Michigan State athletes will be back on their respective fields of play this weekend after all sporting events were put on pause in the wake of a mass shooting on campus on Monday. MSU Athletics on Thursday announced competitions, both home and away, for active programs will resume on Friday and continue through the weekend. The Spartan men’s basketball team — which had a scheduled game on Wednesday against Minnesota postponed — will play at Michigan at 8 p.m. as originally scheduled, per MSU’s press release, which noted the decision was the product of conversations between athletic directors Alan Haller of MSU and Warde Manuel of Michigan.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
Michigan State vice president and director of athletics Alan Haller announced changes to his leadership team designed to create more efficiencies as well as strategic collaboration.”The people who make up the Michigan State athletic department are one of our greatest strengths,” said Haller. “In making these organizational changes, we’re creating a structure which will allow for more efficient decision making and operations as we move forward as a department. We have great people throughout our department who come to work every day focused on our common goals of helping our student-athletes maximize their opportunities, while also helping the department be a value-add community partner.”
Michigan State is believed to have become the first Power 5 school to recognize and celebrate the Name, Image and Likeness achievements of its student-athletes on Monday night, hosting the inaugural EverGreen NIL Celebration presented by MSUFCU inside the Tom Izzo Basketball Hall of History at the Breslin Student Events Center. “We are proud of how our student-athletes have leaned-in to NIL opportunities,” Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller said during his welcome. “Michigan State has quickly become a leader in the NIL space and we will continue to grow together.”
For the fifth consecutive year, Michigan State has met or topped an all-time high with a four-year Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) of 80%, according to data released by the NCAA on Nov. 15. MSU’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 92% tied the school’s all-time high for the third consecutive year. This year’s data includes the 2012-13 to 2015-16 freshman cohorts for the four-year totals and 2015-16 for the single-year rate. Eight sports posted a 100% GSR, including men’s basketball, men’s cross country/track, men’s tennis, women’s cross country/track, women’s golf, softball, women’s tennis and volleyball.
Since World War I, more than 81,000 military service members are unaccounted for. In partnership with Rolling Thunder Michigan Chapter 5, the Michigan State Student Veteran’s Association and ROTC programs, Military Honor Chairs have been installed in Breslin Center, Munn Ice Arena and Spartan Stadium in recognition of those who have defended our country and not yet returned home. These unoccupied seats are dedicated to the memory of these brave members of our Armed Forces and symbolize that there will always be a place at Michigan State awaiting their return.
No player on Michigan State’s current roster has ever played beyond the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, following a canceled tournament, a play-in game exit and a second-round exit in the last three seasons. That’s a fact that hasn’t unnoticed in the Michigan State basketball practice facility. “We play Final Four basketball here,” Spartans point guard A.J. Hoggard said.
Source: mlive.com
In a year filled with important coaching hires, new contracts, and a ginormous media rights deal, Alan Haller has never had to look farther than his wrist to keep focus during his first 12 months as Michigan State’s athletic director.
Source: Lansing State Journal
It’s been 25 years since Michigan State has fielded a Division 1 lacrosse team. The university may have cut the program, but it couldn’t remove the sport from the campus. The team has been one of the most successful club teams in the state culminating with their 2018 MCLA National Championship.
Source: Lacrosse All Stars
Another record-producing year in the classroom saw the Michigan State athletic department place a total of 126 student-athletes among the Big Ten’s list of Distinguished Scholars, which was released on Thursday.
Michigan State will induct nine Spartans into its Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 9, as part of its annual “Celebrate” weekend. The 2022 Hall of Fame Class includes: Herb Adderley (football), Kathy DeBoer (volleyball/women’s basketball), Joan Garety (women’s golf), Draymond Green (men’s basketball), Laura (Heyboer) Heethuis (women’s soccer), Greg Jones (football), Kalisha Keane (women’s basketball), Karen Langeland (women’s basketball/administration) and Bob Steele (men’s track and field).
Michigan State Athletics has announced its All-Sports Awards winners for the 2021-22 season. The awards include the George Alderton Male and Female Athletes of the Year, Chester Brewer Leadership Award, Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award, and Big Ten Conference Medals of Honor. A panel of administrators and coaches selected the winners.
Michigan State men’s tennis won 4-3 over Indiana in a thrilling match on Friday night inside the MSU Tennis Center. The match came down to the wire with MSU earning the tiebreak point after a victory at No. 1 singles by senior Jack Winkler.
Payton Thorne was recently hit with a dose of reality. That came when the Michigan State quarterback realized he’s now the veteran at the position. “It’s crazy to think that that’s the case,” Thorne said. “I like to think of myself that I’m still not that old, I’m still kind of young, but not really.”
Source: mlive.com
The Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball team heads to University Park, Pennsylvania to take on the the Penn State Nittany Lions on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network). Let’s preview the matchup.
Source: The Only Colors
Former Michigan State center Brian Allen, the starting center for the Los Angeles Rams, is a Super Bowl Champion. Allen played every offensive snap for Los Angeles as the Rams rallied for a 23-20 victory over Cincinnati in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday night in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Michigan State Athletics is helping cut out any potential middle men between Spartans student-athletes and businesses that want to strike name, image and likeness deals. The Michigan State Exchange will connect student-athletes and organizations who wanted to negotiate NIL agreements, the university announced Tuesday in a statement.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Michigan State’s athletic department budget continues to remain significantly in the red for the second straight year, predominantly due to the lack of fans in the stands a year ago. The school’s athletic department suffered a $15.4 million shortfall during the pandemic-disrupted 2020-21 fiscal year, according to documents provided to USA Today via the Freedom of Information Act.
Source: Detroit Free Press
This past weekend saw the Michigan State cheer and dance teams compete at the UCA/UDA National Championship in Orlando, Florida, with multiple top-10 placings between the Spartan squads at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Competing in Division 1A for the first time since 2019-20 after not being able to attend last season’s championship due to COVID-19, the Green and White had four of their five routines make it to the final day of competition.