Mark Dantonio Talks Retirement & Michigan State Spartan Football
Breslin Center
East Lansing, MI
Earlier today we had breaking news at Spartan Nation that Mark Dantonio was retiring. Earlier this even, here at the Breslin Center for the #14 Michigan State vs. #20 Penn State basketball game, Mark Dantonio talked about his decision.
Above is the entire video of Dantonio’s press conference. Take a few minutes to watch and tell us what you think in the comment section.
Tom Izzo said of Dantonio prior to the press conference:
Tom Izzo on Mark Dantonio…
“He’s one of my favorite guys. We’ve talked in the last week or so. I didn’t know what he was going to do until the very end, but it’s a sad day for me, if you want the truth. Happy, it’s supposed to be a celebration, all the things he’s done here, but him and I have been through some wars. We’ve both been to a Final Four in the same year, some really cool things. People are going to see all of his accomplishments have been incredible, but I think he felt for himself, for his family and where he’s at right now, it was the best thing for him. I give him credit for having the courage to do it.”
On what he’s done for Michigan State…
The consistency he had, everything he’s done, I think Michigan State is on the football map now and I’m not sure we were there. When Nick Saban was here, we were growing to that point. When Mark took over, I think it’s 12 out of 13 bowl games. He’s done some things to get consistency and that’s my whole thing with my program, if you can get pretty consistent, that makes you special.
On what made him special as a coach….
He had a good staff, he’d be the first to tell you that. But he had a quiet toughness to him. He was a tough guy. He’d call me before every game, we’d talk. He’d be in the locker room, it was awesome. He made me a big part of it, he’s been to my Final Fours, I’ve been to his. I think he has a discipline about him, he was a very good defensive coach and as we all know, defense wins for you. He knew what he was doing at Ohio State, knew what he was doing here when he worked for Nick. I think he’s just a gentle giant, meaning not the yeller and screamer sometimes I can be, but he gets his points across sometimes better than I do.
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