The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white. The university participates in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision for football. The Spartans participate as members of the Big Ten Conference in all varsity sports. Michigan State offers 11 varsity sports for men and 12 for women.
George Julius Perles was an American football player and coach. He was a defensive line coach, defensive coordinator, and assistant head coach for the National Football League (NFL)'s Pittsburgh Steelers from 1972 to 1982 and the head football coach at Michigan State University from 1983 to 1994. Perles was elected to MSU's board of trustees in 2006. He retired from his position on the board November 29, 2018, citing health reasons and wanting to spend time with family. On January 7, 2020, Perles died from Parkinson's disease. He was 85 years old.
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University (MSU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Spartans are members of the Big Ten Conference. Michigan State claims a total of six national championships, including two from the major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll. The Spartans have also won eleven conference championships, with two in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and nine in the Big Ten.
Percy Lee Snow is an American former football linebacker. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans from 1986 to 1989. As a senior, he was a consensus All-American and won both the Butkus Award and the Lombardi Award. He was a first-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs and played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Michigan State University. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball. The Spartans have won two NCAA championships and 16 Big Ten Championships. Their home games are played at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Tom Izzo has been the head coach since 1995.
The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Wolverines play their home games at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan has won one NCAA Championship as well as two National Invitation Tournaments (NIT), 15 Big Ten Conference titles and two Big Ten tournament titles. In addition, it has won an NIT title and a Big Ten tournament that were vacated due to NCAA sanctions.
The 1987 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach George Perles, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 9–2–1 with a mark 7–0–1 in conference play, winning the Big Ten title. Michigan State beat USC to win the 1988 Rose Bowl and finished the season ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. The first game of the season, also against USC, was the first night game ever at Spartan Stadium.
The 1990 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by eighth-year head coach George Perles, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 8–3–1 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing in four-way tie for the Big Ten title with Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan.
The 1983 Michigan State Spartans football team represented the Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach George Perles, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 4–6–1 with a mark of 2–6–1 in conference play, placing seventh in the Big Ten. The Spartans offense scored 162 points while the defense allowed 233 points.
The 2006 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Michigan State competed as a member of the Big Ten Conference, and played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans were led by fourth-year head coach John L. Smith. Smith had compiled a combined 18–18 record in his previous seasons at Michigan State, and he was fired after the 2006 season in which the team finished 4–8. The Spartans did, however, set the record for the greatest comeback from a deficit in college football history.
The 1993 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 11th-year head coach George Perles, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 6–6 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play. The Spartans went 6–6 overall and 4–4 in conference play, placing seventh in the Big Ten. Michigan State was invited to the 1993 Liberty Bowl and was defeated by Louisville, 18–7. The team played home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
The 1988 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan and were coached by George Perles. The team finished second in the Big Ten Conference with a 6–1–1 conference record, and a 6–5–1 overall record. Michigan State was invited to the 1989 Gator Bowl, losing to Georgia 27–34.
The 1991 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by ninth-year head coach George Perles, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 3–8 overall with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for sixth place in the Big Ten. Michigan State played home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
The 1992 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by tenth-year head coach George Perles, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing third in the Big Ten Michigan State played home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
The 1957 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1957 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fourth season under head coach Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans compiled an 8–1 overall record, finished in second place in the Big Ten Conference, and were ranked No. 3 in both the final AP and Coaches polls. Michigan State was named national champion by Dunkel System, an NCAA-designated major selector.
The 1958 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1958 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fifth season under head coach Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans compiled a 3–5–1 overall record and finished in last place in the Big Ten Conference.
The 1994 Indiana Hoosiers football team represented Indiana University Bloomington as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 11th-year head coach Bill Mallory, the Hoosiers finished the season with an overall record of 6–5 and a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for ninth place in the Big Ten. The team played home games at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
The 1996–97 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. They were coached by second-year head coach, Tom Izzo, and were members of the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 17–12, 9–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place. MSU received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament for the second consecutive year where they defeated George Washington in the first round before losing to Florida State in the second round.
The 1994–95 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1994–95 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Jud Heathcote in his 19th and final season at Michigan State. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 22–6, 14–4 in Big Ten play to finish in second place, one game behind Purdue. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Southeast region, where they were upset by 14th-seeded Weber State in the First Round. The game marked the final game Heathcote's coaching tenure at MSU. Longtime assistant coach Tom Izzo would take over the following year.
The 1976–77 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as members of the Big Ten Conference. They played their home games at Jenison Fieldhouse in East Lansing, Michigan and were coached by Jud Heathcote in his first year as head coach of the Spartans. MSU finished the season 10–17, 7–11 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place.
