In one of the previous posts inspired me to share this: I've been chatting with Mark Dantonio and Lynn Henning in recent weeks. Expect a comprehensive piece in the Detroit News sometime before the WMU game. The premise of the story could focus on what Mark Dantonio accomplished to put Mel Tucker in position to advance the game/program/Spartan status.
It's really hard to build a top ten football program - particularly if you are not Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame et al. Let's face it, Mark Dantonio inherited a program deep in the ditch. It's really, really hard to transform such a beleaguered program into a top 10 power - especially when our track record was not that stellar coming off the mid-1960s glory years.
Saban had potential. Then he bolted. I thought Bobby Williams was the guy. I was wrong. Bobby simply was not ready for prime time. John L. Smith was a disaster....a total mismatch for MSU and the Big Ten.
We ended up in a deeper ditch. So Mark Dantonio came in.....it could not have been easy to recruit top talent to MSU given what happened after Saban left. But....Dantonio not only pulled the program out of the ditch, he
coached the Spartans to a helluva lot more wins over michigan than what we could have expected. And he coached the Spartans into the national playoff round with back to back top 10 finishes.
He put MSU back into the national spotlight. (True, recruiting should have soared with all the national attentional and acclaim. It did not - but that's another issue)
It sure was easier for Mel Tucker to pick up the pieces and build a more sustainable program given where Mark Dantonio had taken us. That's one of the storylines in the upcoming feature/retrospective.
Borrowing from a Spartan friend....."It Ain't Easy Being Green"
Duffy probably stayed past his prime....Denny Stolz was a good successor - but Woody Hayes blew the whistle on some chicken-crap stuff - and he had enough stroke to put the Spartans in the penalty box. The consequences infllicted pain and set us back. Rogers had potential but didn't hang around.
George Perles should have been the next hire. Not Muddy Waters, as good a guy and Spartan legacy as he was.
Perles then finally got his opportunity. But Perles simply invited too many distractions along the way.....and he could not sustain. Then Saban....potential, for sure. But he moved out too soon.
Mel Tucker seems to be the perfect coach to build on what Mark Dantonio restored - and to keep MSU in the top ten. He understands recruiting. Recruiting is like mother's milk when it comes to developing and sustaining a top tier program. He is unrelenting and taking the Spartans national.
The Big Ten conference expansion is taking us national - and the new TV deal will take us from coast to coast across all time zones and reaching 4 of the top 5 TV markets - with the 6th (San Francisco area) a possibility if the Big Ten conference expands in the out-years.
MSU deserves to play in the land of giants considering our history in the 1950s and 1960s.
We've had enough sleep
It's really hard to build a top ten football program - particularly if you are not Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame et al. Let's face it, Mark Dantonio inherited a program deep in the ditch. It's really, really hard to transform such a beleaguered program into a top 10 power - especially when our track record was not that stellar coming off the mid-1960s glory years.
Saban had potential. Then he bolted. I thought Bobby Williams was the guy. I was wrong. Bobby simply was not ready for prime time. John L. Smith was a disaster....a total mismatch for MSU and the Big Ten.
We ended up in a deeper ditch. So Mark Dantonio came in.....it could not have been easy to recruit top talent to MSU given what happened after Saban left. But....Dantonio not only pulled the program out of the ditch, he
coached the Spartans to a helluva lot more wins over michigan than what we could have expected. And he coached the Spartans into the national playoff round with back to back top 10 finishes.
He put MSU back into the national spotlight. (True, recruiting should have soared with all the national attentional and acclaim. It did not - but that's another issue)
It sure was easier for Mel Tucker to pick up the pieces and build a more sustainable program given where Mark Dantonio had taken us. That's one of the storylines in the upcoming feature/retrospective.
Borrowing from a Spartan friend....."It Ain't Easy Being Green"
Duffy probably stayed past his prime....Denny Stolz was a good successor - but Woody Hayes blew the whistle on some chicken-crap stuff - and he had enough stroke to put the Spartans in the penalty box. The consequences infllicted pain and set us back. Rogers had potential but didn't hang around.
George Perles should have been the next hire. Not Muddy Waters, as good a guy and Spartan legacy as he was.
Perles then finally got his opportunity. But Perles simply invited too many distractions along the way.....and he could not sustain. Then Saban....potential, for sure. But he moved out too soon.
Mel Tucker seems to be the perfect coach to build on what Mark Dantonio restored - and to keep MSU in the top ten. He understands recruiting. Recruiting is like mother's milk when it comes to developing and sustaining a top tier program. He is unrelenting and taking the Spartans national.
The Big Ten conference expansion is taking us national - and the new TV deal will take us from coast to coast across all time zones and reaching 4 of the top 5 TV markets - with the 6th (San Francisco area) a possibility if the Big Ten conference expands in the out-years.
MSU deserves to play in the land of giants considering our history in the 1950s and 1960s.
We've had enough sleep
