Michigan State's Tom Izzo surpasses Bob Knight as winningest coach in Big Ten history
On Saturday, Michigan State got a massive win against Illinois in a battle of the Big Ten’s best teams. But looking at the big picture, there is more to the victory than just a usual one. Tom Izzo cemented himself at the top of the all-time wins list in the Big Ten.
Izzo surpassed Indiana’s Bob Knight for the honor. He has 354 conference wins since arriving in East Lansing as few programs have been as consistent as Michigan State.
“Well, first of all, the guy I went by is a hell of a coach and hell of a guy,” Izzo said on setting the record. “And a friend of all of ours. I think second of all, I just want to be thankful. 148 players that I coached. Each one of them got a win. And those wins helped me, the Presidents, the ADs, my assistant coaches, and over 6 million fans that have watched us over those 354 wins. So, that’s who I’m gonna thank Jimmy. I’d turn it in for a banner. But I guess that’s not the way it is right now.”
Izzo has been with Michigan State since 1983 but spent a long time as an assistant coach. He was handed the keys in 1995 and since then, it’s been a ton of success for the Spartans.
Looking at Big Ten accomplishments, Izzo has ten regular season championships and won six Big Ten tournaments. Izzo has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year three times, first in 1998, again in 2009, and then most recently in 2012.
Top 10
- 1New
CFP seeding
SEC, Big Ten make hopes clear
- 2
Ryan Day
Rips CFP bye system
- 3
SEC schedule
League re-thinking nine games
- 4Hot
Jay Bilas Top 25
Big movers in latest rankings
- 5
Luke Fickell
Wisconsin HC gets surprising extension
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
A program like Michigan State strives to win outside of its own conference, though. Izzou has led MSU to eight Finals Fours and cut down the nets once (2000). To this day, that is the last Big Ten team to win a national championship as the streak is nearly a quarter century long.
There might be some celebrations but Izzo is most likely focused on the short-term. Michigan State was not included in the NCAA Tournament’s top 16 seeds on Saturday. A win against Illinois certainly helps their case though, potentially getting in during the next reveal.
Another massive showdown is set to take place on Tuesday. Purdue will be coming to town for what should be a top-15 matchup. As much as Izzo might enjoy win No. 354, his mind has to be on earning No. 355 vs. the Boilermakers.