the 1987 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 1994–1995, 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 1994 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 passed in January 2020.

Nick Saban era (1995–1999)

When Nick Saban arrived in East Lansing, Michigan prior to the 1995 season, MSU had not had a winning season since 1990, and the team was sanctioned by the NCAA for recruiting violations committed under his predecessor and former mentor, George Perles.
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.

Mark Dantonio era (2006–2019)

On November 27, 2006, 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 1995 to 2000 and was Ohio State's defensive coordinator during their 2002 national championship season. Dantonio was also an assistant at Kansas and Youngstown State University. In 2010, 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 2011 team won their division and appeared in the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game. His Spartans would win outright Big Ten Championships in 2013 and 2015 with victories in the 2013 and 2015 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 2008 season through 2011, 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 2015, Dantonio compiled a 24-23 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, 2019, Dantonio became Michigan State's winningest coach with a 31–10 victory over Northwestern that gave him his 110th win at the program and moved him past Duffy Daugherty. As of February 2018, his contract runs through 2024. Dantonio makes approximately $4.3 million annually. On February 4, 2020, Dantonio announced that he would be stepping down as head coach and planned to move into a different role in the athletic department.

Mel Tucker era (2020-Present)

On February 12, 2020, 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 1997 to 1998, and also had stops as Ohio State's co-defensive coordinator in 2004, assistant head coach at Alabama in 2015, as well as the defensive coordinator for Georgia in 2016-18. He was also an assistant at Miami 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 2011.

Conferences

National championships

Michigan State has won six national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors. Michigan State claims all six championships. The 1952, 1965, and 1966 titles by NCAA designation are regarded as Consensus National Championships.

Conference championships

Michigan State has won 11 conference championships, seven outright and four shared.
† Co-champions

Divisional championships

† Co-champions

Bowl games

Michigan State has appeared in 29 bowl games, garnering a 13–16 record.

Head coaches

Mark Dantonio is MSU's all-time winningest coach with 114 wins. Duff Daughtery 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 title. "Biggie" Munn leads coaches since 1940 with a.846 winning percentage. MSU's penultimate coach, Mark Dantonio, was the third longest tenured current coach in the Big Ten at 13 years.
CoachYearsSeasonsRecordPct.Conf. RecordPct.Div. TitlesConf. TitlesBowl GamesNational TitlesConference
No Coach189611–2–1.3750–1–0.0000000MIAA
Henry Keep1897–189828–5–1.6075–2–1.6880000MIAA
Charles Bemies1899–190023–7–1.3181–3–0.2500000MIAA
George Denman1901–190227–9–1.4415–4–1.5500000MIAA
Chester Brewer1903–1910, 1917, 19191058–23–7.69919–2–2.8330200Left MIAA in 1907
John Macklin1911–1915529–5–0.853n/an/an/an/a00Independent
Dutch Sommers191614–2–1.643n/an/an/an/a00Independent
George Gauthier191814–3–0.571n/an/an/an/a00Independent
George Clark192014–6.400n/an/an/an/a00Independent
Albert Barron1921–192226–10–2.389n/an/an/an/a00Independent
Ralph H. Young1923–1927518–22–1.451n/an/an/an/an/a0Independent
Harry Kipke192813–4–1.438n/an/an/an/a00Independent
Jim Crowley1929–1932422–8–3.712n/an/an/an/a00Independent
Charlie Bachman1933–1942, 1944–19461370–34–10.658n/an/an/an/a10Independent
Clarence Munn1947–1953754–9–2.8465–1.833n/a112Joined Big Ten in 1953
1954–197219109–69–5.60972–50–3.588n/a224Big Ten
Denny Stolz1973–1975319–13–1.59114–9–1.604n/a000Big Ten
Darryl Rogers1976–1979424–18–2.56819–12–1.609n/a100Big Ten
Muddy Waters1980–1982310–23–0.3038–18–0.308n/a000Big Ten
George Perles1983–19941268–67–453–42–2n/a270Big Ten
Nick Saban1995–1999534–24–123–16–1n/a030Big Ten
Bobby Williams2000–2002> 216–17.4696–15.286n/a020Big Ten
Morris Watts2002< 11–2.3331–2.333n/a000Big Ten
John L. Smith2003-2006422–26.45812–20.375n/a010Big Ten
Mark Dantonio2007–201913114–5769–393*3120Big Ten
Mel Tucker2020–present00–00–00000Big Ten
Totals1896–present123708–465–44'312–236–13'311296

Spartan Stadium

Until the 1920s, the Spartans played on Old College Field just northwest of the current stadium. In the early 1920s school officials voted to construct a new stadium. The new College Field was ready in the fall of 1923 with a capacity of 14,000. In 1935 the seating capacity was increased to 26,000 and the facility was dedicated as Macklin Field. By 1957, upper decks were added to the east and west sides, boosting the capacity to 76,000. That same season Michigan State dropped the name Macklin Stadium in favor of the current name, Spartan Stadium.
In 2005 the university finished a new $64 million expansion project to Spartan Stadium. It featured the addition of nearly 3,000 club seats in the "Spartan Club," 24 suites and a 193-seat press box, bringing the current stadium capacity to 75,005. 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 addition also houses the MSU Alumni Office, University Development, Career Services and other units.
The stadium boasts a capacity of 75,005, making it the Big Ten's 6th largest stadium and 23rd largest college football stadium in the country. In 2010 Spartan Stadium had the 19th highest attendance in NCAA Division I FBS. Crowd noise in the stadium gets so loud that Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus uses a recording of the crowd noise during the 1959 Michigan State-Notre Dame game.
For the 2007 season, the student section held approximately 13,000 fans. Like the basketball student section, 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 2006, "Corner Blitz" was united with the normal student section. The entire student section now receives a special T-shirt which is voted on annually.
Three new video boards were installed prior to the 2012 season. The larger South LED board measures high by wide for a total of. The two North LED boards measure high by wide for a total of each. When combined, the three boards measure, making it the largest combined board system in the country. Also, the stadium includes a high by wide ribbon video board along the top of the bleachers in the north endzone, which adds another to make a grand total of.

Duffy Daugherty Building / Skandalaris Center

In 2007 Michigan State expanded its Duffy Daugherty Football Building with a $15 million expansion and renovation project. The face-lift started with construction of the 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 2008, weight room was increased in size from 9,000 to at a cost of $2 million. The complex includes a 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.

Rivalries

Notre Dame

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 1966 "Game of the Century," arguably the greatest college football game ever played. Notre Dame leads the series 47–29–1 through the 2017 season. The teams are next scheduled to play in 2026.

Indiana

The Old Brass Spittoon is presented to the winner of the Indiana–Michigan State football game and was first presented in 1950. After facing each other in one of the so-called protected cross-division rivalry games from 2011 to 2013, MSU and Indiana continue to face off each year as members of the Big Ten East division. Michigan State currently holds the trophy and leads the all-time series 48–16–2 through 2019.

Michigan

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 won the 2019 contest in Ann Arbor by a 44-10 mark. Michigan leads the series 71–36–5 through the 2019 season.

Penn State

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 1855. When Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference in 1993, the Nittany Lions and Spartans have played each other for the trophy in the last week of conference play until the 2010 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 2011 to 2013 seasons in opposite Big Ten conference divisions, MSU and PSU resumed playing each other annually for the trophy in 2014. Penn State is the current holder of the Land Grant Trophy after the Nittany Lions' 28–7 win on the road in East Lansing, on October 26, 2019. Michigan State narrowly leads the series 17–16–1 through the 2019 season.

Game of the Century

Game of the Century

The 1966 Michigan State vs. Notre Dame football game remains one of the greatest, and most controversial, games in college football history. The game was played in Michigan State's Spartan Stadium on November 19, 1966. Michigan State entered the contest 9-0 and ranked #2, while Notre Dame entered the contest 8-0 and ranked #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.
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 getting off the train in East Lansing. Michigan State held a 10–0 lead by early in the second quarter. But the Irish came back, scoring a touchdown right after Michigan State's field goal and tied the game on the first play of the fourth quarter. Notre Dame had the ball on its own 30-yard line with 1:10 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 #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 them to #1 in both polls. The Irish did not accept bowl bids until 1969, 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 many 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 made ABC air the game on tape delay.
The Sporting News named the 1966 Fighting Irish and 1965-66 Spartans the 11th and 13th greatest teams of the 20th Century respectively.

Awards Individual awards and honors

National award winners

Players

Through the 2017 season, there have been 31 consensus selections of which 10 were unanimous.
† Unanimous All-American

Team honors

Retired numbers

;Notes:
1 ''Hannah was not a player but he served the University of Michigan State during 46 years. He is also the longest-serving president of the MSU, being in charge from 1941 to 1969.

Michigan State's All-Time Team

Offense

Defense

Hall of Fame

College

Michigan State alumni and coaching inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame include:
Michigan State alumni inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame include:
Michigan State alumni inductees to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame include:
Michigan State alumni inductees to the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame include:

Big Ten East-division opponents

Michigan State plays the other six Big Ten East opponents once per season.

Non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of June 10th, 2020.