Former Michigan State HC Mark Dantonio issues long list of thank yous amid Hall of Fame announcement

East Lansing, Mich. – Former Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio issued a long list of thank yous on Monday after learning he had been named to the College Football Hall of Fame induction class of 2024.

Dantonio is among three coaches and 19 players who will be inducted at the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame’s 66th Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 10 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes. 

“I felt very humbled and overwhelmed by the significance of the moment,” Dantonio said in a press release issued by the university. “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.”

Dantonio coached 13 seasons at Michigan State and retired as the university’s all-time winningest head football coach.

“There are so many great coaches and people to thank throughout my coaching journey,” Dantonio said. “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.”

Dantonio finished his career with a record of 114-57 (.667) in East Lansing and 132-74 (.641) in 16 seasons overall (2004-19), including three years at the University of Cincinnati. During his time at Michigan State from 2007-19, Dantonio posted 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.

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 tied for first in AP Top 25 finishes (seven) and second in Big Ten wins (69), home wins (67) and AP Top 25 wins (21).

“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,” Dantonio said. “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.”

Dantonio becomes the fifth former Michigan State head coach to be selected for the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Clarence “Biggie” Munn (1959), Charles Bachman (1978), Duffy Daugherty (1984) and Frank “Muddy” Waters (2000).

In the fall of 2023, Dantonio was part of the 10-year reunion of the 2013 Rose Bowl Championship team.

“Just like this moment, it was another special time in a special place with special people,” Dantonio remarked on the 10-year reunion. “I stayed over at the football building that day until the last player left. To see our players now and what they’re doing with their lives and to see their families; it most certainly completed a circle.”

Dantonio had 11 winning seasons in his 13 years in East Lansing, tying Daugherty for the most winning seasons by a Spartan head coach.

“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,” said Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller. “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.”

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.

Dantonio was Big Ten Coach of the Year on two occasions (2010, 2013). He 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). 

Dantonio’s seven AP Top-25 finishes tied for first in school history (Duffy Daugherty’s teams posted seven Top-25 finishes during his 19-year tenure from 1954-72). 

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.

A native of Zanesville, Ohio, 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 (having 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 tenure 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.

In his 13 seasons, a total of 238 of his players earned their undergraduate degrees. In addition, 219 Spartans earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, including nine Academic All-America selections.