Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Headliner: On the surface, basketball rules the roost in East Lansing. It’s been a big deal since Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser led the Spartans to the 1979 national championship over Larry Bird and Indiana State in the highest-rated basketball game in TV history. Now that coach Tom Izzo — perhaps the top Big Ten coach in any sport at this moment — has delivered Sparty to six Final Fours and a national title in the past 13 years, the program has a distinct national branding: Dark green jerseys, gritty guard play and physical frontcourts. Michigan State basketball is every bit the powerhouse Kansas has been in the Big 12.
But a football heart still beats in this blue-collar town. The Spartans won six national titles (a couple outright titles, plus a few obscure anointings) in the 1950s and ’60s under Clarence “Biggie” Munn and Duffy Daugherty. College football buffs know that one of the many “game of the century” contests was waged between MSU and Notre Dame in 1966.
The Spartan men’s hockey team won a national title in 2007.
Heartbreaker: In football, it’s never been precisely one game that sunk the Spartans. It’s a series of games, over time, that have kept Michigan State from crossing the threshold into a national power.
But one can trace it back to that 1966 game with Notre Dame. It was the last game for both teams that year. Notre Dame didn’t accept bowl bids, while Michigan State wasn’t allowed to accept a Rose Bowl bid because it had been to Pasadena the year before. So it was truly the national title game in the eyes of many, and it ended in a 10-10 tie. Despite having a chance to go for a game-winning drive with one minute left, Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian deliberately settled for that tie. The Irish turned the tie into a national title and a great run under Parseghian. The Spartans, meanwhile, finished 9-0-1 and also shared the national title. But they didn’t have another nine-win season until 1987.
Two great programs went in to Spartan Stadium that day. But Michigan State hasn’t been quite that great since.
History maker: The 1979 NCAA championship basketball game, held in Salt Lake City, pitting Magic vs. Bird for the first in what became many fierce battles between the two players. Michigan State won handily, 75-64. Bird was perhaps the bigger curiosity heading into the game — as were the Sycamores — but Johnson was the star, and he won tournament MVP. The win changed the NCAA tournament into a made-for-TV thriller. We have March Madness today in part because of it.
Nebraska connection: A certain Nebraska head football coach cut his teeth as an assistant on Daugherty’s staff in the 1950s. Maybe you’ve heard of him: Bob Devaney. Also, the 26-win 1990-91 Nebraska men’s basketball team began its memorable run in earnest with a buzzer-beating upset win over the Spartans in Lincoln. Later, in 1995, Lawrence Phillips rushed for 206 yards and four touchdowns at Michigan State roughly 12 hours before ... well, you know the rest of the story.
Did you know? Actor James Caan — perhaps best known for his starring role as a Chicago Bear football player with cancer in “Brian’s Song” — played quarterback at Michigan State for one season.
Battling Big Red: NU is 5-0 all-time in football over MSU. The Spartans were the first team Bo Pelini beat as Nebraska’s head coach in the 2003 Alamo Bowl. That’s also the last time the two teams met. NU pounded Nick Saban’s MSU crews in 1995 and ’96.
The teams have enjoyed spirited battles in other sports over the years, notably volleyball.
Love to hate: Michigan. The Wolverines’ football hatred belongs to Ohio State and probably will for years to come. While UM better not lose to Ohio State, it absolutely better not lose to Sparty. Michigan looks down on Michigan State, which doesn’t at all appreciate the condescension. MSU appears poised, with head coach Mark Dantonio, to take charge in this rivalry if Michigan is too concerned about its neighbor.
— Sam McKewon
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