As a college football fan, I find myself spending Saturdays in September watching games I would not normally care about. Scanning the channels in the late evening often brings up West Coast action from bizarre stadiums of various shapes and sizes. In the middle of it all, I had not seen a football game played to the level of excitement that the one from Spartan Stadium brought to the airwaves on Saturday night. From the final plays of that game to Sunday’s scary news, the Michigan State-Notre Dame game adds to the legacy of a classic rivalry.
This morning’s news about Mark Dantonio was nothing short of frightening for sports fans and casual observers. Whenever something like this health report makes the news, I cannot imagine how many people say a prayer of thanks that this wasn’t them. Dantonio’s smile and comments following Saturday night’s victory were of both vindication and relief. A similar relief must be felt by his entire family today.
Dantonio’s project as Spartans head football coach has been nothing short of challenging. While he has run the show during an unprecedented time of Great Lakes State supremacy, his ability to keep the team competitive in the stronger Big Ten has been his greatest legacy. Now it cannot be argued that one of the greatest and most gutsy calls in Spartans football history took place under his watch. With his 25th ranked Spartans team awaiting his recovery, we all wish a quick and speedy recovery for Coach Dantonio.
