The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 22 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty. The school colors are green and white. The university participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big Ten Conference in all Varsity sports except ice hockey, which competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. MSU's golf team won the Big Ten Championship in 1969 and again in 2005. Michigan State offers 14 varsity sports for men and 15 for women. The university's current Athletic Director is Ron Mason, who served as head hockey coach from 1979 to 2002, retiring with a 608-261-64 record at MSU. MSU's marching band plays the fight song at every university event, and both students and alumni sing along. Michigan State University is the only NCAA Divison One Athletic program to have multiple National Championships in both football and basketball.

Football

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Football has a long tradition at Michigan State. Starting as a club sport in 1884, football gained varsity status in 1896. In the 1950's, MSU led the nation in desegregation, allowing black athletes in all sports. It won the Rose Bowl in 1954, 1956, and 1988. Today, the team competes in Spartan Stadium, a 72,027 person football stadium in the center of campus. The current coach is John L. Smith, who has an 18-18-0 record. MSU's traditional archrival is the University of Michigan, against whom they compete for the Paul Bunyan Trophy. MSU is traditionally the underdog, with a 28-65-5 record in the annual game. Michigan State is one of three Big Ten teams to have an annual non-conference football game against the Notre Dame. MSU's record against the Fighting Irish is 25-43-1.

Men's basketball

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MSU's men's basketball team has won the National Championship twice: in 1979 and again in 2000. The 2000 team was led by the "Flintstones", four players (Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell, Mateen Cleaves, and Antonio Smith) from Flint, Michigan who were key to the Spartans' success. On December 13, 2003, Michigan State and Kentucky played at the most-attended basketball game, when they held a match in front of 78,129 at Ford Field, a stadium in Detroit. Kentucky won 79-74. The team currently plays at the Breslin Student Events Center under head coach Tom Izzo, who has a 233-97 record. Izzo's coaching has helped the team make four of the last seven NCAA Final Fours, winning the title in 2000.

Ice hockey

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The men's ice hockey team plays at the Munn Ice Arena. The current head coach is Rick Comley, who has a 34-19-3 record at MSU. Since the Big Ten Conference does not cover Division I ice hockey, Michigan State competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Along with the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University, it is one of three Big Ten schools in the CCHA. As with other sports, the hockey rivalry between MSU and U-M is a fierce one, though MSU's rivalry against Lake Superior State University has grown in recent years. On October 6, 2001, the hockey team was involved in the most-attended hockey in history. The Spartans set up a hockey rink in the middle of their football stadium, Spartan Stadium, and played U-M before a crowd of 74,554. The game ended in a 3-3 tie.

Golf

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Golf has had a long tradition at MSU. Hall of Fame Coach Bruce Fossum led MSU to its first Big Ten title in 1969. The Big Ten title would elude the Spartans until 2005, when arguably, the best team ever assembled, took home the rings in stellar fashion. Not only did the Spartans win the Big Ten Championship in 2005, but they captured two other titles along the way and rose all the way to #5 in the U.S.

Notes

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External links

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• Official MSU athletics site.

College athletic programs | Michigan State University | University and college sports clubs | Big Ten Conference