College Sports

Coaches seem to live on the perennial hotseat. Even successful coaches are constantly under attack from one faction or the other. That’s why, when my sister-in-law told me about the billboards springing up around Lansing and East Lansing, Michigan, I was surprised… and happily so.

In the past month, at various locations around town, a simple billboard with “Thank you, Tom” and a basketball has appeared. No question who “Tom” is… Tom Izzo, men’s basketball coach at Michigan State.

Yes, the folks in East Lansing know a good thing when they see it, and in Izzo they have one of the best. He has proven his loyalty to MSU, having served as assistant coach from 1983-1990, associate head coach from 1990-1995, and as head coach for the Spartans since 1995. OK, there was a brief, one month stint as assistant at Tulsa in the summer of 1986… he returned to MSU when another assistant left the university.

I could go on and on about Izzo’s accomplishments as head coach… 12 consecutive NCAA tourney appearances. a national championship, seven Sweet 16 appearances in the last 11 years (only Duke has more, at nine, while UCLA also has seven). But to list only his accomplishments on the hardwood would do a disservice to the man. Izzo puts a premium on education, and entering the 2007-2008 season 82% of his players had graduated… 82%! Does anybody else find that amazing in this day and age? And during the off-season in both 2005 and 2006, Izzo participated in “Operation Hardwood Hoops with the Troops,” during which Izzo and other NCAA coaches, former players and media personalities coached and played with different military teams in Kuwait.

And catch this quote:

“All those stories you hear about Tom are true. He’s just one of the greatest guys. I can see why the guys want to go play for him, because he’s straightforward and he’s just a nice guy. Certainly he’s a guy that, if I was playing ball, he’s the type of guy that I’d want to go play for.” Tiger Woods (July 27, 2005).

That’s right, Tiger Woods.

So let’s recap:

• 82% graduation rate
• has stayed with the same university since 1983, despite job offers from numerous college and pro teams
• gives back not only to his own community, but to his country by traveling half a world away to let the troops know that we haven’t forgotten
• one national championship and tremendous successes on the court
• the respect of not only his peers, but athletes and coaches from other areas of the sports world
• runs a clean program, and runs it the right way
• oh, did I mention that 82% graduation rate?

So yes, Thank You, Tom… not just from the fans at MSU, but from all of us in the sports world.

LT

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