Michigan State University Athletics
Spring Football Game, Youth Clinic Scheduled For Saturday
4/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. â€" Michigan State football concludes its 15 spring practices under 10th-year head coach Mark Dantonio with the Green-White intrasquad game on Saturday, April 23 at 3:06 p.m. EDT in Spartan Stadium. A school-record crowd of 48,000 attended the 2015 spring game.
Parking is free (in Lots 63E/W, 67, 39/40, 41; Ramps 2, 5 and 7; Lot 62W has been reserved for disabled parking). Parking lots open at 10 a.m. Admission is free to the spring game, and the stadium gates (Gates B, C, E, J and K) open at 1:30 p.m.
Michigan State, which has posted a 36-5 record since 2013, is one of only four schools in the nation to play in a Bowl Championship Series Game (2014 Rose Bowl), a New Year's Six game (2015 Cotton Bowl) and the College Football Playoff (2015 CFP Semifinal in the Cotton Bowl) in the last three seasons (Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State). The Spartans' 36 wins since 2013 are fourth most in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. MSU (No. 3 in 2013, No. 5 in 2014, No. 6 in 2015) and Alabama (No. 7 in 2013, No. 4 in 2014, No. 1 in 2015) are the only schools to finish in the Top 10 of the last three final Associated Press Polls.
The first 20,000 fans will receive a commemorative poster, featuring infographics that highlight each of Michigan State's 12 victories from 2015, including the dramatic 16-13 win over No. 4 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, as well as the team's top individual award winners from last season. In addition, both teams will wear a commemorative patch, celebrating MSU's second Big Ten Championship in the last three years as well as the program's first College Football Playoff appearance in the Cotton Bowl.
Michigan State's spring game will be televised live by the Big Ten Network and streamed live on BTN2Go.com, with Kevin Kugler and Jim Miller calling the action and Lisa Byington reporting from the sideline. BTN coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET.
The Spartan Sports Network, featuring play-by-play announcer George Blaha, color analyst Jason Strayhorn, sideline reporter Keith Nichol and program host Will Tieman, will broadcast the Green-White spring game to 15 affiliates in the state: WJR (AM 760) in Detroit, WJIM (AM 1240) and WMMQ (FM 94.9) in Lansing, WBBL (FM 107.3) in Grand Rapids, WLBY (AM 1290) in Ann Arbor, WUPF (FM 107.3) in Escanaba, WMJZ (FM 101.5) in Gaylord, WGHN (FM 92.1) in Grand Haven, WBCH (FM 100.1) in Hastings, WTWS (FM 92.1) in Houghton Lake, WUPG (FM 96.7) in Ishpeming, WQLR (AM 1660) in Kalamazoo, WMJT (FM 96.7) in Newberry, WILZ (FM 104.5) in Saginaw and WCCW (FM 107.5) in Traverse City. The spring game also can be heard live on satellite radio: Sirius (Channel 108) and XM (Channel 201). Spartan Sports Network coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET.
In addition, msuspartans.com will provide game-day audio (via spartansportsnetwork.com), live in-game statistics (GameTracker), game highlights and post-game interviews. For live in-game updates, fans also can follow @MSU_Football on Twitter.
Prior to the spring game, MSU's coaching staff and players will conduct a free youth football clinic, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Children, ages 8-12, are invited to attend the youth clinic (no registration required) from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Parking Lots 79 and 56 will open at 9 a.m. for clinic participants. Last April, an all-time record 1,718 children participated in the annual youth football clinic.
Clinic participants will be assigned by age to a practice field to rotate through all drills (8-year-olds: Duffy Daugherty Football Building indoor facility; 9- and 10-year-olds: John and Becky Duffey Football Practice Fields; 11-year-olds: Ralph Young Field; 12-year-olds: Forest Akers Trust Practice Complex on Munn Field). After completion of all drills, Coach Dantonio will address all youth clinic participants on the John and Becky Duffey Football Practice Fields, located off of Shaw Lane. The children will be dismissed from that location following Dantonio's comments at approximately 12:30 p.m.
The purpose of the clinic is to introduce youngsters to the game by stressing fundamentals. No football gear is required. In addition, clinic participants will receive Country Fresh ice cream as well as a coupon for a complimentary hot dog and soft drink to be redeemed at a concession stand in Spartan Stadium during the spring game.
Michigan State opened spring practice on Tuesday, March 22.
Additional spring game notes:
• The Spartan Bookstore will conduct its annual clearance sale in the Sideline Shop, located inside the south end of the stadium. The clearance sale also will feature merchandise and apparel from Spartan Spirit (MSU Union), Kellogg Center Gift Shop and the MSU Golf Pro Shop. Apparel and merchandise will be marked down from 25-75 percent. The Sideline Shop will open at 10 a.m.
• Free shuttle bus service will be provided from Lot 89, located at the corner of Mt. Hope Road and Farm Lane, beginning at 10 a.m. Parking is free in Lot 89.
• Along the service road on the east of Ralph Young Field, fans are welcome to visit the Eckrich Fan Fest to play games, and sample free food and beverages prior to kickoff.
• Fans are reminded no bags or purses are allowed inside Spartan Stadium. This includes but not limited to: no backpacks, purses of any size, camera cases, binocular cases, wallets not stored in pockets, bags, diaper bags, seat cushions with pockets that are used for storage. If any of these bags are attached to a person's waist or wrist, they still are not allowed in the stadium.
• Those individuals with true medical needs will be directed to Gates C or K. Individuals entering those gates may bring the medical items in any bag. Those bags will be searched and tagged by an MSU Police Officer. The officer working that gate has the final determination if that item is a true medical need.
• Fans are reminded that the "open container" ordinance will be enforced on campus and in parking lots for the spring football game.
• Michigan State's spring football games have attracted crowds in excess of 20,000 each of the last nine years, including a school-record 48,000 in 2015. Those spring game attendance figures have ranked among the nation's Top 25 each of the last nine years (estimated attendance totals): No. 8 in 2015 at 48,000, No. 13 in 2014 at 35,000, No. 23 in 2013 at 22,500, No. 20 in 2012 at 21,000, No. 13 in 2011 at 35,000, No. 15 (tied with Arkansas) in 2010 at 30,000, No. 19 in 2009 at 26,000, No. 17 in 2008 at 27,000 and No. 11 (tied with Florida State) in 2007 at 25,000.
• BTN also will have highlights and analysis from Michigan State's spring game on Saturday, April 23 at 9 p.m. ET on the "B1G Spring Football Report" with Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith.
Help Tackle Hunger Food Drive
The ninth-annual Help Tackle Hunger Food Drive to support the MSU Student Food Bank is underway and runs through Saturday's spring game.
Monetary donations, which are 100 percent tax deductible, are being collected now through Saturday, April 23, at any Sparty's location on campus and all quick service restaurants within the MSU Union Food Court. Fans attending Saturday's Green-White spring game are encouraged to make monetary donations at concession stands throughout Spartan Stadium. In addition, a portion of the proceeds from the 50/50 raffle will be donated to the MSU Food Bank.
The ninth-annual Help Tackle Hunger Food Drive is sponsored by MSU's Division of Residential and Hospitality Services and the Athletics Department, with Becky Dantonio serving as the honorary chair.
