Head Coach At Michigan State
Mark Dantonio became the 24th head coach at Michigan State on November 27, 2006. Upon his arrival, Dantonio planned to return MSU to a more traditional philosophy on offense and defense, eliminating the spread offense and the "bandit" linebacker/safety position used under previous head coach John L. Smith.
Dantonio began his MSU career well at Spartan Stadium when on April 21, 2007 Michigan State drew over 25,000 fans to watch the team's spring scrimmage game. The white team, led by sophomore quarterback Connor Dixon, defeated junior quarterback Brian Hoyer and the green team by a score of 21–8. During the game, Dantonio was seen behind the line of scrimmage watching and coaching the action.
Dantonio won his first game at Michigan State on September 1, 2007, when the Spartans defeated the UAB Blazers, 55–18. His first season at Michigan State was the school's most successful since 2003. Dantonio's Spartans went 7–5, losing all five games by seven points or fewer, and were bowl eligible for the first time in four years. However, the Spartans lost to Boston College in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando on December 28.
Dantonio's second season at MSU began with a loss at Cal, after which the Spartans came home and won six straight games against Eastern Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame, Indiana, Iowa, and Northwestern. The victories propelled Michigan State into the top 25. Following a lopsided 45–7 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Spartans beat Michigan, 35–21, in Ann Arbor for the first time since 1990. Michigan State won its final two home games against Wisconsin and Purdue before losing to Penn State in Happy Valley. A win against Penn State would have resulted in Michigan State splitting the Big Ten Conference title with Ohio State. The nine regular season wins were Michigan State's most since 1999. Michigan State finished third in the conference and was invited to play Georgia in the Capital One Bowl. Michigan State lost the game, 24–12, finishing the season 9–4.
The third season for Dantonio (2009) was mixed in terms of performance and off-the-field issues. The team lost five games (Central Michigan, @ Notre Dame, Iowa, @ Minnesota, Texas Tech) where they held the lead in the fourth quarter, leading to a disappointing 6-7 record on the season.
On September 19, 2010, just hours after a stunning fake field goal touchdown pass gave MSU a 34-31 overtime victory over Notre Dame, Dantonio checked himself into the hospital after noticing chest pains. He later suffered a heart attack. He had a stent put in a blocked artery near his heart. His doctor stated that the damage was minimal and expected him to make a full recovery. Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell became acting head coach while Dantonio recovered.
On September 30, 2010, after Mark Dantonio had stated that he would be coaching the next game from the press box and just two days before Michigan State played Wisconsin, Dantonio was admitted back into the hospital as a blood clot was found in his leg. Dantonio did not coach the game but rather watched the game from his hospital room. He was reportedly released from Sparrow Hospital around noon on October 4, 2010. On October 9, 2010, Dantonio coached his first game since his heart attack against rival Michigan. Michigan State won the game, 34–17, in Ann Arbor.
The Spartans under Dantonio continued to win and on November 20, 2010, reached 10-1 on the season, winning all home games for the first time during his tenure. It was just the third time in school history that Michigan State had won 10 or more games in a season, the other two seasons being those of 1965 and 1999. On November 27, 2010, Mark Dantonio's Spartans defeated Penn State 28-22 in Happy Valley, to finish the season 11-1 and clinch a share of the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 1990. On December 5, 2010, MSU announced that the Spartans were selected to play in the Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2011 against Alabama (number 15 in the BCS standings). The Spartans were crushed by the Crimson Tide 49-7 and finished the season 11-2.
In 2011, Michigan State had a successful year. They beat the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road for the first time since 1998, defeated arch-rival Michigan, and upset #6 Wisconsin on a last second Hail Mary pass from Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol. The Spartans finished 10-2 (7-1 in Big Ten play), earning the Legends Division championship and a place in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game. After coming up just short in a rematch with Wisconsin, MSU was selected to play in the Outback Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs. Dantonio led his team to a triple overtime victory, his first bowl win at MSU. The Spartans reached the 11 win mark for the second straight season, finishing with an overall record of 11-3.
In 2012, Dantonio led the Spartans to a disappointing 7-6 record and a Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl win. The team lost five games by a total of thirteen points.
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