Mark Dantonio Officially Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame at National Football Foundation Awards Dinner in Las Vegas
12/11/2024 9:38:00 AM | Football
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LAS VEGAS – Mark Dantonio, the winningest coach in Michigan State football history, was officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame at the National Football Foundation's 66th annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday night at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
"It's a surreal moment and very humbling," Dantonio said of his induction at a media event hosted by the NFF in Las Vegas on Monday. "It's what I call a program award. There are so many different people that are involved in this.
"I would like to think the culture (at Michigan State) was built on hard work, built on effort and toughness and knowing what to do, and our guys bought in. Whenever I see our players – and we had a big event surrounding this (Hall of Fame honor) back at Michigan State (on Sept. 27), had about 200 players come back – it's about people, it's about growth and individuals. When you find your leaders on the field, and they become leaders on the field and off the field, that's when you have a great chance to do something special. I've continually said all along, it was a special time at Michigan State with special people at a special place." MSU Vice President/Athletic Director Alan Haller, Mark Dantonio, men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo and football head coach Jonathan Smith at the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Las Vegas.
The NFF hosted the Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute on Sept. 28 in Spartan Stadium for the MSU-Ohio State game, and for becoming the latest Spartan in the College Football Hall of Fame, Dantonio's name was added to the Spartan Stadium Ring of Fame on the east upper deck.
"I hope every one of these players that are here, and everybody that has worked with us closely, sees a little bit of their name up on that award, because I think these are program awards," said Dantonio at an event honoring him on Sept. 27 at the Izzo Hall of History before former players, staff and administrators. "You don't get there without a lot of people, and everyone has to be pulling in the right direction and doing their job and be excellent at their job. When we came here, we wanted to build a legacy, and I think that's what we did as a program." Mark Dantonio was honored on Sept. 28 at Spartan Stadium for the NFF On-Campus Salute.
Dantonio is also part of the 2024 Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Class and will be inducted at a ceremony held by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses on Dec. 31. He will then open the New Year while being honored in the 136th Rose Parade and on the field during the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1, 2025.
After a storied 13 seasons as head coach of the Michigan State football program, Dantonio announced his retirement on Feb. 4, 2020. He finished his career with a record of 114-57 (.667) in East Lansing and 132-74 (.641) in 16 seasons overall (2004-19). During his time at the helm of the Spartan program from 2007-19, Dantonio compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, including three Big Ten Championships (2010, 2013, 2015), two victories in the Big Ten Championship Game (2013, 2015), victories in the 2014 Rose Bowl and the 2015 Cotton Bowl, and an appearance in the 2015 College Football Playoff.
Beyond his record for most victories at MSU, Dantonio won more Big Ten Championships (three) and bowl games (six) than any other coach in school history, while also ranking first with 12 bowl appearances. His .639 (69-39) winning percentage in Big Ten games is a school record, while he stands second in AP Top 25 finishes (seven), Big Ten wins (69), home wins (67) and AP Top 25 wins (21).
Dantonio is the fifth Michigan State head coach to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Charlie Bachman, Duffy Daugherty, Clarence "Biggie" Munn, and Frank "Muddy" Waters.
Dantonio's tenure at Michigan State also placed him among the best football coaches in Big Ten history. He retired as one of just seven Big Ten coaches to have at least six 10-win seasons on their resume (Bo Schembechler, Michigan; Jim Tressel, Ohio State; Joe Paterno, Penn State; Lloyd Carr, Michigan; Urban Meyer, Ohio State; Kirk Ferentz, Iowa) and one of four to have at least five 11-win seasons (Tressel, Paterno, Meyer). Dantonio finished his career ranked No. 11 in the Big Ten record books in both overall wins (114) and Big Ten wins (69). With MSU's win in the 2019 Pinstripe Bowl, Dantonio secured his sixth bowl victory, tying him for fourth most in Big Ten history.
A two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2010, 2013), Dantonio led Michigan State to Top 25 finishes seven times (2008: No. 24 in both polls; 2010: No. 14 in both polls; 2011: No. 10 USA TODAY/No. 11 AP; 2013: No. 3 in both polls; 2014: No. 5 in both polls; 2015: No. 6 in both polls; 2017: No. 15 AP/No. 16 USA TODAY). MSU was the only school to finish in the top-six of the national polls from 2013-15 (No. 3 in 2013, No. 5 in 2014, No. 6 in 2015) and the 36 wins from 2013-15 marked the winningest three-year stretch in the history of the program.
The 2010s decade was the greatest in Michigan State history based on total wins, as the Spartans posted a 92-40 (.697) record from 2010-19. During that span, MSU won six bowl games (2012 Outback, 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings, 2014 Rose, 2015 Cotton, 2017 Holiday, 2019 Pinstripe), three Big Ten Championships (2010, 2013, 2015) and three Big Ten Division titles (2011, 2013, 2015). The 92 wins were the seventh-most ever by any Big Ten team in a decade and the six bowl wins tied for second most by any Big Ten program in a decade.
Dantonio made history by becoming the first Big Ten coach to record five 11-win seasons in a six-year span following MSU's 12-win campaign in 2015 (11 in 2010; 11 in 2011; school-record 13 in 2013; 11 in 2014; 12 in 2015). His five 11-win seasons were tied for third most in Big Ten history during the time of his retirement. Prior to Dantonio's arrival, MSU had not recorded an 11-win season in its history, and had just two 10-win seasons (1965, 1999).
Michigan State played in a school-record nine consecutive bowl games from 2007-15 (2007 Champs Sports Bowl, 2009 Capital One Bowl, 2010 Alamo Bowl, 2011 Capital One Bowl, 2012 Outback Bowl, 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, 2014 Rose Bowl, 2015 Cotton Bowl, 2015 College Football Playoff Semifinal at Cotton Bowl). Dantonio extended his school record with his 12th bowl game appearance in 2019 in the Pinstripe Bowl; he finished 6-6 in bowl games at Michigan State, including a school-record four-game winning streak (2012 Outback, 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings, 2014 Rose, 2015 Cotton).
Michigan State had a record-setting season in 2013, winning a school-record 13 games, defeating No. 5 Stanford in the 100th Rose Bowl Game, beating No. 2 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, and finishing No. 3 in both national polls, the highest ranking for the Spartans since 1966. Michigan State (13-1) became just the third team in Big Ten history to win 13 games in a season.
Dantonio won his 110th game as head coach at Michigan State with a 31-10 victory over Northwestern on Sept. 21, 2019, surpassing Hall of Fame Coach Duffy Daugherty for the most wins in school history. Dantonio had 11 winning seasons in his 13 years in East Lansing, tying Daugherty for the most winning seasons by a Spartan head coach.
A Zanesville, Ohio, native with Midwest ties, Dantonio spent 40 years in collegiate coaching, including 16 seasons as a head coach (three at Cincinnati from 2004-06; 13 at Michigan State from 2007-19) and 19 seasons overall in East Lansing (served as the Spartan secondary coach from 1995-2000). He returned to assist the Spartans in an off-field coaching role during the 2023 season as the program's associate head coach. Prior to his appointment at Cincinnati, Dantonio served as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State for three seasons (2001-03), where his defensive unit helped the Buckeyes to a combined record of 32-6, including the 2002 National Championship.
From the moment he stepped on campus, Dantonio was equally committed to success in the classroom. In his 13 seasons, a total of 238 players earned their undergraduate degrees. In addition, 219 Spartans earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, including nine Academic All-America selections.
Dantonio was inducted into the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in June 2022 and was named the 2023 recipient of the "Heart of a Champion" Award at the Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards ceremony.
In addition to the five former head coaches (Bachman, Munn, Daugherty, Waters, Dantonio), 10 former Michigan State players are in the College Football Hall of Fame: halfback/punter John Pingel (inducted in 1968), tackle Don Coleman (1975), linebacker George Webster (1987), defensive end Bubba Smith (1988), safety Brad Van Pelt (2001), wide receiver Gene Washington (2011), linebacker Percy Snow (2013), running back Clinton Jones (2015), wide receiver Kirk Gibson (2017) and running back Lorenzo White (2019). THE DANTONIO FILE
COACHING EXPERIENCE: College - Graduate assistant at Ohio U. (1980); graduate assistant at Purdue (1981); defensive coordinator at Butler (Kan.) Junior College (1982); graduate assistant at Ohio State (1983-84); defensive secondary coach at Akron (1985); defensive secondary coach and defensive coordinator at Youngstown State (1986-90); defensive secondary coach at Kansas (1991-94); defensive secondary coach (1995-2000) and associate head coach (2000) at Michigan State; defensive coordinator at Ohio State (2001-03); head coach at Cincinnati (2004-06); head coach at Michigan State (2007-19).
COACHING RECORD:
132-74 (.641) in 16 seasons as a college head coach; 18-17 (.514) in three years at Cincinnati (2004-06); 114-57 (.667) in 13 seasons at Michigan State (2007-19).
EDUCATION:
Bachelor's degree in education from South Carolina in 1979; master's degree in education from Ohio U. in 1980.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
College - Three-year letterman as a defensive back at South Carolina (1976-78).
BOWL/POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE:
Coach - 1987 NCAA I-AA playoffs, 1989 NCAA I-AA playoffs, 1990 NCAA I-AA playoffs, 1984 Fiesta Bowl, 1985 Rose Bowl, 1992 Aloha Bowl, 1995 Independence Bowl, 1996 Sun Bowl, 1997 Aloha Bowl, 2000 Florida Citrus Bowl, 2002 Outback Bowl, 2003 Fiesta Bowl, 2004 Fiesta Bowl, 2004 Fort Worth Bowl, 2007 Champs Sports Bowl, 2009 Capital One Bowl, 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl, 2011 Capital One Bowl, 2012 Outback Bowl, 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, 2014 Rose Bowl, 2015 Cotton Bowl, 2015 College Football Playoff (Cotton Bowl), 2017 Holiday Bowl, 2018 Redbox Bowl, 2019 Pinstripe Bowl. QUOTE SHEET (FROM ORIGINAL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCEMENT ON JAN. 8, 2024)
Mark Dantonio:
"I felt very humbled and overwhelmed by the significance of the moment. When I became a head coach, we wanted to build things that would last and have a positive impact on each individual.
"There are so many people involved in this honor. I want to thank my family; my staff and their families and everyone that was a part of this program; the administration; Spartan fans; and most importantly the players. I feel extremely blessed to be included in this 2024 prestigious group.
"There are so many great coaches and people to thank throughout my coaching journey. Jim Tressel brought me to Youngstown State and later Ohio State. Nick Saban brought me to Michigan State, and Bob Goin (former Cincinnati athletic director) hired me for my first head coaching position. My high school coach Ron Apperson and (college position coach) Coach (Dale) Evans at South Carolina gave me the idea that coaching would be a great profession, regardless of the level it would be at. Randy Hart brought me in as a GA at Ohio State, and things took off from there.
"Mark Hollis and Lou Anna Simon hired me back to MSU and were always very supportive; Coach Izzo has just been unbelievable. Tom has been there for me the whole time and I can't thank him enough for everything he has done for me over the years on and off the field.
"There were five things that I always talked about and tried to maintain and build: personal relationships, the importance of an education, a solid work ethic, being a light in the community and winning. Winning comes in many, many forms. We didn't just win on the field. I thought we won with our player development, our people, and our staff. I especially want to thank the players again for all their dedication and hard work that made the success we had as a program possible."
Michigan State Vice President/Director of Athletics Alan Haller
"Mark Dantonio clearly has the records, the bowl wins, the resume of a Hall of Famer, but for me, his legacy is something even greater. Coach D created a lifetime of memories for Spartans around the world, unifying alumni, families and friends throughout the entire Michigan State community around championships, milestones and celebrations. He challenged us to dream beyond what we believed was possible, and proved that dreams do come true."
Michigan State Hall of Fame men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo
"I can't begin to say how happy I am for Mark Dantonio on his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. In a career that spanned nearly 40 years, including 16 as a head coach and 13 years leading the program at Michigan State, Mark was recognized as one of the best coaches in college football. He had great success with two bowl appearances in three years at Cincinnati and came back to Michigan State and helped build our program into one of the best in the country. Mark knew how to build a staff and a program and he had a quiet toughness about him that helped him lead our program to levels it had never reached before. One of my greatest MSU experiences and memories was taking my team to the 2015 Final Four of football in Dallas. Mark is a colleague and better yet, a friend. When I heard the news, I couldn't think of anyone who deserved it more."
