Dan Bass (2019) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

Dan Bass

Induction:
2019
Class:
1980

Dan Bass
Football (1976-79)
Bath, Michigan
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2019

HIGHLIGHTS:
• 1979 AP Second-Team All-American and team MVP
• Holds MSU records for career (541 from 1976-79) and single-game tackles (32 vs. Ohio State in 1979)
• First Spartan to lead team in tackles four straight seasons
• Two-time All-Big Ten (first team in 1979; second team in 1978)

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2019

When Dan Bass got the phone call from Michigan State Athletics Director Bill Beekman, the humble former Spartan football linebacker thought it was someone playing a joke on him.

"At first I thought it was maybe someone playing a joke, but the phone number did say it was from Michigan State University, so that made it real pretty quick, but I was surprised," Bass said about the call from Beekman informing him of his induction to the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. "The reason for that surprise was that I was not a first-team All-American and almost all the other inductees have been first-team All-Americans and had greater awards, so I guess I never thought I'd have the opportunity to be there and for it to be a reality."

It is a reality, and Bass is very humbled by the honor and excited about joining other great Spartans.

"It's an honor, I never really thought about it, but it's an honor to be there. I didn't think I would have the opportunity to be there, but there's a lot of great football players and a lot of great athletes there, and I'm just very honored to be included with them and very happy to be a part of it," Bass said.

Looking back on his highly decorated Spartan career as an MSU linebacker, which includes 1979 second-team All-America and first-team All-Big Ten accolades, one of Bass' favorite memories is from his debut game in a Green & White MSU uniform, on Sept. 11, 1976, in Columbus, Ohio.

"I'll never forget my very first game my freshman year when head coach Darryl Rogers came up to me and said, 'okay kid, we're going to start you against Ohio State.' With me coming from a small town of Bath, Michigan, that didn't have a lot of people, I looked at him and said 'okay, that's no problem, it's just like playing in front of the fans in Bath.' He said 'no son, it's not, we're playing Ohio State,' but I said, 'no, we'll be okay.' So then he just gave me a grin and said 'just promise me you won't wet your pants in front of 85,000 people.' So I've always appreciated him having the faith in me because I know it probably wasn't the easiest thing for him to start a true freshman his very first game at Ohio State," the reflective Bass said.

Bass proved Coach Rogers' faith in him to be worth it, as he went on to collect 541 tackles during his four years as a Spartan, still the most in Michigan State history. He led MSU in tackles all four years in the Green & White. During his senior season of 1979, Bass posted a then-school record 160 stops, which is still good for the fifth-most tackles on the MSU single-season tackles list. He also recovered 12 fumbles during his career in a Spartan uniform, a school record that still stands today.

Another of his marks in the MSU record book that still stands is his 32 tackles in a single game, also against Ohio State, on Oct. 27, 1979, a mark that Bass is bittersweet about.

"It is an honor, but then it's kind of not, because in that game we got the crap kicked out of us, so it meant that I was on the field a lot. I would have rather won the game and had five tackles," Bass said. "It might be hard for someone, but there's always going to be somebody out there that's better and will break it, and good for that guy, I hope he wins!"

Bass won plenty as of games as a Spartan, especially in 1978, when he helped lead MSU to an 8-3 overall record and a share of the Big Ten Conference championship. That championship season was memorable for Bass.

"That was just a fantastic year, and getting to play with great players, guys like Eddie Smith, Kirk Gibson, Mark Brammer, the offense was just fantastic, and we had Melvin Land and Mark Anderson on defense, so it was just an exciting time with how we played as a team and what our offense could do," Bass said. "To be part of it and be co-Big Ten Champions was a huge honor. We had a really good team and it was a really close-knit team. That really pulled us together and is something that we'll always have as a bond, and that's something that I'll never forget, and of course when you're winning, you're having a lot of fun."

Bass and his teammates also had a great deal of fun celebrating Bass' 99-yard interception return for a touchdown against Wisconsin on Oct. 28, 1978, that is still the longest interception return in Spartan history. Legend and lore has gone back-and-forth about whether he capped his return with a flip or a dive into the end zone.

"It wasn't really a flip, let's not get too carried away," Bass said laughing. "It was more of a dive into the end zone; I didn't know what to do, and I'd always thought and dreamed about what I would do because defensive players don't really score many touchdowns, but a lot of people thought I collapsed because of running so long and I wasn't used to running that far that fast. So, I just kind of fell into the end zone with a dive. The worst part was that everyone then jumped on top of me, and I couldn't breathe. I was yelling at all my teammates, 'get off me, I can't breathe!' but they were just high-fiving and celebrating. There's video of me when I'm walking to the sidelines and Darryl Rogers is there waiting to congratulate me, and I just stopped and put both hands on my knees and am just sucking air, and so he just has this look on his face and pats me on the head and goes 'way to go kid,' and walked away, but I was just gassed and I had to go back on the field and play defense again; I was just bagged but had to go out for the next play."

Bass was in on the next play, and plenty of plays throughout his time as a Spartan, thanks in part to a fairly injury-free career.

"I'm proud of the fact that I never got hurt much, I never had any knee surgeries or anything like that. I started all 44 games of my Michigan State career, so I'm very proud of that," Bass said.

Bass has additional pride in his background growing up in Bath, Michigan, and how it shaped and formed him.

"I'm also proud of being from a small town, playing at Michigan State and playing in the Big Ten was something that I look back at now and realize how big of a deal that was and how tough it was to accomplish," Bass said. "I think the right time and the right opportunity came along at just the right time for me, because I was probably wasn't at the top of the board for recruiting when I signed with Michigan State, but I got the opportunity and I made the most of that opportunity. That's probably what I'm most proud of, that I made the best out of that opportunity, and don't feel that Michigan State wasted a scholarship on me.

"I wouldn't do anything different. Coming from a small town, I had a level head and was grateful for my opportunity. I had some good coaches, good teammates, that I always tried to take something from and use in life. I had a great upbringing from my parents and my grandparents, they just taught me things about life and to take advantage of it and be who you are. I would never change anything about what I did."

What he did in becoming one of the best tacklers in Michigan State football history is something that he also credits to his up-bringing and his coaches at MSU.

"It's funny, your freshman year, you're just trying to absorb the game and realize that things are different and it's much faster," Bass said with a chuckle. "I was very lucky that I had the speed, but the thing the coaches did with me was they really worked with me; I had a knack to get to the ball, but they worked with me in not changing too much, but just how to read the linemen and their blocking and if they pulled and where they were going, which was a big thing compared to high school, where you pretty much just read the backfield and reacted from there. I was pretty lucky to have that ability ahead of time that the coaches worked with me to get better, and they spent time with me breaking down film and that was a big learning curve with me, just learning things and tendencies from teams watching film, and that definitely helps you."

Those lessons learned in the film room propelled Bass' career, as he went on to an 11-year Canadian Football League career. He started with the Toronto Argonauts in 1980, then played for the Calgary Stampeders from 1981–1983 and the Edmonton Eskimos from 1984-1991. He won a Grey Cup for the Eskimos in 1987 and played in another two title games for them in 1986 and 1990. Bass was voted one of the CFL's top 50 players at No. 44 by Canadian sports network TSN.

In 1995, Bass was inducted into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame. His CFL career was acknowledged by being inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2000, and the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame will be his third Hall of Fame.

"It's quite an honor, it feels good," Bass said. "When I look back from as a kid when my dad took me to my first Michigan State game and from there on, all I wanted to do was play football at Michigan State, and have the opportunity, and take advantage of everything that I did, from high school, to college, to the pros. You never know what you're going to get that opportunity and you can't take it for granted. I was always taught that there's probably someone out there that's going to be better, don't get hurt because if you do get hurt, your replacement might be better than you, and I didn't want to sit on the bench, so I guess that always forced me to be at the top of my game."

Bass has kept tabs on Michigan State since he left, and reminisces with teammates about both their playing days and what is going on with the current MSU team.

"I'm always watching the Spartans. When they were in the College Football Playoff, my family all got together and watched and cheered. We get together as a family as much as we can to watch. It's always great to talk with my kids about my playing days there, and about Michigan State," Bass said. "I still keep in touch a lot with Mark Anderson, the free safety and my teammate from when I played, and we go hunting together, and we're always talking about Spartan football, and about what's going on today. I like seeing the Spartans everywhere."

Bass and his wife, Karen, have three children, Tracy, Kaylee and Dan Jr., and one grandson, Drew, and are expecting a granddaughter in September.

Bass has stayed in the Edmonton area since his playing days ended, where he is sales manager at Lakewood Chevrolet, a career in the car business that like his football career, have strong roots at Michigan State.

"I enjoy it, I enjoy meeting people, and talking with them and get to know them. Coming from Michigan State, I worked at Story Oldsmobile in Lansing during the offseason and that got my feet wet in the car business, and that established some more hard-working values in me combined with what I learned in football, and has helped me get to where I am today," Bass said.

That path has now taken Bass to the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame, which is not a joke, but another of his major accomplishments.