Top 10... Michigan State Moments
Let's face it. It's not always easy being green (and white). Here are the Top 10 Michigan State Moments that have happened during Dr. Hartnell's lifetime. While many seasoned Spartan fans recall Magic Johnson's 1979 National Championship... Dr. Hartnell was only 2 years old. Therefore, the following MSU Moments have to be ones that he remembers.
The MSU Fight Song!NOTE: The audio file on this page may not play on every device.
|
|
10. The Citrus Bowl Victory (2000)
The 1999 edition of Spartan Football was something special. Not only was it my senior year at MSU, but Head Coach Nick Saban (yes, he spent time in East Lansing) was in his fifth season. Having begun a slow revival of the program - with huge wins and head-scratching defeats in each of his previous four seasons - Saben was clicking in 1999. (Side note: I have never forgiven him for changing the beloved Spartan uniforms when he took over in 1995. I still remember, to this day, working out in my parent's basement and listening to the first game of the Nick Saban Era, a road game at #2 Nebraska. When the radio announcer said, "And here come the Spartans onto the field donning their new uniforms!" I almost threw up. New uniforms? Um, excuse me, Nick. That wasn't part of the deal! How could you scrap the classiness of the block "S" helmets and old school Kelly Green?! When I eventually saw the TV highlights of the 50-10 beat down at the hands of the Huskers, I couldn't believe the uniforms had changed. It was the only uniform I had ever known MSU to wear. Ironically, it's now tradition at MSU to have no tradition when it comes to uniforms. Alas, I digress...) MSU started 6-0 and climbed to #5 in the country - the highest the team had reached since 1966... you know, when my DAD was a student there. After beating UM and Tom Brady 34-31, I very vividly remember ESPN analysts selecting MSU as their sleeper pick for the National Championship. But, as is often the case with Spartan athletics, reality set in the next week when MSU was annihilated 52-28 by Drew Brees and Purdue (a game that I witnessed in person in gloomy West Lafayette). I swear Brees threw for 5,000 yards that game. We watched MSU drop to #11 in the polls... before another beat down, this time at the hands of Wisconsin (40-10). In the span of two weeks, I watched MSU go from #5 to #19. Murmurs of "S.O.S." ("Same Old Spartans") could be heard around campus. However, unlike MSU had done in previous seasons, the Spartans won their final three games to finish tied for second in the Big Ten with UM (and 9-2 overall). With first-place Wisconsin heading to the Rose Bowl, MSU was still in the driver's seat for a New Year's Day bowl game - something that hadn't happened since 1988. But remember... this is Michigan State we're talking about. So, you know the bottom's about to drop out. And it did. Two weeks after the end of the season, on December 5th, Nick Saban resigned as Head Coach and took the job at LSU (where he'd go on to win the National Championship just four years later – don't even get me started). Still stunned, MSU found itself passed over by the Bowl Selection Committee. Instead of going to the Orange Bowl, MSU was awarded the Citrus Bowl (now called the Capital One Bowl). The Orange Bowl went with UM, even though MSU had the same record as UM and had beaten the Wolverines earlier in the season. Talk about a punch to the gut. Who would coach MSU? Turns out, Bobby Williams - the RB Coach - would take the lead. (Don't worry - this story does eventually get happier.) Shortly after my first semester final exams were finished, and a few days after being back in Westerville for Winter Break, my father pulled me aside and handed me an envelope. Before I opened it, I glanced at him with the same look that kid Ralphie gives his old man when he opens the last Christmas gift, you know, moments before unveiling the much-coveted Red Ryder BB gun! You know the look. BAM... Christmas came early. I had just scored FOUR tickets to the Citrus Bowl!!! Having never been to Florida before, and the fact that I would be heading there with my girlfriend (now wife) Molly, my brother Nate, and my future sister-in-law Katy to watch MSU play was something I hadn't even dreamed would happen at the start of the season - or ever. We were going to be in sunny Orlando on New Year's Day!!! The entire trip... from the hotel to the pool to the perfect weather to the celebration of New Year's the night before (and the survival of Y2K) to the pep-rally (which featured Sparty and Tom Izzo) to the shuttle to the game - absolutely top shelf! As for the game itself, which finally brings us to #10 on the countdown... it was surreal to watch my Spartans play in a bowl game I had usually found myself watching on a couch in my parents' basement. The thing I remember most about the field were how perfect the end zones looked. I know, that seems odd to say, but my brother and I noticed these things. (Speaking of Nate... I have never seen someone eat that much stadium popcorn before in my life. Of course, that would come back to haunt him later.) To make things even better, MSU beat Florida 37-34 on a last-second field goal by Paul Edinger, giving the Spartans just their second-ever 10-win season in school history. (The other occurred, again, when my Dad was there!) It was certainly the absolute best way to kick-off a new year! (It also helps explain the sign you see me holding in the picture for the #2 MSU Moment.)
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
9. MSU vs. Notre Dame ('98, '00, '01, '05 & '10)
Ok. This may seem unfair to tuck five games into one ranking, but, hey, it's my countdown, and, well, these five games were amazing. And "amazing" is putting it very lightly. In fact, I was in attendance for four of the five (although I had tickets to the fifth game but wound up being unable to go - thanks, newborn child). These were the games from 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, and 2010.
Up first... the 1998 MSU/Notre Dame game. As a junior at MSU, I witnessed the most complete dismantling of a ranked team I've ever seen. Seriously. To make things even "cooler", this was only MSU's second night game in history, which, to be perfectly honest, may have been the only reason why anyone went to it. (I distinctly remember just how hot and muggy it was, even for a night game.) Spartan fans didn't know what to expect, especially since Notre Dame had upset Michigan the week before and MSU had been embarrassed in loses to Colorado State (23-16) and Oregon (48-14) the previous two weeks. (And this was before Oregon was the Oregon we know today.) Nevertheless, in a blink of an eye, MSU was up on #11 Notre Dame 42-3 at the half en route to a 45-23 shellacking (and the worst Notre Dame loss in a decade). As any blood-thirsty, win-deprived fan hopes, I wanted to see MSU drop a century on them, but, alas, it wasn't to be.
Click here to watch the 1998 highlights on YouTube
In the fall of 2000, I was just beginning my student teaching year at Holt High School while attending the Master's program at MSU. This particular game had all the promise of the game in 1998 – blowout. (I know people enjoy close games, but not me. As a seasoned MSU fan, no lead is safe, and no game is over until triple zeros are on the clock.) MSU jumped out to a 20-7 lead before seeing it melt away in the fourth quarter. With 1:48 left in the game... trailing 21-20... and on 4th and 10... MSU's QB Jeff Smoker hit Herb Haygood on a 68-yard TD pass to win the game. The stadium exploded. I remember this guy using my shoulders as a spring board to jump over me to head down to the field. More impressive than him using me as his personal hurdles, was this 27-21 victory because it marked MSU's fourth consecutive win over #16 Notre Dame – and the Irish's longest losing streak against a team since losing four times to Miami from 1983-1987.
Click here to watch the 2000 highlights on YouTube
The decision to cancel all sporting events across the country following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 showed the magnitude of the events of that day. Not only was it the largest loss of life on American soil since the Battle of Antietam during the Civil War, but it changed this country – forever. I was in my first year of teaching and split between two schools (Walnut Springs Middle School in the morning and Westerville North High School in the afternoon). As I was walking out of my classroom at Walnut, another teacher stopped me and said, "Something bad has happened in New York City. A plane hit the World Trade Center." I went to my apartment for lunch and turned on the TV just after the second plane hit and watched in horror as the towers collapsed. It was surreal because the topic for my lecture that day at North was terrorism. When I walked into North, I was numb. There was an eerie silence as students huddled around TVs. The day after the attacks, and after being up all night watching news coverage, I wrote the word "INFAMY" across the chalkboard. Before I faced the class, I said, "Does anyone have any questions?” When I turned around, every single student had a hand up. Lesson plans were scrapped. We were living history at that very moment. Sports, as we know, is the great equalizer. It brings together groups of people that ordinarily wouldn't be caught dead together. Sports gives us a release. It helps us tune out for a handful of hours. The MSU/Missouri game scheduled the Saturday after the attacks was postponed and moved to December. Up next was MSU's annual foe, Notre Dame, which went on as scheduled, but it did mark the first time since the attacks that sports had been played. I remember watching this game at home (because it was in South Bend) and being awed by the thousands of American flags held up by the crowd and the joining of the two school's bands to play "Amazing Grace". It moved me to tears. Then I watched MSU walk out onto the field, locked arm-to-arm, in a show of unity. Shoot, this pregame material was enough to make it onto my countdown – turns out the game would end with yet another spectacular finish. For the second straight year, MSU won on a big play at the end of the game to defeat #23 Notre Dame. This time it was QB Ryan Van Dyke connecting on a 53-yard pass to Charles Rogers with 7:51 left to give the Spartans a 17-10 lead. Notre Dame drove to MSU's 17 yard line but couldn't execute a faked field goal on 4th and 6. Still, it would take an MSU interception on another Irish possession to seal the victory. This win gave MSU five straight against Notre Dame, tying USC as the only team to ever win five in-a-row against the Irish (USC did it from 1987-1992). Nevertheless, this game showed the power that sports have in giving a healing nation a breather – even if for one Saturday in September.
Click here to watch the Amazing Grace highlights on YouTube
Click here to watch the 2001 highlights on YouTube
The good times against Notre Dame did not continue in 2002. In what would become one of MSU's most disappointing (and disastrous... and embarrassing...) seasons, the Spartans lost to #12 Notre Dame 21-17 at home. Ironically, it was the Irish completing a 60-yard TD play with 1:15 remaining to win the game. After that Notre Dame game, MSU lost six of its last eight games... and lost its star QB to substance-abuse problems and its Head Coach Bobby Williams (thanks to a comment of "I don't know" in response to a reporter's question of "Have you lost control of this team?" following a 49-3 shellacking at UM). So, let's just fast-forward to the 2005 edition of this rivalry, which marked my first trip to South Bend. My brother Nate's wife's family is die-hard Notre Dame fans. (Without a doubt, if my brother were in charge of this countdown, I suspect MSU's 22-16 win over the Irish on September 20, 2003 – his wedding day – might be #1 on his list.) He managed to score tickets to the game, so Nate, Katy, Molly, and I all piled in our car and jetted to Indiana. I will give Notre Dame this – there is a mystique surrounding its campus that's unlike many in college football. After walking the campus and taking in their school's pre-game festivities and traditions, we settled in for what we suspected was going to be a painful experience. MSU had won its first two games that season... but those were against Kent State and Hawaii. Notre Dame was MSU first true test of the year – and they were #10 in the country. By halftime we were cautiously optimistic as MSU retook the lead 24-17. MSU Head Coach John L. Smith had already built a reputation of squandering leads, but, then again, what else was new for the green and white? Mid-way through the third quarter, with MSU up 38-17, we were quietly cheering on our team despite sitting in a throng of Irish fans. Did I mention that we were good at throwing away leads? Yea, well, Notre Dame (and Brady Quinn) erased a 21-point deficit, tied the game at 38 with 2:31 left, and sent it into overtime. The entire time as we watched Notre Dame push our defense around the field – and as the fans around us became incredibly insufferable – Nate and I began plotting our fastest route out of the stadium when MSU finally lost. (Yes, we can be quite pessimistic at times – but can you blame us?) Notre Dame scored a field goal on its first possession in OT, taking its first lead since the second quarter. When MSU took a penalty to open its possession, you probably could hear my brother and I collectively drop the "F-Bomb". However, RB Jason Teague took the option pitch from QB Drew Stanton on 1st and 15 and scampered 19 yards to win the game 44-41. The play unfolded to the sideline where the four of us were sitting, and when we saw the hole open up, Nate and I stood up in anticipation. Once Teague got past the last defender, his high step indicated it was a clear shot into the end zone. This win gave MSU five straight wins AT Notre Dame, joining Purdue (1954-1962) as the only opponent to win that many in South Bend. It was also MSU's 12th win overall at Notre Dame, the most by an Irish opponent. As Nate and I watched in utter shock – what a roller coaster ride that was – several MSU players ran out to midfield and planted a Spartan flag. Nate looked at me and said, "That's not good." It would prove to be a motivating factor the following season when MSU let a 37-21 lead in the fourth slip away for a stunning 40-37 loss (a game my father and I watched in person in a driving rain). Still, watching the 2005 game in South Bend is certainly countdown material – as was the very enjoyable ride home.
Click here to watch the 2005 highlights on YouTube
The 2010 installment was a game that I was going to attend... the now historic "Little Giants" fake FG game. Slated to make the trip up to East Lansing for a night game against Notre Dame – and the first since the birth of my son – I was excited to get back up north to see some old college friends. To be expected, however, my son came down with an awful ear infection (his first illness since being born in February), and, well, wishing to avoid any future arguments with my wife that I would never be able to win, I bailed on the game and instead watched it in the basement. Yup. I missed, perhaps, the greatest ending to an MSU game... EVER! After a fairly uneventful game that saw the teams head into halftime tied 7-7, the second half became one of the best back-and-forth affairs. Notre Dame took a 28-21 lead with 13:20 left in the fourth before MSU tied it up with 7:43 remaining. In OT, Notre Dame took the lead with a 33-yard field goal. On its possession, MSU's Edwin Baker ran for a 2-yard gain, which was followed by a 7-yard scramble by QB Kirk Cousins. It appeared MSU was positioning itself for a tying field goal. Literally as the announcers said, "MSU can't afford to take a sack" – MSU took a sack as Cousins was dropped for a loss of nine. By this point in the night, Molly and Fraser had gone to bed. I was sitting perched at the edge of the couch when Dan Conroy trotted out to kick a 46-yarder. I had already accepted defeat because I knew MSU kickers don't generally kick 46-yarders. Ever. My brother had accepted defeat much earlier in the night, having texted me that he was going to bed. And then it happened. The most miraculous TD play in MSU history (until the Wisconsin "Hail Mary" play the following season)... Aaron Bates took the snap, rolled out, and hit a wide-open Charlie Gantt for a 29-yard TD pass. The second the fake field goal unfolded, the announcer Brad Nessler shouted, "It's a fake!" and I jumped up, screaming, "NO!!!!!!!!!!" As Gantt crossed the goal line and the stadium exploded, I sprinted upstairs. Literally pulling Molly from bed, we went back downstairs to watch the play 20 more times (thank you Tivo!). We were stunned. MSU doesn't win games in that fashion... we lose games in that fashion! (I mean, any veteran Spartan fan remembers the "Immaculate Deflection" that allowed Notre Dame to beat MSU in 1990. If you have the stomach, click here to see it.) Granted, as superstitious as I am, I just know that Gantt would have dropped the ball had I been there in person to see this! Go figure my tickets were in the end zone where the catch was made! (Don't worry... my son is still grounded.) Still, because it is MSU, in the aftermath of the game, Coach Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack. Sounds about right. We win a game in the most epic of ways... and our coach has a heart attack. Thankfully, he recovered and continued leading the Spartans in one of their most memorable seasons – one that ended with the school's first Big Ten title in 20 years. (And to think I have still never seen the movie Little Giants…)
Click here to watch the 2010 highlights on YouTube
Up first... the 1998 MSU/Notre Dame game. As a junior at MSU, I witnessed the most complete dismantling of a ranked team I've ever seen. Seriously. To make things even "cooler", this was only MSU's second night game in history, which, to be perfectly honest, may have been the only reason why anyone went to it. (I distinctly remember just how hot and muggy it was, even for a night game.) Spartan fans didn't know what to expect, especially since Notre Dame had upset Michigan the week before and MSU had been embarrassed in loses to Colorado State (23-16) and Oregon (48-14) the previous two weeks. (And this was before Oregon was the Oregon we know today.) Nevertheless, in a blink of an eye, MSU was up on #11 Notre Dame 42-3 at the half en route to a 45-23 shellacking (and the worst Notre Dame loss in a decade). As any blood-thirsty, win-deprived fan hopes, I wanted to see MSU drop a century on them, but, alas, it wasn't to be.
Click here to watch the 1998 highlights on YouTube
In the fall of 2000, I was just beginning my student teaching year at Holt High School while attending the Master's program at MSU. This particular game had all the promise of the game in 1998 – blowout. (I know people enjoy close games, but not me. As a seasoned MSU fan, no lead is safe, and no game is over until triple zeros are on the clock.) MSU jumped out to a 20-7 lead before seeing it melt away in the fourth quarter. With 1:48 left in the game... trailing 21-20... and on 4th and 10... MSU's QB Jeff Smoker hit Herb Haygood on a 68-yard TD pass to win the game. The stadium exploded. I remember this guy using my shoulders as a spring board to jump over me to head down to the field. More impressive than him using me as his personal hurdles, was this 27-21 victory because it marked MSU's fourth consecutive win over #16 Notre Dame – and the Irish's longest losing streak against a team since losing four times to Miami from 1983-1987.
Click here to watch the 2000 highlights on YouTube
The decision to cancel all sporting events across the country following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 showed the magnitude of the events of that day. Not only was it the largest loss of life on American soil since the Battle of Antietam during the Civil War, but it changed this country – forever. I was in my first year of teaching and split between two schools (Walnut Springs Middle School in the morning and Westerville North High School in the afternoon). As I was walking out of my classroom at Walnut, another teacher stopped me and said, "Something bad has happened in New York City. A plane hit the World Trade Center." I went to my apartment for lunch and turned on the TV just after the second plane hit and watched in horror as the towers collapsed. It was surreal because the topic for my lecture that day at North was terrorism. When I walked into North, I was numb. There was an eerie silence as students huddled around TVs. The day after the attacks, and after being up all night watching news coverage, I wrote the word "INFAMY" across the chalkboard. Before I faced the class, I said, "Does anyone have any questions?” When I turned around, every single student had a hand up. Lesson plans were scrapped. We were living history at that very moment. Sports, as we know, is the great equalizer. It brings together groups of people that ordinarily wouldn't be caught dead together. Sports gives us a release. It helps us tune out for a handful of hours. The MSU/Missouri game scheduled the Saturday after the attacks was postponed and moved to December. Up next was MSU's annual foe, Notre Dame, which went on as scheduled, but it did mark the first time since the attacks that sports had been played. I remember watching this game at home (because it was in South Bend) and being awed by the thousands of American flags held up by the crowd and the joining of the two school's bands to play "Amazing Grace". It moved me to tears. Then I watched MSU walk out onto the field, locked arm-to-arm, in a show of unity. Shoot, this pregame material was enough to make it onto my countdown – turns out the game would end with yet another spectacular finish. For the second straight year, MSU won on a big play at the end of the game to defeat #23 Notre Dame. This time it was QB Ryan Van Dyke connecting on a 53-yard pass to Charles Rogers with 7:51 left to give the Spartans a 17-10 lead. Notre Dame drove to MSU's 17 yard line but couldn't execute a faked field goal on 4th and 6. Still, it would take an MSU interception on another Irish possession to seal the victory. This win gave MSU five straight against Notre Dame, tying USC as the only team to ever win five in-a-row against the Irish (USC did it from 1987-1992). Nevertheless, this game showed the power that sports have in giving a healing nation a breather – even if for one Saturday in September.
Click here to watch the Amazing Grace highlights on YouTube
Click here to watch the 2001 highlights on YouTube
The good times against Notre Dame did not continue in 2002. In what would become one of MSU's most disappointing (and disastrous... and embarrassing...) seasons, the Spartans lost to #12 Notre Dame 21-17 at home. Ironically, it was the Irish completing a 60-yard TD play with 1:15 remaining to win the game. After that Notre Dame game, MSU lost six of its last eight games... and lost its star QB to substance-abuse problems and its Head Coach Bobby Williams (thanks to a comment of "I don't know" in response to a reporter's question of "Have you lost control of this team?" following a 49-3 shellacking at UM). So, let's just fast-forward to the 2005 edition of this rivalry, which marked my first trip to South Bend. My brother Nate's wife's family is die-hard Notre Dame fans. (Without a doubt, if my brother were in charge of this countdown, I suspect MSU's 22-16 win over the Irish on September 20, 2003 – his wedding day – might be #1 on his list.) He managed to score tickets to the game, so Nate, Katy, Molly, and I all piled in our car and jetted to Indiana. I will give Notre Dame this – there is a mystique surrounding its campus that's unlike many in college football. After walking the campus and taking in their school's pre-game festivities and traditions, we settled in for what we suspected was going to be a painful experience. MSU had won its first two games that season... but those were against Kent State and Hawaii. Notre Dame was MSU first true test of the year – and they were #10 in the country. By halftime we were cautiously optimistic as MSU retook the lead 24-17. MSU Head Coach John L. Smith had already built a reputation of squandering leads, but, then again, what else was new for the green and white? Mid-way through the third quarter, with MSU up 38-17, we were quietly cheering on our team despite sitting in a throng of Irish fans. Did I mention that we were good at throwing away leads? Yea, well, Notre Dame (and Brady Quinn) erased a 21-point deficit, tied the game at 38 with 2:31 left, and sent it into overtime. The entire time as we watched Notre Dame push our defense around the field – and as the fans around us became incredibly insufferable – Nate and I began plotting our fastest route out of the stadium when MSU finally lost. (Yes, we can be quite pessimistic at times – but can you blame us?) Notre Dame scored a field goal on its first possession in OT, taking its first lead since the second quarter. When MSU took a penalty to open its possession, you probably could hear my brother and I collectively drop the "F-Bomb". However, RB Jason Teague took the option pitch from QB Drew Stanton on 1st and 15 and scampered 19 yards to win the game 44-41. The play unfolded to the sideline where the four of us were sitting, and when we saw the hole open up, Nate and I stood up in anticipation. Once Teague got past the last defender, his high step indicated it was a clear shot into the end zone. This win gave MSU five straight wins AT Notre Dame, joining Purdue (1954-1962) as the only opponent to win that many in South Bend. It was also MSU's 12th win overall at Notre Dame, the most by an Irish opponent. As Nate and I watched in utter shock – what a roller coaster ride that was – several MSU players ran out to midfield and planted a Spartan flag. Nate looked at me and said, "That's not good." It would prove to be a motivating factor the following season when MSU let a 37-21 lead in the fourth slip away for a stunning 40-37 loss (a game my father and I watched in person in a driving rain). Still, watching the 2005 game in South Bend is certainly countdown material – as was the very enjoyable ride home.
Click here to watch the 2005 highlights on YouTube
The 2010 installment was a game that I was going to attend... the now historic "Little Giants" fake FG game. Slated to make the trip up to East Lansing for a night game against Notre Dame – and the first since the birth of my son – I was excited to get back up north to see some old college friends. To be expected, however, my son came down with an awful ear infection (his first illness since being born in February), and, well, wishing to avoid any future arguments with my wife that I would never be able to win, I bailed on the game and instead watched it in the basement. Yup. I missed, perhaps, the greatest ending to an MSU game... EVER! After a fairly uneventful game that saw the teams head into halftime tied 7-7, the second half became one of the best back-and-forth affairs. Notre Dame took a 28-21 lead with 13:20 left in the fourth before MSU tied it up with 7:43 remaining. In OT, Notre Dame took the lead with a 33-yard field goal. On its possession, MSU's Edwin Baker ran for a 2-yard gain, which was followed by a 7-yard scramble by QB Kirk Cousins. It appeared MSU was positioning itself for a tying field goal. Literally as the announcers said, "MSU can't afford to take a sack" – MSU took a sack as Cousins was dropped for a loss of nine. By this point in the night, Molly and Fraser had gone to bed. I was sitting perched at the edge of the couch when Dan Conroy trotted out to kick a 46-yarder. I had already accepted defeat because I knew MSU kickers don't generally kick 46-yarders. Ever. My brother had accepted defeat much earlier in the night, having texted me that he was going to bed. And then it happened. The most miraculous TD play in MSU history (until the Wisconsin "Hail Mary" play the following season)... Aaron Bates took the snap, rolled out, and hit a wide-open Charlie Gantt for a 29-yard TD pass. The second the fake field goal unfolded, the announcer Brad Nessler shouted, "It's a fake!" and I jumped up, screaming, "NO!!!!!!!!!!" As Gantt crossed the goal line and the stadium exploded, I sprinted upstairs. Literally pulling Molly from bed, we went back downstairs to watch the play 20 more times (thank you Tivo!). We were stunned. MSU doesn't win games in that fashion... we lose games in that fashion! (I mean, any veteran Spartan fan remembers the "Immaculate Deflection" that allowed Notre Dame to beat MSU in 1990. If you have the stomach, click here to see it.) Granted, as superstitious as I am, I just know that Gantt would have dropped the ball had I been there in person to see this! Go figure my tickets were in the end zone where the catch was made! (Don't worry... my son is still grounded.) Still, because it is MSU, in the aftermath of the game, Coach Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack. Sounds about right. We win a game in the most epic of ways... and our coach has a heart attack. Thankfully, he recovered and continued leading the Spartans in one of their most memorable seasons – one that ended with the school's first Big Ten title in 20 years. (And to think I have still never seen the movie Little Giants…)
Click here to watch the 2010 highlights on YouTube
8. MSU vs. UM ('90, '99, '01 & '08)
Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, I knew about the ferocity of the Ohio State/UM rivalry. I understood that the OSU/UM game was generally for all the marbles and was the best rivalry in college football. Everyone knows about that rivalry here in Ohio. In fact, even people who aren't sports enthusiasts know about that rivalry. Don't believe me? Just mention you're from "that state up north" and get ready for an eye roll and a snide comment. It can be rather obnoxious, but, hey, so goes sports. Now, in the early days of my Spartan Fanhood, only a handful of MSU games were aired on local stations. (Keep in mind this was before ESPN became the broadcasting power it is today – meaning I watched a lot of Spartan football by squinting at the score updates along the bottom ticker!) In Columbus, however, you still got the MSU/Notre Dame game on NBC and the MSU/UM game on ABC every year. There was something special about hearing ABC's Keith Jackson call a Spartan game that still gives me chills. ("Woah Nelly!" or "Welcome to the banks of the Red Cedar River...") Now, because the first season in which I truly paid attention to MSU football was in 1987 – the Rose Bowl season (I know... what a "bandwagon" fan) – I was treated to a 17-11 victory over the maize and blue that year. Things got a little dicey after that, and, well until recently, consecutive (and non-controversial) victories were hard to come by. Thus, since 1987, my "fan record" against UM is 10-15. In particular, three of those victories stand out the most – and two of those still generate a lot of anger between the two schools! Thus, coming in at #8 on my MSU countdown are four games between MSU and UM (1990, 1999, 2001, and 2008).
"The Trip" – Mention these two words to any UM fan, and they know immediately the game to which you are referencing. On October 13, 1990, #1 UM scored with six seconds remaining in the game to trail MSU 28-27. UM lined up for a 2-point conversion and the win. Desmond Howard lined up wide left and broke open for a pass from QB Elvis Grbac. Spartan defender Eddie Brown grabbed Desmond as he went by, causing him to stumble. Desmond managed to hang on to the ball for a brief moment before losing control as he fell to the ground. The ball bounced away and MSU held on to its 28-27 lead for the win – despite an onside recovery and desperate Hail Mary heave by UM. (Years later, Brown admitted that he did, in fact, trip Desmond – stating, "I've never had second thoughts about it. If I was to get beat now, I'd interfere with a guy in a second. Always take a flag instead of taking a score.") I watched that game with my father outside on his black-and-white TV in the garage. We certainly couldn't tell if he had been intentionally tripped – especially on that 12-inch screen! I just remember my Dad saying, "We gotcha, you S.O.B. Take that, Bo!" And in a puff of cigarette smoke he disappeared around the side of the house to gather fire wood in his rusty green wheelbarrow. (The settings in which I saw or experienced these events certainly weighed heavily on where they placed in the countdown!)
Click here to watch the 1990 highlights on YouTube
It wasn't until 1999 that I actually saw MSU beat UM in person. I was a senior at MSU when the Wolverines came into East Lansing. Both teams were undefeated (5-0), and both teams were ranked (UM was #3 and MSU was #11). MSU was off to one of its best starts in school history – and, while it sounds entirely cliché – there was a "feeling" in the air that October that MSU was going to finally win one against their rivals. I had spectacular seats in the student section, and I was decked out (no shocker here) in my Spartan uniform. In fact, it was during this game that (unbeknownst to me) the ABC cameras panned the stands and zoomed in on me, allowing the commentators to say, "Look at THIS guy! He's ready!" (I still have that on VHS – yes, VHS.) After a back-and-forth first half, it was all MSU in the third, jumping out to a 27-10 lead before both teams traded scores to make it 34-17 MSU with less than 10 minutes to play. In true MSU fashion, the Spartans managed to let UM's QB Tom Brady (maybe you've heard of him?) rally the Wolverines at the end to make the score much closer than it really was (34-31). MSU's defense – while picked apart in the air when it went into its God-awful prevent defense – did manage to hold UM to SIX total yards rushing on 21 carries. It was after this game that I remember watching a segment on ESPN where the various college football analysts selected a helmet (that was hidden under their desk) for who they thought would win it all. When this one picked up the MSU helmet, I about fainted. Never in my lifetime had the words "National Champions" ever been used in the same sentence as "Michigan State's football team". Of course, reality set in over the course of the next two weeks when MSU was annihilated at Purdue (52-28) and at Wisconsin (40-10), effectively crushing any National Championship hopes. Still, MSU would win the Citrus Bowl and finish 10-2 – its best record in over 30 years. It made for one heck of a senior year!
Click here to watch the 1999 highlights on YouTube
"Clockgate" – One simple word summarizes the 2001 game between MSU and #6 UM – and one simple word sends Wolverine fans into the stratosphere. I had watched the first quarter to see MSU go up 7-3 before heading to an orchestra recital for a current student (Andrea Barber – the same young lady who later painted the fabulous mural in my classroom). I had promised her I would go, and, since I had low expectations for MSU against UM that day, I went to a truly amazing performance. Still, I was able to listen to the final 8:00 of the game on the radio on my way home. At 7:33, MSU hit a field goal to go up 20-17. This was followed by a Spartan fumble that led to a Wolverine score to put them up 24-20 with less than six minutes to play. Swearing and pounding the steering wheel, I continued to drive home (making excellent time the angrier I got). With 2:28 left in the fourth, the Wolverines were forced to punt from their own end zone. The kick was short, a 28-yard shank that gave MSU great field position at the UM 44-yard line. On both first and second downs, MSU QB Jeff Smoker was sacked. Following an incompletion, MSU faced 4th and 16 from midfield. Smoker's pass fell incomplete, but UM was flagged for grabbing WR Charles Rogers' face mask. Two plays later, WR Herb Haygood caught a pass over the middle for 17 yards and another first down. On 1st and 10, Smoker was AGAIN sacked, but UM was flagged for having 12 men on the field. However, the penalty yards were marked off from where Smoker was sacked, NOT the original line of scrimmage. MSU was, incorrectly, charged a time out that was not returned. At this point in time, I pulled over on the side of 270 to listen – and to squelch any thoughts of driving my car into a bridge abutment. After three bad plays, MSU converted a 4th and 4 play that resulted in a 1st and goal on the Wolverine 3-yard line. MSU rushed to spike the ball, stopping the clock with 17 seconds remaining. Smoker then ran the ball down to the 2-yard line, but he was tackled in bounds, which kept the clock running. I started screaming "SPIKE THE BALL! SPIKE THE BALL!" The radio announcers stated that MSU lined up and managed to spike the ball with ONE second left. UM coaches, players, and broadcasters argued that the clock should have expired on the play, and that the timekeeper (affectionately known as "Spartan Bob") intentionally stopped the clock before the ball was grounded. (Because I was listening to the radio, I didn't see the controversy until later that night when I saw the highlights on ESPN.) On the ensuing play, Smoker lobbed a pass to the back of the end zone where it was caught by RB T.J. Duckett, giving MSU a 26-24 victory. My cell phone went off right after the play, and it was my father calling to let me know what happened. So, there I was, sitting on the side of the road in a suit, celebrating in my car! Wolverine fans, to this day, still dispute this victory (in the same fashion that they still dispute 1990's "The Trip".) Big Ten officials said the clock operator acted appropriately. Three years following the game, Dave Parry, the conference's coordinator of football officials, said, "That play, as much as we've put that under a high-powered microscope, was correct. We could not prove that timer wrong." To prevent the controversy caused by this game and others, the Big Ten changed its timekeeping policy for the 2002 season. Previously, the home team appointed an individual of their choosing to keep the official time in the press box. Now, time is kept on the field by a neutral official appointed by the Big Ten. In 2004, the Big Ten was the first conference to begin a trial replay system. In 2006, instant replay became standard across all NCAA conferences. So, in a way, a "thank you" is owed "Spartan Bob" (again).
Click here to watch the 2001 highlights on YouTube
In 2007, MSU had a chance to end its 5-game losing skid to UM. (MSU hadn't beaten the Wolverines since the controversial "Clockgate" game in 2001.) I was at the 2007 game – the first MSU/UM game in the Mark Dantonio Era – and I anxiously watched MSU build a 10-point lead midway through the fourth. And then I watched us lose 28-24. During a post-game news conference, UM's RB Mike Hart rubbed it in, saying, "Sometimes, you get your little brother excited when you're playing basketball – let them get the lead. And then you come back." The referral to MSU as being UM's "little brother" typified the utter disrespect the Wolverines had toward MSU. In 2008, I traveled up to "The Big House" for the first time, to watch the 101st meeting between the two teams. The Spartans struck first, scoring on a huge 61-yard TD pass from QB Brian Hoyer to Blair White with just under 12 minutes to go in the first quarter. The Wolverines tied it up near the end of the first quarter, but MSU took the lead back with 1:02 left in the half with a 64-yard TD run by RB Javon Ringer. I was content to see MSU lead at halftime when, with 20 seconds left, UM tied it at 14. Midway through the third quarter, the Wolverines took their only lead of the game – and I was about ready to go to the top of the stadium and jump. In my mind, I was about to witness (for the second year in a row) a heart-breaking loss in person. However, after that, the Spartans entirely controlled the game. The Spartans took the lead for good in the fourth quarter when Javon Ringer ran in another TD and capped their win when Josh Rouse scored on a 7-yard TD pass. Before a silent Big House, I had just watched MSU win 35-21... the first time MSU had won in Ann Arbor since "The Trip" in 1990. It was also MSU's seventh win of the season, which clinched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1989-1990. (Yea, it had been awhile.) The Spartans also outgained Michigan 473-252, their highest total in a win at Michigan Stadium in a half-century and their most lopsided victory in the rivalry since 1967. I remember watching the team celebrating in a corner of the Big House while holding up the Paul Bunyan Trophy that is awarded to the winner of the rivalry game. I very vividly remember hearing pockets of MSU fans throughout the sea of maize chanting "Little Sister! Little Sister!" On our way out of the stadium, I looked up to see some MSU fans drape a bed sheet over the top of the stadium, which read "Little Brother Just Beat Your @ss". It was an MSU moment I will never forget. Certainly, Mike Hart's comments continued to haunt UM, with MSU winning again in 2009 (26-20), 2010 (34-17 – which was in Ann Arbor and is where the picture above is from that shows the fans with the banner that says, "Little Brother Beat Your @ss Again"), and in 2011 (28-14).
Click here to watch the 2008 highlights on YouTube
7. The Hockey National Championship (2007)
My Grandma (my Mom's Mom) graduated from Michigan State in 1936... when it was known as Michigan Agricultural College (or MAC). She was one of the biggest MSU fans I've ever known, and, essentially, the "Godfather" of all things green and while. Up until she passed away in 2007, her hatred of all things UM was astounding. I bring this up in this part of the countdown – and not back where I discussed the four MSU moments vs. UM – because it helps outline the significance behind the #6 moment (the MSU Hockey National Championship). Grandma had a passionate disdain for UM. Here are some examples:
Example #1: She never allowed the colors blue and yellow to be in the room at the same time. She once sent my Cousin Andy out of the room to change his shirt from a blue one to something else because my sister was in the room and had on yellow. When we would decorate cookies, she would only have blue or yellow (but not both) available for us to use.
Example #2: At one family gathering, Grandma said she'd like to have dyed the corn green because she refused to serve her family "maize".
Example #3: She actually told my Cousin Kelly she was "stupid" for marrying someone who was a UM fan. (The guy didn't even go there... like most UM fans... but she didn't care.)
Example #4: She rarely missed an MSU game. While she couldn't get to the games, she would religiously watch them on her tiny 12-inch TV set. She'd just sit in her rocker and watch the games. She never hooted or hollered, but she'd sit there with a big smile on her face when State did something good.
Example #5: Grandma's favorite "modern" player was DT Domata Peko, a Samoan with wild and long orange hair. She said she liked him because he was easy to spot on the field. She talked frequently about the game against UM when he returned a fumble for a TD.
Example #6: She had a UM sticker on the bottom of her cane so she could (and I quote) "Walk on those sons of guns with three legs instead of two."
Example #7: She saw the late Gerald Ford play while he was at UM; State went 1-2 during that stretch (1932-1934), but did beat UM in 1934 by a score of 16-0. She was always proud that she got to "boo" a future U.S. President.
Example #8: (This was always my personal favorite.) Grandma loved researching our family history. One afternoon while sharing stories about my ancestor Earl Clinton Ward (my Great-Great Uncle), she told me that he was accidentally shot and killed by his own soldiers when he served during the Philippine-American War in 1899. Earl had been in school at UM to be a lawyer. Grandma followed all of this with an off-the-cuff quip, "He had it coming. He went to Michigan. I'd have shot him, too." (While we all laughed about this, we all knew that Grandma did have a shotgun in her bedroom closet. One time while at MSU I drove out to her house, unannounced, to hang out on a Sunday afternoon. When I walked in the door from the car-port, she commented, "I could have shot you. Come through the front door next time." Point taken. The next time I called first AND came through the front door.)
After sharing these stories with a local journalist in January 2007, he nicknamed her "Grandma Greenblood". Sadly, at age 93, Grandma passed away on April 1, 2007 (it was highly fitting that she'd pass on April Fools' Day). She was buried that following Saturday, April 7th – the same day as the MSU hockey team's National Championship Game. A touching moment during her funeral – albeit it semi-inappropriate to onlookers – was when everyone sang the MSU Fight Song as her casket was lowered into the ground. With tears streaming down all of our faces, we fist-pumped and gave Grandma one final Spartan sendoff. Later that night, we gathered around the TV at her house and watched – amazingly – as MSU came from behind against heavily-favored Boston College to win the 2007 Hockey National Championship. MSU tied the game 1-1 with 10:07 left in the third period... before scoring the game-winner with 18.9 seconds to go (and then tacked on an open-netter to win 3-1). Non-hockey fans don't understand how miraculous this was and what a mismatch it had been – MSU was, for sake of a simple example, the 1980 U.S.A. hockey team that brought down the mighy Soviet Union (a.k.a. Boston College). Shortly after the final horn sounded and the Spartan players poured onto the ice to celebrate, I remember looking over at Grandma's empty rocking chair and hoping – maybe with childlike innocence – that she did have a chance to see the game. I knew she would be smiling proudly for her alma mater. I knew she would be smiling proudly because all of us were happy. I knew she would be smiling because all of her family was together. It was a pure Spartan moment that we all shared with her in spirit.
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
Example #1: She never allowed the colors blue and yellow to be in the room at the same time. She once sent my Cousin Andy out of the room to change his shirt from a blue one to something else because my sister was in the room and had on yellow. When we would decorate cookies, she would only have blue or yellow (but not both) available for us to use.
Example #2: At one family gathering, Grandma said she'd like to have dyed the corn green because she refused to serve her family "maize".
Example #3: She actually told my Cousin Kelly she was "stupid" for marrying someone who was a UM fan. (The guy didn't even go there... like most UM fans... but she didn't care.)
Example #4: She rarely missed an MSU game. While she couldn't get to the games, she would religiously watch them on her tiny 12-inch TV set. She'd just sit in her rocker and watch the games. She never hooted or hollered, but she'd sit there with a big smile on her face when State did something good.
Example #5: Grandma's favorite "modern" player was DT Domata Peko, a Samoan with wild and long orange hair. She said she liked him because he was easy to spot on the field. She talked frequently about the game against UM when he returned a fumble for a TD.
Example #6: She had a UM sticker on the bottom of her cane so she could (and I quote) "Walk on those sons of guns with three legs instead of two."
Example #7: She saw the late Gerald Ford play while he was at UM; State went 1-2 during that stretch (1932-1934), but did beat UM in 1934 by a score of 16-0. She was always proud that she got to "boo" a future U.S. President.
Example #8: (This was always my personal favorite.) Grandma loved researching our family history. One afternoon while sharing stories about my ancestor Earl Clinton Ward (my Great-Great Uncle), she told me that he was accidentally shot and killed by his own soldiers when he served during the Philippine-American War in 1899. Earl had been in school at UM to be a lawyer. Grandma followed all of this with an off-the-cuff quip, "He had it coming. He went to Michigan. I'd have shot him, too." (While we all laughed about this, we all knew that Grandma did have a shotgun in her bedroom closet. One time while at MSU I drove out to her house, unannounced, to hang out on a Sunday afternoon. When I walked in the door from the car-port, she commented, "I could have shot you. Come through the front door next time." Point taken. The next time I called first AND came through the front door.)
After sharing these stories with a local journalist in January 2007, he nicknamed her "Grandma Greenblood". Sadly, at age 93, Grandma passed away on April 1, 2007 (it was highly fitting that she'd pass on April Fools' Day). She was buried that following Saturday, April 7th – the same day as the MSU hockey team's National Championship Game. A touching moment during her funeral – albeit it semi-inappropriate to onlookers – was when everyone sang the MSU Fight Song as her casket was lowered into the ground. With tears streaming down all of our faces, we fist-pumped and gave Grandma one final Spartan sendoff. Later that night, we gathered around the TV at her house and watched – amazingly – as MSU came from behind against heavily-favored Boston College to win the 2007 Hockey National Championship. MSU tied the game 1-1 with 10:07 left in the third period... before scoring the game-winner with 18.9 seconds to go (and then tacked on an open-netter to win 3-1). Non-hockey fans don't understand how miraculous this was and what a mismatch it had been – MSU was, for sake of a simple example, the 1980 U.S.A. hockey team that brought down the mighy Soviet Union (a.k.a. Boston College). Shortly after the final horn sounded and the Spartan players poured onto the ice to celebrate, I remember looking over at Grandma's empty rocking chair and hoping – maybe with childlike innocence – that she did have a chance to see the game. I knew she would be smiling proudly for her alma mater. I knew she would be smiling proudly because all of us were happy. I knew she would be smiling because all of her family was together. It was a pure Spartan moment that we all shared with her in spirit.
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
6. Everything about the 2008-09 MSU Basketball Team
Before the first game of the 2008-2009 season, Coach Tom Izzo simply wrote "Ford Field" on a chalkboard. The Final Four that April was in Detroit. And everything about that team is worthy of a spot on my countdown. True to fashion, Izzo had MSU playing a rough non-conference schedule, which saw the Spartans annihilated 98-63 by #1 North Carolina in Ford Field in early December (ironically foreshadowing the National Championship Game). The team didn't fold, though, and instead began a remarkable run that earned MSU its first Big Ten Championship since my student teaching days at Holt High School in 2000-2001. With a slight "hiccup" and early exit in the Big Ten Tournament, MSU entered the NCAA Tournament with a #2 seed in the Midwest Region. I remember this particular tournament run because MSU was not favored to win ANY of its games – not even the opening round against #15 Robert Morris. Numerous ESPN and CBS pundits put MSU on "Upset Alert" against the Colonials. After a 77-62 victory, MSU was again picked to lose against #10 USC – but defeated the Trojans 74-69. This was followed by a predicted loss to #3 Kansas. In a spectacular game, MSU dropped the Jayhawks 67-62 (despite trailing by as many as 13 in the first half), which now brought them up against the #1 overall seed Louisville. The game was slated to be played in Indianapolis, so my Dad, brother Nate, sister-in-law Katy, sister Sarah, Cousin Dave, and Dave's daughter Lauren headed off to Lucas Oil Stadium. My brother and I had amazing seats only a few rows off the court – and we were certainly in the minority as 80% of the stadium was in red. For the next two hours, we watched MSU absolutely school the Cardinals. I've never actually seen a team give up in the fashion that Louisville did a few minutes into the second half of a 64-52 Spartan victory. MSU held Louisville to their second lowest point total of the season with their man-to-man defense, which kept Louisville out of sync all game. I remember the chants of "Deeee-troit Baaaasket-Ball" ringing out all around us. (This cheer is used at Pistons' games, and with the Final Four in Detroit, it was very appropriate.) With the Final Four practically in my backyard, my wife Molly and I decided to head to the game. This trip got off to an auspicious start when I got a speeding ticket on the back roads in Delaware County. (The officer didn't seem to care that we were heading to the Final Four!) Upon our arrival, Molly and I took it all in – the sights and sounds of a Final Four rank #1 in all of sports. This was my third Final Four to witness in person (having had the good fortune to go to the 2000 and 2005 Final Fours), and, perhaps, the greatest atmosphere of the three. We hung out in Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, since it was next door to Ford Field (home of the Lions), and met up with my Cousin Dave and MSU friends Kevin and Nick. All of us kept commenting (as had much of the national news media) just how "important" it was that MSU made it to Detroit. The city certainly needed it, and, if ever it felt great to be a Spartan, it was during this particular tournament run. MSU had become the saviors of the Motor City – and had captured the hearts of America with its amazing tournament run. All MSU had to do was win one game so their fans (and money) would stay in the city for a few more days. A half hour before the game was set to start, we went inside to walk around – Molly especially enjoyed the giant banner that read "The Road Stops Here" and the smaller road signs that showed the distances traveled by each of the Final Four teams (MSU, UConn, North Carolina, and Villanova). We settled into our seats as part of the largest crowd to ever watch a Final Four game and saw a very tense back-and-forth battle against #1 UConn (yet another team that MSU wasn't supposed to beat). The Spartans started the game with a 9-2 run, and Molly and I still talk about how loud the 90% pro-Spartan crowd got when State scored the first basket. Still, the Huskies came back to take the lead before MSU rallied to go up two at the half. UConn had the lead twice early in the second, but with under seven minutes left, MSU's Durrell Summers dunked over Stanley Robinson (on the basket we were sitting behind), and MSU took hold of the game. (I'm not exaggerating, but the entire building shook it got so loud after that dunk.) MSU finally took hold of the game, winning 82-73 to advance to the Championship Game against #1 North Carolina. I remember swinging Molly around until I was dizzy. To not only see this game, but to watch it side-by-side with my wife (who may be a bigger Izzo fan than I am!) made it even more memorable. I scalped a ticket on my way out (Molly wouldn't be able to attend) and made the trip back up for the Championship. Meeting with my Cousin Dave and MSU friends, we all said the same thing – this game had a different "feel" about it – not a positive feel like the UConn game. It felt as though the team had already "won" because it kept its fans in Detroit over the weekend, which means they might play flat – not because they were cocky or arrogant, but because they were exhausted from having to carry the entire city (and all blue collar workers) on their backs all season and all tournament long. Unfortunately, we were right, and the game went south from the start, with MSU falling 89-72 to the Tar Heels. Still, as I drove home late that night, I remember thinking just how unbelievable the entire experience had been – and how sports really are interwoven with society. For one weekend, the spot light was on the Motor City... and MSU helped point that light. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Click here to watch the Louisville highlights on YouTube
Click here to watch the UConn highlights on YouTube
The video below is an emotional piece that aired on the Big Ten Network about the impact MSU's trip to the Final Four had on the city of Detroit.
Click here to watch the MSU's impact on Detroit video on YouTube
5. MSU vs. Wisconsin (1990 & 2011)
Oh, Wisconsin. So many memories. It does seem that many of my sports-related memories center around football and basketball matchups between the Badgers and Spartans. In particular, however, two meetings – one in 1990 and the other in 2011 – carry some serious clout when it comes to my MSU fandom.
November 24, 1990. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was MSU's last regular season game of the year. And it was the first MSU game I ever attended. The 1990 season started awkwardly, with MSU tying Syracuse 23-23 (yea, back when they still allowed for teams to tie). I remember my Dad saying, "No need to worry. A tie means the game never happened." Of course, such a comment confused me at such a young age as I was pretty certain the game HAD taken place. (Yes, I had much to learn about this sport called "football"!) This "no game" was followed by a crushing loss to #1 Notre Dame 20-19 (thanks to the "Immaculate Deflection"). After beating up on Rutgers, I remember my Dad explaining to me that Coach George Perles would get the 1-1-1 Spartans re-focused and that the non-conference didn't factor into winning a Big Ten Championship. The following weekend, when we saw on the bottom sports ticker on ABC that MSU had lost to #18 Iowa to drop to 1-2-1, my Dad said, "Dammit, George. Get your @ss in gear!" before heading out to the garage. (When Dad went out to the garage angry, you let him go.) When you think about it, the 1990 season was such a roller coaster ride. MSU would beat #1 UM 28-27 the weekend after that (the infamous "Trip")... but then lose to Illinois 15-13. With a 2-3-1 record, the season was certainly at a major crossroads. Luckily, MSU rattled off four straight wins to pull to 6-3-1 heading into my first game against an awful Wisconsin team (1-9). I remember being beyond excited the week leading up to Thanksgiving. So many family traditions center around this particular holiday, including the actual trip to my Grandma's house in Eaton Rapids (close to East Lansing) where the meal would be held. As tradition always dictated, we ate on Thursday and went shopping on Friday – like 99% of the rest of the country. Except it was "special". Our shopping trip included going to MSU's campus and hanging out. (Truth be told, this is what kindled my love affair with MSU.) However, this year, we would be going to a game on campus! To this day, I remember very little about the game. MSU held on to beat Wisconsin 14-9 to clinch a share of the Big Ten title with UM – little did I know this would be the LAST Big Ten title for MSU football for 20 years. What I do remember, however, was tailgating with my family out of my Grandma's motorhome. My Uncle Bill drove us all to campus and parked with what seemed to be hundreds of other motorhomes. We ate and ate and ate before the game – and it was the smell of the entire day that November that I'll never forget. We walked along the Red Cedar River before heading up to the very top of the stadium. As we went up the initial set of stairs, just as you get to the first landing, I saw the field – for the first time. The word "STATE" lined both end zones... and the glorious, massive block "S" jumped out from the middle of the field. (I'm still not a fan of the giant Spartan logo in the middle of the field these days.) It was an incredible moment. I remember it being windy, but being able to see the entire campus from where we sat. Throw in the lingering colors of Fall and a gloomy "here comes Winter" looking sky – and it was Heavenly. Spartan fans of all shapes and sizes, all races and creeds, and all ages were fixated on the game. I, on the other hand, was on sensory overload. MSU's uniforms (still, to this day, my favorite), Wisconsin's old school block "W" helmets, the sound of the band, the cheers, and the smell of stadium food. It. Was. Perfect. I still have my ticket stub, program, and popcorn box. Yes, popcorn box – butter stains and all! Well played Michigan State. Well played. I was hooked.
October 22, 2011. It was a Saturday night. It was Homecoming. It was against #6 Wisconsin. And my Dad, brother Nate, and I were there. To preface this, the year before, my Dad got tickets to the Wisconsin game (see, I told you everything revolves around the damn Badgers) and took his brother (Uncle Jack), Nate, and me. MSU beat #11 Wisconsin 34-24 that year in a good, old fashioned dog fight. Talk about another perfect setting – cold, overcast, drizzling. Everything you expect when two Midwest teams collide in October; not to mention seeing my Dad and his brother interact was well-worth the trip alone! My Dad had hoped to bring Uncle Jack, Nate, and me back in 2011. Unfortunately, health concerns kept my Uncle Jack at home, but Nate, Dad, and I still made the trip up north. Little did we know that we were about to see the most amazing finish in the history of Spartan football. Nate had driven up earlier and was hanging out with my Cousin Dave. Dad and I went up together, and I remember walking through campus on our way to Spartan Stadium. Listening to his stories and seeing fathers and sons throwing footballs around at the various tailgates instantly invoked memories of my first MSU game in 1990. After meeting up with my usual MSU crew at their tailgate, Nate and Dave joined us, and we headed in for, what we hoped, would be a repeat of last year's game... a win. Instead, MSU found itself down 14-0 early in the first quarter after two quick Wisconsin drives. Instantly, Nate and I began regretting coming back to see yet another Wisconsin game. Momentum turned at the beginning of the second quarter, however, when Badger QB Russell Wilson committed an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, resulting in a safety and two points for the Spartans. A subsequent TD pulled MSU to within five (14-9). On Wisconsin's next possession, they marched down to the MSU 13-yard line, but their FG attempt was blocked. MSU recovered and drove down the field to take the lead 16–14. With the second quarter clock running down, Wisconsin punted it away, but this too was blocked and recovered in the end zone for another MSU TD, making the halftime score 23-14 in favor of the Spartans. What a reversal of fortune! The biggest concern that Nate and I had, at this point, was that the team had to take a break. We worried that halftime might kill the momentum. MSU went scoreless in the third but held Wisconsin to just one FG, leaving State clinging to a 23-17 lead going into the fourth. Nate and I nervously watched and were quietly superstitious when MSU pulled ahead 31-17 with 8:40 to play. I remember the exact time, too, because I glanced at the clock and, in the back of my mind, said, "There's too much time left." I was right. A quick Badger score made it 31-24. The teams traded possessions before Wisconsin got the ball back with 4:28 to play. The Badgers went down the field once again and tied the game at 31 with 1:26 to play. Nate and I were beside ourselves. It had happened again. MSU had come from behind to take the lead only to get sloppy and squander it. MSU started the next drive at their own 22 and heading away from where we were sitting. It looked like a worst-case-scenario when QB Kirk Cousins fumbled, but, thankfully MSU recovered. After a first down, Cousins was sacked for a 10-yard loss, and Wisconsin then called a timeout with 42 seconds left. Following a 12-yard pass to make a 3rd and 8 situation, it appeared MSU was willing to let the clock run out and take the game into OT. However, Wisconsin called timeout again with 30 seconds left. The Spartans completed passes of 11 and nine yards on their next two plays to get to the Wisconsin 44-yard line and then called timeout with 10 seconds to go. After an incomplete pass, just four seconds remained on the clock. Nate and I had already accepted that we were heading into OT where we would lose. (Yes, we can be dangerous to sit next to at MSU sporting events. Our pessimism is contagious.) MSU lined up in a shotgun formation. Cousins took the snap and rolled out to the right before launching a 44-yard "Hail Mary" toward the end zone. Waiting there was WR BJ Cunningham, but he was screened by a Wisconsin player who had jumped too early to try to deflect the ball. The ball made it to Cunningham but went off his facemask, bouncing into the hands of Keith Nichol, who was at the 1-yard line. As Nichol fought to cross the goal line, he was met by two Badgers attempting to keep him out. We couldn't see anything and relied on the crowd's reaction. At first, the crowd cheered and we got excited – never in a million years would we actually witness a successful "Hail Mary" play! After the whistles blew, the officials marked the ball at the one foot line, sending the game to OT as the clock had run out. We heard the announcement that the ball was short, the stadium erupted into boos, and we fired off some choice profanity. Then a call came down from the review booth to look at the play again on replay. When the official announced that the play was under review, the stadium cheered, and we held on to a glimmer of hope. The longer the review process took, the better we started to feel. After all, if the call that the ball did not cross the goal line was being upheld, then the conference would've lasted 10 seconds. Still, the officials stayed huddled. And we grew more and more hopefully. When the official trotted back on the field to deliver the verdict, the stadium went instantly quiet. When he said, "After further review, the runner DID cross the..." – I couldn't hear anything else. All the stadium needed to hear was the word "DID". It was, to this date, the loudest I have ever heard a stadium. (Prior to that, the loudest stadium I had ever heard in person was Jacobs Field in Cleveland when the Indians took the field against the Boston Red Sox in Game #5 of the ALCS on October 18, 2007.) Nate and I freaked out – we both jumped on my Dad, who, actually held both of us up for a few seconds. The whole stadium blew up. I was shaking I couldn't believe what I had witnessed. We met up with my Cousin Dave, and like giddy school children, we rehashed the last play over and over. Dave and I headed out to celebrate until 5am. Every single place we went had on ESPN, and we must have watched the replay hundreds of times – and it never grew old. We later found out that the "Hail Mary" pass was called "The Rocket Play". This play instantly joined the Notre Dame "Little Giants" fake FG in Spartan lore under fantastic finishes – except I was actually there for the Wisconsin one! (Fate would even things out, however, when MSU later lost to Wisconsin 42-39 in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game – a game that, yup, you guessed it – I wound up witnessing in person.) Nevertheless, the Wisconsin games of 1990 and 2011 find their way into the #4 spot in my MSU countdown thanks to the memories they evoke of a simpler time (1990) and a never-say-die mentality (2011).
Click here to watch the 2011 highlights on YouTube
November 24, 1990. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was MSU's last regular season game of the year. And it was the first MSU game I ever attended. The 1990 season started awkwardly, with MSU tying Syracuse 23-23 (yea, back when they still allowed for teams to tie). I remember my Dad saying, "No need to worry. A tie means the game never happened." Of course, such a comment confused me at such a young age as I was pretty certain the game HAD taken place. (Yes, I had much to learn about this sport called "football"!) This "no game" was followed by a crushing loss to #1 Notre Dame 20-19 (thanks to the "Immaculate Deflection"). After beating up on Rutgers, I remember my Dad explaining to me that Coach George Perles would get the 1-1-1 Spartans re-focused and that the non-conference didn't factor into winning a Big Ten Championship. The following weekend, when we saw on the bottom sports ticker on ABC that MSU had lost to #18 Iowa to drop to 1-2-1, my Dad said, "Dammit, George. Get your @ss in gear!" before heading out to the garage. (When Dad went out to the garage angry, you let him go.) When you think about it, the 1990 season was such a roller coaster ride. MSU would beat #1 UM 28-27 the weekend after that (the infamous "Trip")... but then lose to Illinois 15-13. With a 2-3-1 record, the season was certainly at a major crossroads. Luckily, MSU rattled off four straight wins to pull to 6-3-1 heading into my first game against an awful Wisconsin team (1-9). I remember being beyond excited the week leading up to Thanksgiving. So many family traditions center around this particular holiday, including the actual trip to my Grandma's house in Eaton Rapids (close to East Lansing) where the meal would be held. As tradition always dictated, we ate on Thursday and went shopping on Friday – like 99% of the rest of the country. Except it was "special". Our shopping trip included going to MSU's campus and hanging out. (Truth be told, this is what kindled my love affair with MSU.) However, this year, we would be going to a game on campus! To this day, I remember very little about the game. MSU held on to beat Wisconsin 14-9 to clinch a share of the Big Ten title with UM – little did I know this would be the LAST Big Ten title for MSU football for 20 years. What I do remember, however, was tailgating with my family out of my Grandma's motorhome. My Uncle Bill drove us all to campus and parked with what seemed to be hundreds of other motorhomes. We ate and ate and ate before the game – and it was the smell of the entire day that November that I'll never forget. We walked along the Red Cedar River before heading up to the very top of the stadium. As we went up the initial set of stairs, just as you get to the first landing, I saw the field – for the first time. The word "STATE" lined both end zones... and the glorious, massive block "S" jumped out from the middle of the field. (I'm still not a fan of the giant Spartan logo in the middle of the field these days.) It was an incredible moment. I remember it being windy, but being able to see the entire campus from where we sat. Throw in the lingering colors of Fall and a gloomy "here comes Winter" looking sky – and it was Heavenly. Spartan fans of all shapes and sizes, all races and creeds, and all ages were fixated on the game. I, on the other hand, was on sensory overload. MSU's uniforms (still, to this day, my favorite), Wisconsin's old school block "W" helmets, the sound of the band, the cheers, and the smell of stadium food. It. Was. Perfect. I still have my ticket stub, program, and popcorn box. Yes, popcorn box – butter stains and all! Well played Michigan State. Well played. I was hooked.
October 22, 2011. It was a Saturday night. It was Homecoming. It was against #6 Wisconsin. And my Dad, brother Nate, and I were there. To preface this, the year before, my Dad got tickets to the Wisconsin game (see, I told you everything revolves around the damn Badgers) and took his brother (Uncle Jack), Nate, and me. MSU beat #11 Wisconsin 34-24 that year in a good, old fashioned dog fight. Talk about another perfect setting – cold, overcast, drizzling. Everything you expect when two Midwest teams collide in October; not to mention seeing my Dad and his brother interact was well-worth the trip alone! My Dad had hoped to bring Uncle Jack, Nate, and me back in 2011. Unfortunately, health concerns kept my Uncle Jack at home, but Nate, Dad, and I still made the trip up north. Little did we know that we were about to see the most amazing finish in the history of Spartan football. Nate had driven up earlier and was hanging out with my Cousin Dave. Dad and I went up together, and I remember walking through campus on our way to Spartan Stadium. Listening to his stories and seeing fathers and sons throwing footballs around at the various tailgates instantly invoked memories of my first MSU game in 1990. After meeting up with my usual MSU crew at their tailgate, Nate and Dave joined us, and we headed in for, what we hoped, would be a repeat of last year's game... a win. Instead, MSU found itself down 14-0 early in the first quarter after two quick Wisconsin drives. Instantly, Nate and I began regretting coming back to see yet another Wisconsin game. Momentum turned at the beginning of the second quarter, however, when Badger QB Russell Wilson committed an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, resulting in a safety and two points for the Spartans. A subsequent TD pulled MSU to within five (14-9). On Wisconsin's next possession, they marched down to the MSU 13-yard line, but their FG attempt was blocked. MSU recovered and drove down the field to take the lead 16–14. With the second quarter clock running down, Wisconsin punted it away, but this too was blocked and recovered in the end zone for another MSU TD, making the halftime score 23-14 in favor of the Spartans. What a reversal of fortune! The biggest concern that Nate and I had, at this point, was that the team had to take a break. We worried that halftime might kill the momentum. MSU went scoreless in the third but held Wisconsin to just one FG, leaving State clinging to a 23-17 lead going into the fourth. Nate and I nervously watched and were quietly superstitious when MSU pulled ahead 31-17 with 8:40 to play. I remember the exact time, too, because I glanced at the clock and, in the back of my mind, said, "There's too much time left." I was right. A quick Badger score made it 31-24. The teams traded possessions before Wisconsin got the ball back with 4:28 to play. The Badgers went down the field once again and tied the game at 31 with 1:26 to play. Nate and I were beside ourselves. It had happened again. MSU had come from behind to take the lead only to get sloppy and squander it. MSU started the next drive at their own 22 and heading away from where we were sitting. It looked like a worst-case-scenario when QB Kirk Cousins fumbled, but, thankfully MSU recovered. After a first down, Cousins was sacked for a 10-yard loss, and Wisconsin then called a timeout with 42 seconds left. Following a 12-yard pass to make a 3rd and 8 situation, it appeared MSU was willing to let the clock run out and take the game into OT. However, Wisconsin called timeout again with 30 seconds left. The Spartans completed passes of 11 and nine yards on their next two plays to get to the Wisconsin 44-yard line and then called timeout with 10 seconds to go. After an incomplete pass, just four seconds remained on the clock. Nate and I had already accepted that we were heading into OT where we would lose. (Yes, we can be dangerous to sit next to at MSU sporting events. Our pessimism is contagious.) MSU lined up in a shotgun formation. Cousins took the snap and rolled out to the right before launching a 44-yard "Hail Mary" toward the end zone. Waiting there was WR BJ Cunningham, but he was screened by a Wisconsin player who had jumped too early to try to deflect the ball. The ball made it to Cunningham but went off his facemask, bouncing into the hands of Keith Nichol, who was at the 1-yard line. As Nichol fought to cross the goal line, he was met by two Badgers attempting to keep him out. We couldn't see anything and relied on the crowd's reaction. At first, the crowd cheered and we got excited – never in a million years would we actually witness a successful "Hail Mary" play! After the whistles blew, the officials marked the ball at the one foot line, sending the game to OT as the clock had run out. We heard the announcement that the ball was short, the stadium erupted into boos, and we fired off some choice profanity. Then a call came down from the review booth to look at the play again on replay. When the official announced that the play was under review, the stadium cheered, and we held on to a glimmer of hope. The longer the review process took, the better we started to feel. After all, if the call that the ball did not cross the goal line was being upheld, then the conference would've lasted 10 seconds. Still, the officials stayed huddled. And we grew more and more hopefully. When the official trotted back on the field to deliver the verdict, the stadium went instantly quiet. When he said, "After further review, the runner DID cross the..." – I couldn't hear anything else. All the stadium needed to hear was the word "DID". It was, to this date, the loudest I have ever heard a stadium. (Prior to that, the loudest stadium I had ever heard in person was Jacobs Field in Cleveland when the Indians took the field against the Boston Red Sox in Game #5 of the ALCS on October 18, 2007.) Nate and I freaked out – we both jumped on my Dad, who, actually held both of us up for a few seconds. The whole stadium blew up. I was shaking I couldn't believe what I had witnessed. We met up with my Cousin Dave, and like giddy school children, we rehashed the last play over and over. Dave and I headed out to celebrate until 5am. Every single place we went had on ESPN, and we must have watched the replay hundreds of times – and it never grew old. We later found out that the "Hail Mary" pass was called "The Rocket Play". This play instantly joined the Notre Dame "Little Giants" fake FG in Spartan lore under fantastic finishes – except I was actually there for the Wisconsin one! (Fate would even things out, however, when MSU later lost to Wisconsin 42-39 in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game – a game that, yup, you guessed it – I wound up witnessing in person.) Nevertheless, the Wisconsin games of 1990 and 2011 find their way into the #4 spot in my MSU countdown thanks to the memories they evoke of a simpler time (1990) and a never-say-die mentality (2011).
Click here to watch the 2011 highlights on YouTube
4. MSU stuns Ohio State... twice (1998 & 2013)
Let's clarify one thing from the start – or, rather, allow me to justify one thing from the start. While most die-hard MSU fans will have trouble with me ranking beating Ohio State over any win against UM, let me say one thing: live in Columbus. Yes. Live in Columbus, and you'll soon understand. I don't get many chances to enjoy beating OSU in football, which is why the 1998 MSU victory remains such a fantastic MSU memory. Before this game, my good friend (and fellow Spartan) Kevin told me that MSU would lose by 50. And, to be honest, I believed him. OSU football had fielded perhaps its best team in decades (trust me, this team was much better than the 2002 OSU National Championship team). MSU was parading around the college football landscape in typical Spartan "Jekyll and Hyde" fashion – fans NEVER knew who would show up... the team that thrashed #11 Notre Dame 45-23 or that lost to Colorado State 23-16. MSU (4-4) was 28-point underdogs going into the game against the undefeated and #1 Buckeyes – and looked every bit of it after being held to nothing but field goals in the first half. Granted, MSU was only down 17-9 at the half, but, internally, it felt like they were just toying with us – you know, let us hang around for awhile before really laying the hammer. I figured OSU would get a chewing-out at halftime and come out really fired up. So, I left my college house to go get some snacks at the local Meijer. I remember walking in just as OSU's safety stepped in front of MSU's QB Bill Burke's pass... and ran it back (untouched) 73 yards to take a 24-9 lead. With a heavy sigh, I sat down with my roommates to watch the rest of this woodshed beating. But, MSU didn't go away, and OSU never shut the door. They left it just open enough to let the Spartans hang around. MSU finally scored a TD with 6:02 left in the third quarter... but then missed the extra point... to pull within nine (24-15). (Is it any wonder that I have NO hair left?) Trailing 24-18 heading into the fourth quarter, I had a glimmer of hope. Refusing to uncross my legs or move my left arm (which was behind my head) – because it was clearly the way I was sitting that was allowing MSU to play so well – I watched MSU drive 92-yards on the vaunted OSU defense to score a TD and go up 25-24. Still, when Paul Edinger kicked his record-tying fifth FG to put MSU up 28-24 with 9:26 left, all I could think was the typical thought that races through every MSU fan when State has a lead... "There's way too much time left." I kept waiting for an OSU rally – or something – that'd wind up making it a 42-24 win for the Buckeyes. (I'd seen it all too often. Allow me to give you a flashback moment... I was at the 1993 MSU/OSU game with my best friend Jason Sauer. MSU was ranked #25 and wound up losing to #5 OSU 28-21 thanks, in part, to MSU's kicker Bill Stoyanovich missing FOUR field goals. It got so bad that every time he lined up to kick, the entire stadium would begin gesturing "wide right". So, yes, I had seen my fair share of blown opportunities against the Buckeyes.) I'm not certain I've ever been as nervous during a sporting event as I was when OSU took the ball over on their own 49. In two quick passes, QB Joe Germaine had OSU at the Spartans' 15. Still – I didn't change my position on the couch. (At this time, my roommate Andy had also frozen his location, standing in the doorway of the bathroom.) OSU took three shots at the end zone, and every time Germaine released the ball, I shouted "NO!!!" in anticipation of a miraculous catch. On fourth down, MSU's cornerback Renaldo Hill tipped the ball with his right hand before bringing it in and running out of bounds at the 2. MSU then ran the remaining 1:12 out – and won the game against the team that had been ranked #1 since the pre-season. MSU had scored 19 unanswered points to seal the win. I sat in wide-eyed amazement. My roommates all threw things at me, shouting, "See! We said they'd win!" – all in response to my growing negatively in the first half. A phone call from home informed me that my Dad was in the street banging on pots and pans as though it were New Year's Eve. Before I could finish the call, Andy tackled me, then popped up and said, "Time to celebrate!" I remember the streets of East Lansing suddenly being flooded with students – at one point there were even green and white fireworks (only in college, right?!). Kevin joined up with me later that night, and, to this day, before any major MSU game in which we need some good luck, he'll say, "We're going to lose by 50." It was such a great game – and one that I still get nerous watching whenever I catch a replay of it on TV.
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
3. The Rose Bowl Victories (1988 & 2014)
The moment that started it all... the 1988 Rose Bowl Game. To be fair, it was the 1987 season that welcomed me to Spartan football (and, essentially, Michigan State itself). Up until that point in time, I have zero memories of Michigan State athletics. Don't get me wrong. I knew of the school. I had visited the campus during our annual family treks during Thanksgiving Break. But I hadn't followed MSU football or basketball. The 1987 season began when I was in 4th grade, and I turned 10 that year. Talk about the perfect season to become a fan! (Hmmmm – technically doesn't this make me a "bandwagon" fan?) Nevertheless, for whatever reason, I started following MSU that year. It wasn't like my Dad pulled me aside and said, "Here. Watch this." I may have simply chosen to start following MSU because I knew my Dad and all my relatives did. Whatever the case, it was the "birth" of my Spartan fanhood. While I have read all about the 1987 season and the culminating Rose Bowl victory, I truly only remember a handful of games from that year. I remember MSU beating USC 27-13 to start the season because it was the first MSU game I ever watched (in any form) and the first night game in school history. My Dad was so excited for this game because it was being broadcast nationally, and he (like many that bled green and white) felt this year was "the year". Dad liked Head Coach George Perles because he was a blue collar, hard-working, defensive-minded coach – much in the same way he had been when he was the Defensive Coordinator for Leslie High School in the 1960s. (Ironically, MSU would play USC again in the Rose Bowl.) I don't remember MSU's losses to Notre Dame and Florida State (or maybe I've managed to block them out), but those lopsided losses (31-8 and 31-3) really stand out on the posters and other memorabilia from that season that I have hanging up in my basement's "Sparty Room". How suicidal was that non-conference schedule?! Are you kidding me?! To play USC, Notre Dame, and FSU? You don't see teams doing that anymore – probably for that very reason! The other games that stand out in my memory are MSU's wins over UM, OSU, and Indiana. Beating UM 17-11 marked MSU's first victory over the Wolverines in East Lansing since 1969. I remember Dad being in a particularly good mood that night. The biggest win of the season (in my mind) was the 13-7 road win over Ohio State. I remember it very vividly because after the game, my parents went to a Halloween party (the game was played on Saturday, October 31st). Dad went dressed as Sparty, and Mom went as an MSU football player. (Click here to see their picture – it's epic and may very well explain my penchant for dressing up.) As for the game, MSU won for the first time at Ohio Stadium since 1971. I remember watching it in our basement since it was being broadcasted on the local OSU station. OSU scored on the first play on the game, a 79-yard pass. From that point on, MSU's "Gang Green" defense (I loved that nickname) held OSU to just 68 additional yards for the rest of the game, including two yards rushing (OSU had -14 rushing yards in the second half). MSU QB Bobby McAllister and K John Langeloh pushed MSU ahead 13-7 by halftime. Knowing that OSU was only a TD away from winning the game, the second half was nerve wrecking, but I remember how pumped my Dad got every time MSU recorded a sack (and there were seven sacks for -50 yards and nine tackles for losses of 83 yards). During the post-game interview, when reporters were talking to OSU's Coach John Cooper, you could see the scoreboard just over his shoulder. My Dad showed me the "2" in the column labeled "OSU Rushing". He kept saying, "That's how you win games!" over and over. The win also made this the first time since MSU's 1966 National Championship that the Spartans defeated both Michigan and Ohio State in the same season. With the win, MSU was now 5-2-1 (and 4-0-1 in conference play). The only other game that stands out is after MSU beat Indiana 27-3 to clinch the Big Ten title and earn their first Rose Bowl bid since the 1965 season. RB Lorenzo White ran for a (then) record-tying 56 attempts and 292 yards. This game was not broadcast locally, and my Dad was out of town. I had seen the score on the sports ticker at the bottom of ABC and scribbled it down, knowing he would be calling from the road to find out. (Yea, things were different without iPhones, the Internet, and five ESPNs.) I specifically remember the phone ringing and sprinting into the kitchen. My Mom answered and must have known I had news for him because she said, "Hello?", they spoke for 10 seconds, and then she handed me the phone. Dad said, "How'd we do?" I was SO excited to tell him with my little score sheet unfolded on the table. "We won! We won 27-3!" All I heard for the next few moments were shouts of joy. Dad said, "Rose Bowl time baby! They haven't been there since I was a student." Before he hung up, he said, "Go Green!" I knew the response, as I had just learned it during the season. "Go White!" It was a great moment. With MSU's win the next week over Wisconsin, the Spartans finished 8-2-1 and 1.5 games ahead of Indiana and Iowa, who tied for second. The day of the 1988 Rose Bowl game was memorable from start to finish. In my house, January 1st marked the day when all of the Christmas stuff came down... the tree, the decorations, and the lights outside. Of course, Mom and Dad did all the work while the kids played with the one final gift that was under the tree. This year, however, everyone chipped in – even the kids (at least, as much as we thought we were helping) – to get things down and put away before kickoff. Dad had his MSU flag hanging outside. We were all decked out in green and white. Some neighborhood kids came to watch the game with us, including my best friend Jason and Nate's friend Andy. I remember this one kid, Wes, saying that he was rooting for USC. My Dad overheard and said, "Nobody in this house will ever cheer for the Pac-10. You can leave." Wes promptly said he was cheering for MSU. (Classic Dad! And it explains why I can never root for a Pac-10 team... I paid attention!) The Rose Bowl was a rematch of the season opener and was dominated by defense. MSU's LB Percy Snow had 17 unassisted tackles, and USC had four turnovers. After USC tied the game early in the 4th quarter at 17, MSU marched to a game-winning FG by John Langeloh with 4:00 left. The key play of that drive was a 3rd and 8 situation in which MSU's Bobby McAllister avoided being sacked, scrambled, and at the last instant jumped up in the air and threw the ball to WR Andre Rison for a first down to keep the drive alive. USC had time to try to come back, and Trojan QB Rodney Peete led USC on a drive to the Spartan 29-yard line with 2:00 to play. Peete fumbled the next snap, MSU recovered, and the Spartans ran out the clock for a 20-17 victory! Our house went nuts. During our basement celebration, I remember hearing the NBC announcer Dick Enberg say as the broadcast wound down, "And I thought I saw George Perles look to the skies, wondering if that Irishman Duffy Daugherty was finally smiling." My Dad heard that, pointed up, and said, "This one's for you, Duffy!" Yup. The date was January 1, 1988. I was 10 years old. And I was now, 100%, a Spartan. You had me at "Go Green", MSU. You had me at "Go Green."
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
2. The Basketball National Championship (2000)
By 1995, the only two coaches I had "grown up" and associated with Michigan State athletics – George Perles (football) and Jud Heathcote (basketball) – were no longer stomping around the sidelines. I was bummed because in the Fall of 1996, I would be enrolling as a freshman, and in their place I had Nick Saban and Tom Izzo. At least I heard of Nick Saban prior to his hiring. As for Tom Izzo... Tom who? And after 16-16 and 17-12 records and zero NCAA Tournament appearances in his first two seasons as the Spartans' Head Coach, a lot of Spartan fans were wondering if promoting a long-time assistant had been the right move. (Not to mention there was a drastic change in MSU's jerseys his first season – I was not a fan!) Turns out, it was. During my freshman year, I joined a small student section called "The Izzone". For the big games there were maybe 150 of us. (Today, it's the largest student section in the country at almost 4,000 strong.) It was such an experience to watch the student section grow as Tom Izzo resurrected Spartan basketball. Starting with the 1997-1998 season (that saw MSU win a school record 33 games), MSU would win four straight Big Ten titles (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001) and reach the Final Four three times (1999, 2000, and 2001). I was spoiled, really. Not only was I a fan, but I got to witness each of the Big Ten titles and Final Four trips as a student. The experience of a lifetime, however, came with the 1999-2000 season of my senior year. The Spartans began their National Championship run without starting point guard and team captain Mateen Cleaves, who sustained a stress fracture in his right foot during the offseason. Without Cleaves, the Spartans struggled through the non-conference schedule, finishing at 9-4 and losing games to the Texas Longhorns (81-74), Arizona Wildcats (79-68), Kentucky Wildcats (60-58), and Wright State Raiders (53-49). (I remember the Wright State loss because it happened while we were in Orlando getting ready for the Citrus Bowl – and we saw Izzo at the pep rally... he looked exhausted.) Mateen returned in January and helped propel MSU to a 15-3 conference record and Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. As a result of their strong finish, the Spartans were awarded the #1 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. From there, the Spartans reached the Final Four, and despite winning every game by double digits, they really had to battle against the likes of Syracuse and Iowa State. Here I was, a senior, and MSU was going to the Final Four in Indianapolis... which was within striking range of a road trip (unlike the previous year when it was in Tampa Bay). I was certainly up for road trips, especially since I had driven the year before to St. Louis with Kevin to watch MSU beat Kentucky 73-66 to advance to Izzo's first Final Four. I wanted to go, but I knew I couldn't swing the $1,000 ticket price. A breakthrough came when MSU announced that it had been awarded 500 tickets to the games and would put all students in a raffle to receive these FREE passes. (Free passes?!! Go on...) I remember heading into Jenison Fieldhouse on the selection day to see if my name had been drawn. I got there and everything was listed by Student ID #. Sure enough – there it was. I had to read it at least 10 times. Trying not to celebrate too much in front of those that were still looking for their numbers, I took my excitement outside, where I danced down the steps (similar to Willie Mays Hayes in the movie Major League). With tickets to the Final Four (and hopefully a Championship Game) in my hand, I called Molly to see if she could arrange for me to stay with her cousin and aunt who lived in Indianapolis. After a phone call, I was all set to go! With my car packed up, and with my professors all promising to cancel classes the upcoming Monday and Tuesday if MSU won their Final Four game and played in the Championship Game, I headed for Indianapolis. The venue was like something out of a movie. The games were going to be played inside the RCA Dome, and the way in which the court and seats were arranged was breathtaking. I remember handing my ticket to the usher and being amazed as we kept walking down the steps... closer and closer... until I was TEN rows behind the basket. Seeing the different colors of the four schools present – MSU's green, Wisconsin's red, Florida's orange, and North Carolina's blue – all throughout the stadium really made the event come to life. I was quite nervous because MSU had to play #8 seed Wisconsin for the FOURTH time that season. Having already beaten the Badgers twice in the regular season and once more in the Big Ten Tournament, it seemed like eventually the odds would even out. I mean, it's hard enough to beat a team three times in the same season, let along four. Throw in the fact that the date was April 1st (April Fools' Day), and, well, my superstitious mind was working overtime. At the end of the first half, Wisconsin's smothering defense and slow down offense kept MSU in check with just a 2-point lead (19-17)... and only fed my fears that I had just driven to Indianapolis to watch the Spartans tank it. Thankfully, MSU opened the second half with a 13-2 run, including 10 points by Morris Peterson. After the run, MSU was able to coast to a 53-41 victory. (Clearly, MSU won the game because I was wearing the #42 Peterson jersey that had not been washed all season. Gross.) The next day I hung out with Molly's cousin and aunt – who were beyond hospitable – and worked meticulously on the sign I wanted to hold up during the game (which is shown above). The title game was set for Monday, April 3rd, against the #5 Florida Gators, and it was being aired on CBS. My clever little mind came up with a sign that took the letters CBS and spelled out "Citrus Bowl Sequel", a reference to MSU's football team's victory over the Gators earlier that year. (Genius, right?!) When I got to the game, I walked up with my ticket and sign but was informed that signs were not being allowed inside. That didn't stop me. I was getting that sign through those doors. So, I innocently retreated down the steps, folded my sign, put it down my pants and inside my pant leg, and then went in a different entrance. Once inside, I saw hundreds of people with signs, so apparently I had come across the one security guard that didn't like signs. Thankfully, I hadn't surrendered it, so I took it back out, unfolded it, and proudly displayed it as I went down the steps to my seat. Just looking around at the number of people arriving and getting in place was incredible. Even more incredible, however, was the fact that three sections to my right was MAGIC JOHNSON. Are you kidding me?! (I had met him earlier that season at an MSU game – talk about stumbling over your words when you try to speak to an icon!) It seemed that everyone was at this game. I anxiously watched the clock tick down to tip-off... and the rest, they say, is history. In the season finale, the Spartans triumphed over the Gators 89-76, even though the outcome of the game was up in the air after Mateen went down with an ankle injury just 3:42 into the second half. (From my angle behind the hoop and on the sideline where Mateen was injured, it looked like an intentional trip by the Florida defender Teddy Dupay.) When Mateen went down and started grabbing his ankle, you felt the air let out of the building. Seeing Izzo kneeling over his wounded point guard really drove home the notion that Mateen was most likely done. Florida rallied and cut MSU's double digit lead to 50-44. Just as things were starting to slip away, I heard this tremendous roar of the crowd to my left. I looked over and saw a hobbled Mateen limping his way out of the tunnel and back to the sidelines. The place went nuts. His return sparked a 16-6 run that put the game out of reach. When the clock reached 0:00 and the horn sounded, I stood there in disbelief. I had just watched MSU capture only its second basketball National Championship since 1979. Could there have been a better MSU sports' moment to have taken place during my senior year? After a solid hour-long celebration inside – watching the team jump around, cut down the nets, and watch the super cheesy "One Shining Moment" video on the jumbo tron – I took my sign and headed out to be picked up by Molly's cousin. I was snagged by a reporter (who loved my sign) and asked a few questions. I thought nothing of it – until I saw my quote on the FRONT page of the Championship Edition of the Lansing paper. My words are now forever immortalized on a page that's hanging in basements and bars and restaurants of Spartan fans around the globe! Here was my shining moment... Ben Hartnell, 22, an MSU senior, waved a sign reading "Citrus Bowl Sequel" to signify how the Spartans have beaten Florida twice this year. The football team downed Florida 37-34 in the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl. "It hasn't even sunk in yet," Hartnell said. "I'll wake up tomorrow and realize (a) we won the National Championship, and (b) I was there."
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
1. My graduation from MSU (2000)
If MSU was taking verbal commitments from 4th graders, well, they had my pledge. Starting with the 1987 season and 1988 Rose Bowl and continuing through my first game in 1990, I was officially "addicted" to MSU. Just ask my parents. And relatives. And friends. And teachers. I had redecorated my room with all things green and white – and I instantly regretted selecting red carpet for my room when we moved into the house when I was much younger. My little bookshelf had been cleared of all things "dinosaur" and now held all of my precious Spartan keepsakes, which ran the gauntlet from MSU buttons, picture frames, and collector's cards to empty commemorative Rose Bowl 7Up cans, stadium popcorn boxes (and napkins, and straws, and cups), and coffee mugs. I remember one particular summer going through the MSU catalogue and circling items I "needed" for my birthday in October (hey, I wanted to give my parents enough time to get these "must-have" items shipped) – and circling an MSU Alumni sweatshirt. (I didn't clearly understand what alumni meant – just that the sweatshirt had the Gruff Sparty on it and looked cool.) After my Dad found his MSU Alumni mug in my museum-like room, he sat me down and explained that in order to have alumni sweatshirts and mugs, I had to graduate from Michigan State. Best pep talk... EVER! I decided then and there that I would go to Michigan State. I remember the day in the Fall of 1995 when I received my acceptance letter in the mail (I had applied for Early Admission – didn't want to leave anything to chance!). My friends and I came home during our lunch at school to check the mailbox. Sure enough, a thick letter was waiting inside. Despite everyone saying that I'd get in "no problem", it was still something I didn't want to get my hopes up about and have dashed. Seven words said it all. "Congratulations and welcome to Michigan State University!" The first line of the letter contained the phrase I had longed to read since pledging my heart to MSU in 1988. I hung up my Dad's MSU flag and returned to school. (After hemming and hawing, I decided not to call my Dad – I wanted him to come home and see the flag. I'll never forget that night. Mom and I waited inside. We saw Dad's car drive up – and the second he saw the flag, he started honking the horn and fist pumping in the air. He charged inside and gave me a firm handshake, saying, "Atta boy, son." Then he pulled me in for a hug I'll cherish forever. Over Thanksgiving Break, Dad took me and Nate to the MSU home game against #14 Penn State. As we climbed to our seats, I got the same excited feeling I had when I first saw the field back in 1990. When the Spartan Band came charging out of the tunnel, Dad put his arm around me and said, "Just think. At this time next year, you'll be here... as a student." It really sank in at that moment, especially as I looked around and saw the student section. That WOULD be me next year! (As for the game, MSU lost 24-20 and had a chance to take a shot at the end zone to win... until QB Tony Banks ran out of bounds with no time left. Yup. A quarterback scramble right out of bounds. You could hear the stadium collectively utter WTF?) That Christmas my Uncle Jack gave me a present that I still have (and wear) today. It was a ratty, old MSU t-shirt. It looked familiar, however, and I remembered seeing it in pictures of my Dad and me from the early 1980s. It couldn't be, could it?! It was! The shirt sitting before me had been my Dad's. I don't quite remember why Uncle Jack had it – I'm sure he explained it, but I was too moved to hear anything else. The gift almost brought tears to my eyes. Early in the summer between high school and college, I went up with my Dad for orientation. It just cemented in my mind how badly I wanted to attend this school. After returning home, all I could do was count down the days until I went back. Of course, despite my excitement, the closer my departure date got, the more bittersweet everything became. My girlfriend Molly and I had decided to continue dating – even if it was going to be long-distance. Most of my friends were going to Bowling Green, Miami of Ohio, or Ohio University. I was one of the few heading out-of-state. In mid-August, my parents and Molly drove me up for my official move-in date. We got my stuff inside Room #677 Akers West (the same dorm that my Dad had stayed in when he was at MSU), and, after getting through my good-byes with my Mom and Molly, my Dad walked up to me. Up until that point in time, I had only ever seen my Dad cry once. It was when our dog, Topper, passed away. It wasn't a boo-hoo sort of cry, but a few tears out in the garage. Nevertheless, Dad walked up to me, wrapped his arms around me, and said, "You've made me so proud." With a single tear, he turned away, got back in the U-Haul, and drove away. As a fourth generation Spartan, I truly loved every minute of my time in East Lansing. I had easy access to my Grandma's farm in Eaton Rapids and my relatives in Lansing, which gave me the comfort of "home" despite being four hours away. For someone who has a terrible sense of direction, I somehow knew where everything was – it was surreal. Everything clicked. Me and MSU seemed to go "hand-in-hand". It wasn't until the start of my junior year that it hit me that I was really a student at MSU. The first two years I had walked around campus in a fog of disbelief that my childhood dream had come true. The realization happened one day as I walked out of the library and heard the chimes on Beaumont Tower. I took a deep breath, looked around me, and said to myself, "I'm really here." But, before I knew it, it was May 5, 2000 – graduation day. While an exhilarating day (which included shoving my way through a line of demonstrators dressed as cows because they were protesting the commencement speaker James D. Wofensohn who was the President of the World Bank – stupid hippies), it was also the culmination of a fantasy. So while momentous, it also left me feeling a bit sad. Don't get me wrong. I hadn't frittered away four years of my life. I knew what I wanted to do – be a teacher – and while my student teaching year would keep me enrolled in MSU the following fall while I took Master's classes, it did signal the end of my time as an undergrad. I was truly grateful for the opportunity to attend an out-of-state school – and the one of my dreams – and to walk away with $0 in college debt. (The least I could do was paint "Thank U Mom & Dad" on top of my mortar board, which I did – with white-out – en route to the commencement... classy stuff.) As I sat at the ceremony itself, I couldn't help but think that if I had gone to Muskingum College in Ohio to play basketball that maybe my parents could have saved thousands of dollars. However, my entire academic career (or, quite simply, my entire life) had been built with the ultimate goal of going to Michigan State. And later that night, when I opened a present from my Dad... and pulled out an MSU Alumni mug, I knew I had made the right decision. I had been my happiest at Michigan State University. It will always be my #1 moment.
Click here for a promotional video of Michigan State on YouTube
Click here for a promotional video of Michigan State on YouTube
In the "Team Photo"...
a. MSU beats Kentucky in 2OT (2005)
For starters, this moment is affectionately known as the "STAY WHERE YOU ARE, SARAH!" game – as my sister was forced by her entire family to remain in the doorway of my Grandma's house while MSU and Kentucky battled for a bid to the 2005 Final Four. It was March 27th, and the entire family was up at Grandma's for Easter. MSU had begun a nice run through the NCAA Tournament, dropping Old Dominion, Vermont, and Duke to stand one game away from Tom Izzo's fourth Final Four in seven years. The #5 Spartans faced a formidable foe in the #2 Wildcats of Kentucky. In this double-OT, controversial thriller, Kentucky started out well and led MSU by four at halftime. With my brother already waving the white flag and turning off the TV, we flipped it back on and watched MSU catch up to take a 70-62 lead with 5:43 to play. Kentucky rallied, however, cutting the lead to one when they drained a three with 1:19 to play. After Kentucky's Patrick Sparks missed the front end of a one-and-one with 41 seconds to play, MSU's Shannon Brown appeared to ice the game with two free throws with 20 seconds to play. With time expiring, Sparks put up a prayer from 3-point range, and the ball bounced around the rim FOUR times before falling in. This was the moment that my poor sister walked through the door with a warm, "Hi guys!" to which she received a "Stay where you are!" roar from those watching the game. Even Grandma refused to acknowledge her arrival (gee, aren't we a loving family?). Everyone now blamed Sarah for "jinxing" MSU since, clearly, her foot landing on the threshold of Grandma's house at the precise moment when Sparks released the ball was to blame for this potential Spartan collapse. After the referees spent nearly 10 minutes reviewing the play to see whether or not his foot was on the line, they upheld that Sparks' shot was a 3-pointer, which sent the game into OT. Sarah knew her place – and she remained quiet and in the doorway. In the first OT, neither team relented, and Brown hit a key 3-point basket for MSU to keep them in the game. Kentucky had a chance to win at the end of the game but missed a 3-pointer as time expired to send the game into double OT. Again, Sarah remained motionless by the door. In the second OT, MSU's grit finally won the game for them, as they scored 11 of their 13 points from the free throw line to finally seal the game 94-88. I remember Grandma's house erupting in celebration and Sarah being picked up and passed around in a giant group-hug! (As previously mentioned, it was Sarah's foot landing on the threshold of Grandma's house at the precise moment when Sparks released the ball that resulted in his shot being declared a three but allowed for MSU to eventually prevail in double OT...) The rest of the evening was spent hooting and hollering outside – and planning how we were going to attend the Final Four in St. Louis. (Nate, myself, and Cousin Dave all made the trip, but, unfortunately, MSU lost to the eventual National Champion Tar Heels of North Carolina 87-71.) Nevertheless, that OT game goes down in history as one of the craziest (and most superstitious) moments in my MSU fandom! (Thanks for being a team player, Sarah!)
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
b. MSU vs. UM Outdoor Hockey (2001 & 2010)
The extent of the MSU/UM rivalry was put on international display when the two schools' hockey teams faced off on October 6, 2001 in what was dubbed "The Cold War" – an outdoor hockey game played in Spartan Stadium. The game, which ended in a 3-3 tie, set the world record for the largest crowd at a hockey game (74,544). This record was broken on May 7, 2010, when 77,803 fans attended a hockey game between Germany and the U.S. in Germany. But never fear! MSU and UM skated against each other for a rematch in "The Big Chill at the Big House" on December 11, 2010, a match that went in favor of the Wolverines 5-0 but set the new world attendance record at 113,411. The best part of these two events was... I was there!
"The Cold War" – My brother and best friend Jason Sauer made the trip up to East Lansing for the first game. I remember shortly after 9/11 there were discussions about changing the name of the event since it referenced war, and, well, the U.S. was on the brink of going to war with Afghanistan. Despite a hastily put-together remarketing campaign, the name "Cold War" stuck. We met my MSU friends and UM friend Jason Hamilton to tailgate. I remember how cold it was, even for October – borderline freezing temps – which was good since an outdoor game could go so horribly wrong if it got too warm! Security was pretty tight, especially because it was an internationally broadcasted event and we were living in a post-9/11 world. However, once inside Spartan Stadium, you could feel the crowd lurch toward the giant flames that shot out of the corner of the end zones when the teams took the ice or scored a goal. It was such an original idea – take two major college hockey fan bases and pit them together OUTDOORS! (In fact, this game set off a slew of other outdoor games, including the NHL's annual "Winter Classic", which is played outdoors every January 1st.) It also pitted the #1 Spartans against the #4 Wolverines – so this game was for more than just show! While both sides obviously wanted to win, you really couldn't have asked for a better outcome – a tie – because it kept everyone in a celebratory mood the rest of the night. On the drive home the next day, we couldn't get over how amazing the entire experience was... until we heard on the radio that the U.S. had just invaded Afghanistan. Talk about a sobering experience – and one that put our priorities back in order. Still, this did prove that sports can help divert our minds, even if it's to watch "just" a hockey game.
Click here to watch Cold War highlights on YouTube
"The Big Chill at the Big House" – My buddy Jason Hamilton contacted me several months in advance about getting tickets to the rematch. Ummm, yes please! This time, my brother Nate and Dad came up to the game with me. We met with Hamilton and tailgated in Ann Arbor. While the game went south pretty quickly, it was still such an impressive sight – 113,411 fans packed together to watch hockey. It was also the first time that Nate and my Dad had been to Michigan Stadium. In the end, #12 UM took MSU to the woodshed (repeatedly) en route to a 5-0 victory. Still, I believe this record-setting event really spoke to the magnitude of the MSU/UM rivalry and just how multi-dimensional it had become. It's also a memory that I'll never forget.
Click here to watch Big Chill highlights on YouTube
"The Cold War" – My brother and best friend Jason Sauer made the trip up to East Lansing for the first game. I remember shortly after 9/11 there were discussions about changing the name of the event since it referenced war, and, well, the U.S. was on the brink of going to war with Afghanistan. Despite a hastily put-together remarketing campaign, the name "Cold War" stuck. We met my MSU friends and UM friend Jason Hamilton to tailgate. I remember how cold it was, even for October – borderline freezing temps – which was good since an outdoor game could go so horribly wrong if it got too warm! Security was pretty tight, especially because it was an internationally broadcasted event and we were living in a post-9/11 world. However, once inside Spartan Stadium, you could feel the crowd lurch toward the giant flames that shot out of the corner of the end zones when the teams took the ice or scored a goal. It was such an original idea – take two major college hockey fan bases and pit them together OUTDOORS! (In fact, this game set off a slew of other outdoor games, including the NHL's annual "Winter Classic", which is played outdoors every January 1st.) It also pitted the #1 Spartans against the #4 Wolverines – so this game was for more than just show! While both sides obviously wanted to win, you really couldn't have asked for a better outcome – a tie – because it kept everyone in a celebratory mood the rest of the night. On the drive home the next day, we couldn't get over how amazing the entire experience was... until we heard on the radio that the U.S. had just invaded Afghanistan. Talk about a sobering experience – and one that put our priorities back in order. Still, this did prove that sports can help divert our minds, even if it's to watch "just" a hockey game.
Click here to watch Cold War highlights on YouTube
"The Big Chill at the Big House" – My buddy Jason Hamilton contacted me several months in advance about getting tickets to the rematch. Ummm, yes please! This time, my brother Nate and Dad came up to the game with me. We met with Hamilton and tailgated in Ann Arbor. While the game went south pretty quickly, it was still such an impressive sight – 113,411 fans packed together to watch hockey. It was also the first time that Nate and my Dad had been to Michigan Stadium. In the end, #12 UM took MSU to the woodshed (repeatedly) en route to a 5-0 victory. Still, I believe this record-setting event really spoke to the magnitude of the MSU/UM rivalry and just how multi-dimensional it had become. It's also a memory that I'll never forget.
Click here to watch Big Chill highlights on YouTube
c. MSU wins the Big Ten Football Title (2010)
There were six games from the 2010 football season worthy of being in this MSU countdown: the "Little Giants" win over Notre Dame, the huge home win over #9 Wisconsin, the smack down of rival UM in Ann Arbor, the comeback win over Northwestern (after being down 17-0) that included a fake punt nicknamed "Mousetrap", another comeback win over Purdue (which included outscoring the Boilermakers 22-3 in the fourth), and the win on the road in Happy Valley for the first time since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. For my countdown, however, I'm going to focus on the last game – the one that gave MSU its first Big Ten title since 1990... when I was 13. This game took place the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My Aunt Marty, Cousin Dave, and Dave's daughter Lauren made the trip (and had offered me a chance to go), but I knew if I went, MSU would lose. Plus, as tradition holds, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is when my family heads to Timbuk Farms in Granville to cut down the perfect Christmas tree. This particular trip to the tree farm would be especially memorable because it was my son's first – and I wasn't going to miss that (even if it meant passing on witnessing MSU history). I missed a good chunk of the game – and avoided contact with anyone that might have known the score at the farm. After dropping off my brother's tree – and hearing that MSU was up 14-3 at halftime – I went home to watch the rest unfold. I didn't like what I initially saw. Penn State scored 19 fourth-quarter points, and I about passed out after a bone-head fumble following what should have been a game-winning MSU interception resulted in a Nittany Lion TD with 56 seconds left. MSU was now only up only six (28-22), and it would come down to an onside kick. With Fraser sitting by my side, we watched MSU recover the ensuing kick to seal the win and a share of the championship. I screamed so loud in excitement that it made Fraser cry, so I had to spend the next few minutes reassuring him he was fine! (My wife has it all on tape!) I remember seeing the bed sheet that read "2010 Big Ten Champs" unfold in the small sliver of Spartan fans in the stadium. It was exactly how I had pictured it happening all those years before... it'd be a cold, gray, and wintry day... MSU would clinch the title on the road... there'd be pockets of green cheering on the team... the players would be jumping around celebrating. And this very scenario was unfolding right before my eyes. After Fraser and Molly went upstairs, I shed a tear. I will readily admit that. MSU had delivered. After eating buckets of crap for 20 years, MSU was finally Big Ten Champions. I know it's "just a game", but when you break it down, it's always more than that. That 2010 MSU team epitomized the whole antiquated notion of "never say never" – and it made believers out of everyone that watched. That MSU team showed fan bases around the world that if you support your team – through the good times and the bad – eventually you will be rewarded. And when that moment of glory arrives, it'll feel like nothing you've ever felt before. Molly ordered a copy of the Lansing paper celebrating MSU's win with the giant headline "FINISHERS" across the top. She had it framed for me for Christmas that year. It remains, to this day, the greatest Christmas gift I've ever received.
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
d. The MSU comeback vs. Northwestern (2006)
Under Coach John L. Smith, MSU teams were known for their late season collapses. The Spartans would roar through their early schedule... and then fall apart come October, just in time to ruin my birthday. The 2006 season was a perfect example of this – and it happened to be John L's last. MSU breezed through its first three games of the season (against Idaho, Eastern Michigan, and Pittsburgh), and, as usual, Spartan fans watched fully expecting the wheels to come off at any given moment so they could file this season away as another disappointing year. Well, the wheels did come off... in spectacular fashion. MSU led Notre Dame 37-21 in the third quarter before allowing 19 points to lose a game that my Dad and I attended (sorry, Dad). I was so disgusted that I swore off Spartan football – putting myself on "probation" for a week. Instead of watching MSU's game against Illinois, I got tickets to Molly's alma mater Ohio University, and we drove down to Athens to enjoy a nice Saturday of MAC football. I managed to forget about MSU... until I got a two-word phone message from my brother. "MSU lost." That's all it said. I almost threw my phone into the Hocking River. MSU lost 23-20 to Illinois AT HOME. It was a sickening feeling. Illinois hadn't won a Big Ten game since 2004. Congratulations, MSU. You're now the worst Big Ten team. To make things more embarrassing (aside from ESPN's announcer Desmond Howard openly gloating at the end of the Notre Dame game's broadcast when he said, "Same Old Spartans"), during the post-game press conference, John L. admitted that his coaches were having trouble motivating the players. Seriously?! He then slapped himself in the face jokingly as a reference to a claim by Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis who stated that he had been hit in the face during a sideline scrum the week before when his Fighting Irish played the Spartans. It was the "Slap Heard 'Round the World" – and it made MSU the butt of many jokes. This Illinois-debacle was followed by defeats against UM and OSU. Standing at 3-4 overall, and with everyone calling for John L's head (I had been screaming for his execution since MSU's embarrassing 20-19 loss to Louisiana Tech in 2003 and after the special team's meltdown against OSU in 2005), MSU traveled to 2-5 Northwestern for a battle to get out of the cellar of the Big Ten. The date was October 21st – and my sister Sarah was getting married in Ashland, Ohio. Prior to the ceremony, Nate and I decided to watch the start of the game – hoping against hope that MSU could turn its season around. We went to Ashland University's campus (where both Nate and Sarah had graduated) and hung out in the school's impressive cafeteria. (The food would be the highlight of that moment.) MSU started the game with a 66-yard drive that ended with a FG and a 3-0 lead. Of course, Northwestern responded by driving down the field and scoring a TD to go up 7-3. Before Nate and I could put away our lunch trays, MSU was down 24-3 at halftime. With a totally defeated feeling, Nate and I limped away to my sister's wedding (sorry, Sarah). The ceremony helped us feel better, and, after pictures and the like, we wound up at the reception. A little while into the dinner, my sister-in-law's husband Ed said to me, "Great game today!" I wanted to punch him. I dismissed the comment with a, "Whatever man." Ed seemed puzzled by my reaction. He then said, "You guys won." I really wasn’t having it, so I gave him a "screw you" glance. Frustrated, Ed said, "MSU came back against Northwestern and WON." I didn't know what to think. I rushed over and grabbed Nate and told him what Ed had said. Nate didn't believe me either. With a rejuvenated "NO WAY" feeling, we sprinted into the bar area of the reception where they had TVs... and watched the highlights on ESPN. Apparently, the Wildcats continued to beat down the Spartans after halftime, going up 38-3. Not until the 7:04 mark did MSU's QB Drew Stanton connect with RB Jehuu Caulcrick for a TD, beginning what would become the biggest comeback in NCAA history, erasing the 35-point deficit and rattling off 38-unanswered points to win 41-38. Nate and I didn't leave the bar for a solid hour – watching and re-watching the highlights in amazement. Other relatives soon joined us (sorry again, Sarah). Granted, the downside to this, we thought, was it might save John L's job. Turns out, however, our fears were unfounded. The next week, MSU peed down its leg in true John L fashion – losing to Indiana (yes, you read that right) 46-21. It wasn't even close. On November 1st, John L was fired. MSU finished 4-8... and tied for last in the Big Ten with Illinois. Northwestern would be MSU's only Big Ten win that season – go figure I missed it!!!
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
e. MSU vs. UNC... on a BOAT (2011)
In 2005, MSU's basketball Head Coach Tom Izzo said, "We'll play anybody, anyplace, anytime. It doesn't matter, morning, noon or night, and it doesn't matter who it is." Izzo has certainly held true to this statement, running his teams through brutal non-conference schedules year-in and year-out. On Veterans Day in 2011 (11/11/11), Izzo took the ultimate step and had his unranked Spartans battle the #1 Tar Heels... on an aircraft carrier. And not any aircraft carrier. The two squads played on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson... the very ship responsible for conducting the burial at sea of 9/11's terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. Although Michigan State lost to North Carolina 67-55 in the first ever "Carrier Classic", it was a sight to see to see both schools take to the court wearing camouflage uniforms with "U.S.A." written across their backs, all while President Obama and members of the U.S. military observed. It reminded us that we get to enjoy sports because of the men and women in uniform.
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
Click here to watch highlights on YouTube
