Michigan State University Spartans Football History
For a decade and a half in the 20th century, the Michigan State Spartans dominated college football, winning national championships in 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965 and 1966. Legendary coach Duffy Daugherty built a recruiting network in the segregated South and fielded one of the first racially integrated teams in the sport, including the great Bubba Smith from Texas and Jimmy Raye of North Carolina. The latter was the starting quarterback for the 1966 team, which played top-ranked Notre Dame to a 10-10 tie in what's known as the "Game of the Century." Daugherty spent 19 seasons as head coach of the Spartans, going 109-69-5 in his time in East Lansing. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984.
Another high point was reached under Mark Dantonio, who coached the team from 2007 to 2019 and led the Spartans to bowl appearances in each of his first nine seasons, including a College Football Playoff appearance in 2015. In 2013, Michigan State went 13-1 and 8-0 in Big Ten play, punctuating the season with a 24-20 victory over Stanford in the Rose Bowl.
Michigan State University Spartans Football Team Info
Conference: Big Ten?
Team Colors: Green, White
Team Rivals: Michigan Wolverines, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Indiana Hoosiers, Penn State Nittany Lions
Michigan State University Spartans Football at Spartan Stadium
Since 1923, Michigan State has played in Spartan Stadium, which now has a capacity of 75,000. Saturdays in East Lansing, Michigan, are full of charming tradition, from the mascot Sparty's dash out onto the field to the halftime performance of the school's unofficial mascot, the frisbee-catching Zeke the Wonder Dog.