| Currentseason: | 2024 Michigan State Spartans football team |
| Teamname: | Michigan State Spartans football |
| Firstyear: | 1896 |
| Athleticdirector: | Alan Haller |
| Headcoachyear: | 1st |
| Hcwins: | 0 |
| Hclosses: | 0 |
| Stadium: | Spartan Stadium |
| Stadcapacity: | 75,005 |
| Stadsurface: | Grass |
| Location: | East Lansing, Michigan |
| Ncaadivision: | I FBS |
| Conference: | Big Ten Conference |
| Confdivision: | East |
| Websitename: | msuspartans.com |
| Websiteurl: | https://msuspartans.com/sports/football |
| Atwins: | 730 |
| Atlosses: | 487 |
| Atties: | 44 |
| Playoffapps: | 1 (2015) |
| Playoffs: | 0–1 |
| Bowlwins: | 14 |
| Bowllosses: | 16 |
| Natltitles: | 6 (1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965, 1966) |
| Conftitles: | 11 overall 9x Big Ten: (1953, 1965, 1966, 1978, 1987, 1990, 2010, 2013, 2015) 2x MIAA: (1903, 1905) |
| Divtitles: | 3 (2011, 2013, 2015) |
| Allamericans: | 33 |
| Fightsong: | Victory for MSU |
| Mascotdisplay: | Sparty |
| Marchingband: | Spartan Marching Band |
| Rivalries: | Notre Dame (rivalry) Indiana (rivalry) Michigan (rivalry) Penn State (rivalry) |
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 (1952, 1965) 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.[1] The Spartans are led by head coach Jonathan Smith.
See also: List of Michigan State Spartans football seasons.
Starting as a club sport in 1885, football gained varsity status in 1896.[2] Early teams at the then Michigan Agricultural College (MAC) competed in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), which was chartered in 1888 and is the oldest existing collegiate league 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 (then Michigan Normal School) and Alma College; Kalamazoo College was added in 1896. In those early years the MAC Aggies could only accomplish one outright league football championship (1905) and share another with Albion (1903). 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 (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 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 Lester "Biggie" Munn 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 (304.5 yards/game), 1951 (293.9 yards), 1952 (272.4), and 1950 (269.3). 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 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, 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 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 (1972–1981), 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 died in January 2020.
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.[3]
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.[5]
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.[6] 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 (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, 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.[7] As of February 2018, his contract was set to run through 2024. Dantonio made approximately $4.3 million annually.[8] 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.
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 from 2016 to 2018. 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 2011.
In his first season, the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, the Spartans finished the season 2–5 with a win over rival Michigan.[9]
In 2021, 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.[10] MSU was selected to participate in the Peach Bowl on December 30, 2021 the school's first New Year's Six bowl game since 2015.[11] The Spartans defeated Pittsburgh 31–21 in the Peach Bowl.[12] Walker was a consensus All-American[13] [14] and became the first Spartan to win the Walter Camp and Doak Walker awards.[15] Walker led the Spartans and was second in the country with 1,636 rushing yards.[16] MSU had the nation's worst passing defense, allowing 337.7 yards per game.[17]
On November 24, 2021, the school announced that Tucker had signed a 10-year, $95 million contract extension, allegedly all through donor money, amid speculations of Tucker being sought after for other college and NFL coaching positions.[18] [19]
Looking to build on the success of the 2021 season, the Spartans opened the 2022 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.[20]
On September 10, 2023, after the first two games of the 2023 season, Mel Tucker was suspended without pay pending an investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct.[21] On September 27, the school fired Tucker for cause.[22]
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, 2023.[23]
Michigan State has won six national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors,[24] including two (1952, 1965) from the major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll.[25] [26] [27] Michigan State claims all six championships.[28]
| 1951 | 9–0 | No. 2 | No. 2 | |||||
| 1952 | Clarence Munn | 9–0 | No. 1 | No. 1 | ||||
| 1955 | Boand | 9–1 | No. 2 | No. 2 | ||||
| 1957 | Duffy Daugherty | Dunkel | 8–1 | No. 3 | No. 3 | |||
| 1965 | Duffy Daugherty | Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FB News, FW, Helms, Litkenhous, NFF, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI Coaches | 10–1 | L 12–14 | No. 2 | No. 1 | ||
| 1966 | Duffy Daugherty | Football Research, Helms, NFF, Poling | 9–0–1 | No. 2 | No. 2 |
Michigan State has won 11 conference championships, six outright and five shared.
| 1903 | 6–1–1 | 3–1 | |||
| 1905† | MIAA | Chester Brewer | 9–2 | 4–0 | |
| 1953† | Big Ten | 9–1 | 5–1 | ||
| 1965 | Big Ten | 10–1 | 7–0 | ||
| 1966 | Big Ten | Duffy Daugherty | 9–0–1 | 7–0 | |
| 1978† | Big Ten | 8–3 | 7–1 | ||
| 1987 | Big Ten | 9–2–1 | 7–0–1 | ||
| 1990† | Big Ten | George Perles | 8–3–1 | 6–2 | |
| 2010† | Big Ten | 11–2 | 7–1 | ||
| 2013 | Big Ten | Mark Dantonio | 13–1 | 8–0 | |
| 2015 | Big Ten | Mark Dantonio | 12–2 | 7–1 |
| 2011 | Big Ten Legends | Mark Dantonio | L, 39–42 | ||
| 2013 | Big Ten Legends | Mark Dantonio | W, 34–24 | ||
| 2015 | Big Ten East | Mark Dantonio | W, 16–13 |
See main article: List of Michigan State Spartans bowl games. Michigan State has appeared in 30 bowl games, garnering a 14–16 record.
| L 0–6 | |||||
| W 28–20 | |||||
| W 17–14 | |||||
| Duffy Daugherty | L 12–14 | ||||
| L 6–10 | |||||
| George Perles | L 14–17 | ||||
| George Perles | W 20–17 | ||||
| George Perles | L 27–34 | ||||
| George Perles | W 33–13 | ||||
| George Perles | W 17–16 | ||||
| George Perles | L 7–18 | ||||
| L 26–45 | |||||
| Nick Saban | L 0–38 | ||||
| Nick Saban | L 23–51 | ||||
| W 37–34 | |||||
| Bobby Williams | W 44–35 | ||||
| L 3–17 | |||||
| L 21–24 | |||||
| Mark Dantonio | L 12–24 | ||||
| Mark Dantonio | L 31–41 | ||||
| Mark Dantonio | L 7–49 | ||||
| Mark Dantonio | W 33–30 3OT | ||||
| Mark Dantonio | W 17–16 | ||||
| Mark Dantonio | W 24–20 | ||||
| Mark Dantonio | W 42–41 | ||||
| Mark Dantonio | Cotton Bowl Classic (CFP Semifinal) | L 0–38 | |||
| Mark Dantonio | W 42–17 | ||||
| Mark Dantonio | L 6–7 | ||||
| Mark Dantonio | W 27–21 | ||||
| W 31–21 |
List of Michigan State head coaches.[29] Mark Dantonio is Michigan State’s all-time winningest coach with 114 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 title. Munn leads coaches since 1940 with a .846 winning percentage.
| Coach | Years | Seasons | Record | Pct. | Conf. record | Pct. | Div. titles | Conf. titles | Bowl games | National titles | Conference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Coach | 1896 | 1 | 1–2–1 | .375 | 0–1–0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MIAA | |
| Henry Keep | 1897–1898 | 2 | 8–5–1 | .607 | 5–2–1 | .688 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MIAA | |
| Charles Bemies | 1899–1900 | 2 | 3–7–1 | .318 | 1–3–0 | .250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MIAA | |
| George Denman | 1901–1902 | 2 | 7–9–1 | .441 | 5–4–1 | .550 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | MIAA | |
| Chester Brewer | 1903–1910, 1917, 1919 | 10 | 58–23–7 | .699 | 19–2–2 | .833 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Left MIAA in 1907 | |
| John Macklin | 1911–1915 | 5 | 29–5–0 | .853 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | 0 | Independent | |
| Dutch Sommer | 1916 | 1 | 4–2–1 | .643 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | 0 | Independent | |
| George Gauthier | 1918 | 1 | 4–3–0 | .571 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | 0 | Independent | |
| George Clark | 1920 | 1 | 4–6 | .400 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | 0 | Independent | |
| Albert Barron | 1921–1922 | 2 | 6–10–2 | .389 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | 0 | Independent | |
| Ralph H. Young | 1923–1927 | 5 | 18–22–1 | .451 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | Independent | |
| Harry Kipke | 1928 | 1 | 3–4–1 | .438 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | 0 | Independent | |
| Jim Crowley | 1929–1932 | 4 | 22–8–3 | .712 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | 0 | Independent | |
| Charlie Bachman | 1933–1942, 1944–1946 | 13 | 70–34–10 | .658 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1 | 0 | Independent | |
| Clarence Munn | 1947–1953 | 7 | 54–9–2 | .846 | 5–1 | .833 | n/a | 1 | 1 | 2 | Joined Big Ten in 1953 | |
| 1954–1972 | 19 | 109–69–5 | .609 | 72–50–3 | .588 | n/a | 2 | 2 | 4 | Big Ten | ||
| Denny Stolz | 1973–1975 | 3 | 19–13–1 | .591 | 14–9–1 | .604 | n/a | 0 | 0 | 0 | Big Ten | |
| Darryl Rogers | 1976–1979 | 4 | 24–18–2 | .568 | 19–12–1 | .609 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 0 | Big Ten | |
| Muddy Waters | 1980–1982 | 3 | 10–23–0 | .303 | 8–18–0 | .308 | n/a | 0 | 0 | 0 | Big Ten | |
| George Perles | 1983–1994 | 12 | 68–67–4 | 53–42–2 | n/a | 2 | 7 | 0 | Big Ten | |||
| Nick Saban | 1995–1999 | 5 | 34–24–1 | 23–16–1 | n/a | 0 | 3 | 0 | Big Ten | |||
| Bobby Williams | 2000–2002 | > 2 | 16–17 | .469 | 6–15 | .286 | n/a | 0 | 2 | 0 | Big Ten | |
| Morris Watts | 2002 | < 1 | 1–2 | .333 | 1–2 | .333 | n/a | 0 | 0 | 0 | Big Ten | |
| John L. Smith | 2003-2006 | 4 | 22–26 | .458 | 12–20 | .375 | n/a | 0 | 1 | 0 | Big Ten | |
| Mark Dantonio | 2007–2019 | 13 | 114–57 | 69–39 | 3* | 3 | 12 | 0 | Big Ten | |||
| Mel Tucker | 2020–2023 | 3 | 18–14 | 12–13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Big Ten | |||
| Harlon Barnett (Interim) | 2023 | < 1 | 2–8 | 2–7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Big Ten | |||
| Jonathan Smith | 2024–present | 0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Big Ten | |||
| Totals | 1896–present | 126 | 726–479–44 | 324–249–12 | 3 | 11 | 30 | 6 |
See main article: Spartan Stadium (East Lansing). 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.[30]
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 200000square feet addition also houses the MSU Alumni Office, University Development, Career Services and other units.[31]
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.[32] Crowd noise in the stadium gets so loud that Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus (1960) uses a recording of the crowd noise during the 1959 Michigan State-Notre Dame game.[33]
For the 2007 season, the student section held approximately 13,000 fans.[34] 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 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.[35]
Three new video boards were installed prior to the 2012 season. The larger South LED board measures 47.2feet high by 114.8feet wide for a total of 5412square feet. The two North LED boards measure 31.5feet high by 52.5feet wide for a total of 1653.75square feet each. When combined, the three boards measure 8719.5square feet, making it the largest combined board system in the country. Also, the stadium includes a 10feet high by 450feet wide ribbon video board along the top of the bleachers in the north endzone, which adds another 4500square feet to make a grand total of 13219.5square feet.
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 25000square feet 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 16500square feet at a cost of $2 million. The complex includes a 86000square feet 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.[36]
See 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 won the 2023 game in East Lansing by a score of 49-0. Michigan leads the trophy series 40-29-2 through the 2023 season.[37]
See 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 1966 "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 2023 season.[38] The teams are next scheduled to play in 2026.[39]
See 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 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 holds the trophy, and MSU leads the all-time series 50–18–2 through 2023.[40]
See 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 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.[41] The series is tied at 18-18-1 through the 2022 season.[42]
| The "Game of the Century" (1966 version) | |
| Football Season: | 1966 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Notre Dame |
| Visitor Nickname: | Fighting Irish |
| Visitor School: | University of Notre Dame |
| Home Name Short: | Michigan State |
| Home Nickname: | Spartans |
| Home School: | Michigan State University |
| Visitor Record: | 8 - 0 |
| Home Record: | 9 - 0 |
| Visitor Coach: | Ara Parseghian |
| Home Coach: | Duffy Daugherty |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 1 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 1 |
| Home Rank Ap: | 2 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 2 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 3 |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 3 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Date: | November 19, 1966 |
| Stadium: | Spartan Stadium |
| City: | East Lansing, Michigan |
See main article: 1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State football game.
The 1966 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.[43] The game was played in Michigan State's Spartan Stadium on November 19, 1966. 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.[44] [45]
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 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 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 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 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 50,000 letters) 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.
1972: Brad Van Pelt
2002: Charles Rogers
2002: Charles Rogers
1949: Ed Bagdon
1965: Bubba Smith
1989: Percy Snow
1989: Percy Snow
2013: Darqueze Dennard
2013: Darqueze Dennard
2015: Connor Cook
2021: Kenneth Walker III
2021: Kenneth Walker III
1952: Clarence Munn
1955: Duffy Daugherty
1965: Duffy Daugherty
1965: Duffy Daugherty
1978: Darryl Rogers
2013: Pat Narduzzi
1971: Eric Allen
1977: Larry Bethea
1987: Lorenzo White
1985: Lorenzo White
1987: Lorenzo White
1990: Tico Duckett (media)
2015: Connor Cook
2021: Kenneth Walker III
1997: Flozell Adams
2015: Aaron Burbridge
2009: Greg Jones (media)
2013: Darqueze Dennard
2014: Kurtis Drummond
2013: Shilique Calhoun
2018: Kenny Willekes
2022: Bryce Baringer
1993: Reggie Garnett
1974: Denny Stolz (media)
1977: Darryl Rogers (media)
1987: George Perles (media)
2003: John L. Smith (media)
2010: Mark Dantonio (media)
2013: Mark Dantonio (media and coaches)
2021: Mel Tucker (media and coaches)
Through the 2022 season, there have been 33 consensus selections of which 11 were unanimous.[47]
| B | 1915 | ||
| G | 1935 | ||
| G | 1949 | ||
| E | 1951 | ||
| T | 1951† | ||
| E | 1953 | ||
| T | 1955 | ||
| B | 1955 | ||
| C | 1957 | ||
| B | 1957 | ||
| E | 1958 | ||
| B | 1962 | ||
| B | 1963 | ||
| DE | 1965, 1966† | ||
| DB | 1965†, 1966† | ||
| B | 1966 | ||
| DB | 1972† | ||
| RB | 1985†, 1987 | ||
| OL | 1988 | ||
| OL | 1989 | ||
| LB | 1989† | ||
| WR | 2002† | ||
| P | 2004 | ||
| RB | 2008 | ||
| LB | 2009, 2010† | ||
| DL | 2011 | ||
| DB | 2013† | ||
| RB | 2021† | ||
| P | 2022 |
See also: List of NCAA football retired numbers.
| 26 | 1964-1966 | 2015 | [48] | |||
| 46 | 1969 | |||||
| 48 | 1986–1989 | 2013 | [49] | |||
| 78 | 1949–1951 | 1951 | ||||
| 90 | 1964–1966 | 1967 | [50] | |||
| 95 | 1964–1966 | 2006 | ||||
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.[51]
| Head coach | 1947–1953 | 1959 | [52] | ||
| QB/HB/P | 1935–1938 | 1968 | [53] | ||
| 1948–1951 | 1975 | [54] | |||
| Head coach | 1944–1946 | 1978 | [55] | ||
| Head coach | 1954–1972 | 1984 | [56] | ||
| 1963–1966 | 1987 | [57] | |||
| 1963–1966 | 1988 | [58] | |||
| Head coach | 1980–1982 | 2000 | [59] | ||
| 1969–1972 | 2001 | [60] | |||
| 1963–1966 | 2011 | [61] | |||
| 1986–1989 | 2013 | [62] | |||
| 1963–1966 | 2015 | [63] [64] | |||
| 1975–1978 | 2017 | [65] | |||
| 1984–1987 | 2019 | [66] |
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.[67]
| 1957–1960 | 1980 | [68] | |||
| 1969–1972 | 2003 | [69] | |||
| 1978–1981 | 2017 | [70] |
See also: Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
There are two Michigan State alumni inductees to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.[71]
| Multiple | 1929–1932 | 1969 | [72] | ||
| 1976–1979 | 2000 | [73] |
The Rose Bowl has inducted two Michigan State player into the Rose Bowl Game Hall of Fame.
| Dave Kaiser | WR/CB/K | 1953–1956 | 1999 | [74] |
| RB | 1984–1987 | 2022 | [75] | |
Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington are set to join the Big Ten beginning with the 2024 season, moving the conference to 18 total teams.[76] On October 4, 2023, the Big Ten announced a new scheduling structure beginning with the 2024 season to accommodate the four teams joining the conference.[77] The conference had previously announced the elimination of divisions after UCLA and USC had announced their intent to join the conference.[78]
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.[79] The conference announced matchups for all teams from 2024 through 2028.
In 2024, the Spartans will play five home games and four road games in conference.[80]
| Indiana | Illinois | |
| Iowa | Maryland | |
| Ohio State | Michigan | |
| Purdue | Oregon | |
| Rutgers |
In 2025, the Spartans will play four home games and five road games in conference.
| Maryland | Indiana | |
| Michigan | Iowa | |
| Penn State | Minnesota | |
| UCLA | Nebraska | |
| USC |
In 2026, the Spartans will play five home games and four road games in conference.
| Illinois | Michigan | |
| Nebraska | Rutgers | |
| Northwestern | UCLA | |
| Oregon | Wisconsin | |
| Washington |
In 2027, the Spartans will play four home games and five road games in conference.
| Indiana | Northwestern | |
| Michigan | Ohio State | |
| Rutgers | Penn State | |
| Wisconsin | Purdue | |
| Washington |
In 2028, the Spartans will play five home games and four road games in conference.
| Iowa | Illinois | |
| Minnesota | Maryland | |
| Penn State | Michigan | |
| Purdue | Oregon | |
| USC |
Announced schedules as of July, 2023.[81] [82]
| Florida Atlantic | Western Michigan | Toledo | Central Michigan | Central Michigan | Western Michigan | at BYU | |||
| Prairie View A&M | Youngstown State | Eastern Michigan | Notre Dame | ||||||
| at Boston College | Boston College | at Notre Dame |