It’s difficult to picture Mark Dantonio or Tom Izzo as young children in tears. But their mothers remember those days, those instances of vulnerability. Nothing humanizes Michigan State’s football and basketball head coaches more than hearing their mothers describe them as children and then men, always as sons. And then hearing Izzo and Dantonio, both in their early 60s, put into words the deep affection they have for the mothers who raised them and still guide them.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Mark Dantonio made a rare radio appearance Thursday to talk about Malik McDowell. And the Michigan State coach delivered a frank assessment of his former star defensive lineman over the Seattle airwaves. McDowell can “be a dominant player at the next level,” Dantonio said. But it’s up to the Seahawks’ second-round pick to do it for every down.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Speaking at a charity event Thursday night, Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio was asked a simple question: Who is the best player you’ve ever coached at Michigan State? His reported answer? Former Spartans QB Kirk Cousins.
Source: Land of 10
In a room full of friendly faces — alums and donors attending the Spartan Spring Tailgate — a young fan asked Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio if he liked being a football coach. “Sometimes,” Dantonio said, eliciting laughter. “Sometimes it’s a little bit hard. Everybody’s got their moments. Everybody’s got jobs, and sometimes they’re hard.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
The grand ballroom at the Detroit Marriott Troy was a warm reception for Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio: the school band played, the cheerleaders performed and Zeke the Wonder Dog at the Spartan Spring Tailgate charity event.But the room was never more supportive than when his program’s recent difficulties were brought up.
Source: MLive.com
CBS Sports ranked every head coach in the Power Five conferences from 1-65. Here is what they said about Coach D:
You knew Dantonio would suffer in these rankings after a down season in East Lansing. Still, overlook Dantonio and the Spartans heading into 2017 at your own peril. Dantonio’s teams have won at least 11 games in five of the last seven seasons.
Source: CBSSports.com
Mark Dantonio talked very little about football Monday. But he stood resolute in his feelings that Michigan State is poised to improve after last fall’s stumble and an offseason of turmoil .“Our outlook for 2017 is promising,” Dantonio said at the West Michigan Sports Commission luncheon. “Very promising. … But I’m not going to go and talk about players and all that type of thing right now, because sometimes I think we speak to a higher level, to a bigger picture-type things. Those are small pictures.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
When Mark Dantonio took to the dais at the J.W. Marriott hotel on Monday afternoon, he admitted he had second thoughts about giving a speech given the circumstances surrounding Michigan State. “You sort of think to yourself, is this really a good time?” Dantonio said. But as the Spartans coach launched into a 12-minute speech to the annual luncheon of the West Michigan Sports Commission, he didn’t ignore his program’s string of offseason issues.
Source: MLive.com
Karen Sadler and Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio presented the inaugural Mike Sadler Competitive Edge Award to eight MSU seniors on Friday at a College of Engineering awards ceremony.
Despite the hubbub of a Spartan Stadium crowd and Big Ten network television audience, the 2017 Michigan State spring game didn’t actually mark the end of the team’s spring practice period.Michigan State held its final two spring practices last week, after the April 1 spring game, completing the 15-practice segment over the course of about six weeks.
Source: MLive.com
“I think there’s no question we need to continue to solidify ourselves in every respect,” Dantonio said on the Big Ten spring teleconference. “Obviously there is a concern off the field that we had and I addressed that earlier. We need to work through those situations, but as much as anything, when you have a young football team you need to find leadership, and that leadership needs to translate on the field and off field as well.”
Source: Detroit News
Issues within Michigan State’s football team appear to have continued since the Spartans’ spring game. sked today whether anyone who participated in the April 1 scrimmage has been suspended or no longer is with the program, coach Mark Dantonio said players beyond the 15 who did not dress for the game are in what he termed a “red-lock” situation.
Source: Detroit Free Press
In Dantonio’s 10 years at Michigan State, more than 20 true freshmen have started at least one game. In 2016, four got starting nods: Donnie Corley, Josh King, Justin Layne and Mike Panasiuk. So it’s not all that rare. But Scott finds himself not only in a position to start, but to start immediately. And how many true freshmen have started the season opener under Dantonio? Two
Source: Land of 10
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press/LSJ Michigan State beat writer Chris Solari have plenty to say on Mark Dantonio’s press conference (the first time he’s spoken publicly since signing day) and what it means going forward. The duo also discusses the latest on Miles Bridges’ upcoming decision (15:00).
From his opening words in Tuesday press conference, the Michigan State coach made it clear he had no interest in discussing position battles, spring football standouts and depth chart queries. Such matters, he said, are “trivial.”
Source: MLive.com
“How do you correct it? Make sure it never happens again? That’s a tough question,” Dantonio said. “All I can tell you is we educate our football team. We have people coming in front of them. We have people coming at them and talking to them in a very raw manner. It’s education. It goes in a lot of different directions, football and all these different things.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Mark Dantonio did not want to talk about Michigan State’s football program’s off-season workouts. But today’s news conference about the investigations into an alleged sexual assault did reveal some of the first information about the Spartans as they prepare for Saturday’s spring game at Spartan Stadium (3 p.m./BTN). And he did admit focusing on football going into his 11th season at MSU “is challenging.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio addressed the media today for the first time since three unidentified players and a staff member were suspended as part of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Mark Dantonio speaks for first time since sexual assault investigation: ‘This is serious. Extremely serious’” Land of 10
Michigan State has conducted its spring football practice in the dark amid a sexual assault investigation into three unnamed players. Mark Dantonio publicly broke that silence for the first time on Tuesday. But the Spartans head coach wouldn’t talk about the investigation or other player suspensions. He also wouldn’t talk about football because compared to the investigation, it “would be trivial.”
Mark Dantonio: Drake Martinez transfers, other MSU players suspended Detroit Free Press
In his first comments since National Signing Day in early February, Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio today said that “this is not business as usual” as the program deals with off-field issues. This is the first time Dantonio has spoken to the media since three unidentified players and a staff member were suspended as part of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault.
Mark Dantonio breaks silence, speaks to media for first time since February State News
It has been 55 days since MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio’s last press conference on National Signing Day, which was on Feb. 1. Dantonio spoke in front of reporters for the first time Tuesday since an alleged sexual assault involving three MSU football players and a staff member was made public and resulted in the emergence of three investigations.
Mark Dantonio breaks silence on MSU sexual assault investigation, declines to talk specifics MLive
Mark Dantonio says he is taking allegations of sexual assault made against members of his football program extremely seriously, as a criminal investigation stretches past the two-month point and his Michigan State program is set to return to the public spotlight. “I hope everybody understands how serious we are taking this, relative to our football program and what we’re trying to do,” Dantonio said on Tuesday morning at Spartan Stadium. “I hope everybody understands that it is not business as usual.”
What did Mark Dantonio say at his presser? Spartan Avenue
Mark Dantonio needed to do what he did on Tuesday. The Michigan State football coach held a press conference regarding why he created a media blackout for the Spartans’ pro day as well as the first scrimmage of the spring.
Mark Dantonio Press Conference Recap. What did we learn? The Only Colors
“Go Green.” That was MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio’s message to the fans who are concerned about the state of the football program, given that it has been over six weeks since a sexual assault investigation was opened and three football players were suspended indefinitely.
Mark Dantonio: Sex-assault investigation ‘extremely serious’ Detroit Free Press
Mark Dantonio didn’t want to talk about football today. To him, it seems “trivial” to talk about sports. This morning’s news conference was about the 11th-year Michigan State football coach taking a “step out into the light” amid allegations involving his program.
Takeaways from Mark Dantonio’s press conference isportsweb
Mark Dantonio was not meeting with the media on Tuesday to talk about football. He was meeting to talk about the ongoing sexual assault investigation involving three players in the program. The conference should have been held weeks ago, but Dantonio made a point to emphasize that talking about football would be “trivial” in comparison to what is happening within the program at the moment.
Dantonio addresses media regarding sexual assault investigation Spartan Tailgate
Mark Dantonio didn’t want to talk football Tuesday at his first press conference since National Signing Day. The Michigan State head coach couldn’t talk about a pending sexual assault investigation involving three players and a staffer, all of whom have been suspended.
Michigan State was busy offering scholarships to football recruits for the class of 2018 on Thursday. Coach Mark Dantonio and his staff have targeted players from all over the nation. Here is a breakdown of the newest players with MSU scholarship offers
Source: Detroit Free Press
Satchmo and DB delve into the tumultuous offseason for the Spartan football program and how Mark Dantonio is handling it, what the Michigan State basketball team has to get off of the NCAA bubble and reach the tournament, the difficulties facing the Michigan State hockey program and other news of note.
Source: Sparty Talk