Mark Dantonio credits his Michigan State football ‘legacy’ to former players, others

EAST LANSING — One by one, former Michigan State football players walked into Breslin Center for a Friday night family reunion.

As they hugged and caught up with one another, their patriarch strolled toward the doors. And when Mark Dantonio looked inside, everything the new College Football Hall of Fame member strived to build — reaching heights the Spartans had not experienced in a half-century — came into focus.

To borrow a favorite phrase of his, Dantonio sensed a completion of another circle.

The 68-year-old former head coach, who from 2007 until his retirement after the 2019 season became the Spartans’ all-time winningest coach, learned in January he will be one of three coaches to join 19 former players in the upcoming College Football Hall of Fame class. The formal induction is Dec. 10 in Las Vegas at the annual National Football Foundation awards dinner.

Former Michigan State Spartans football coach Mark Dantonio stands on the sidelines during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in College Park, Md.

RELATED: Couch: It’s been 5 years since MSU football put up a fight against Ohio State. That’s a step that can’t be skipped.

On Saturday, during MSU’s prime-time showdown against No. 3 Ohio State (7:30 p.m., Peacock), Dantonio’s name will be unveiled in the Spartan Stadium Ring of Fame. He also will go into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame after helping the Spartans win the 2014 game there, one of the many highlights of his 114-57 tenure at MSU that included three Big Ten titles (2010, 2013, 2015), a College Football Playoff appearance (2015) and 12 bowl appearances in 13 seasons.

Yet to Dantonio, the personal accolades only partially belong to him.

“I hope every one of these players that are here, and everybody that really worked with us closely, sees a little bit…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mark-dantonio-credits-michigan-state-101820911.html

Author : Lansing State Journal

Publish date : 2024-09-28 10:18:20

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.