Michigan State Football's 1965, 1966 Title Teams to be Inducted into HOF, Along With 6 Individuals
Michigan State Athletics is adding six more former Spartan athletes to its Hall of Fame.
Darqueze Dennard (football), Anson Carter (hockey), Jessica (Beech) Bograkos (softball), Laura (Kueny) Smith (women's golf), Beth (Rohl) Saylors (women's track and field) and Paul Terek (men's track and field) will be inducted into the Spartans' Hall of Fame as members of the class of 2024, Michigan State Athletics announced on Thursday.
Michigan State football's 1965 and 1966 national title teams will also be inducted.
Those teams, led by legendary Spartan coach Duffy Daugherty, were Michigan State's last national championship teams to win it all.
"I'm thrilled to congratulate the 1965 and 1966 Spartan football teams on their induction," said Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller, per Michigan State Athletics. "While the athletic accomplishments, including back-to-back Big Ten Championships and national titles, place them among the very best teams in Spartan history, it's the transcendent impact on their sport, our university and society that drives their inclusion as the first teams ever inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame. These were young men from different states and different races who came together to form a brotherhood around a singular goal. In doing so, they became trailblazers who would help break down racial barriers in college football, leading to a more diverse and inclusive sport nationally. They are the very fabric of who we are and who we strive to be as an institution."
Dennard played for the Spartans from 2010 to 2013 as a three-year starting cornerback. He was named to the All-Big Ten First Team in each of his final two seasons.
"I'm super excited and incredibly grateful," Dennard said. "It's going to be a long list of people to thank (at the induction ceremony). To have my name alongside the greats (in the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame) is something that you obviously think of when you're walking along the building as an 18-year-old, and now being able to be one of those people is definitely special."
The 2024 Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set for Friday, Sept. 13. The class will also be honored at Michigan State football's home game against Prairie View A&M the following day.
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