Michigan State’s Top-10 Tackle Leaders of All-Time

Spartan Nation dives into the players who racked up the most tackles in Michigan State's history.

The Michigan State football program has featured some phenomenal defensive players throughout the years; many have done amazing things in different facets of the game.  

Dan Bass, former Spartan linebacker, was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. 

It's been decades since Bass wore the green and white, yet he still owns the record for career tackles (541) and is fifth all-time for the most tackles in a single-season. 

He was the first player in MSU history to lead the team in tackles all four years he suited up, and his record hasn't come close to being broken. 

Percy Snow (473) and Greg Jones (465) came the closest, but both men were still sixty-eight, and seventy-six tackles away from merely tying his total. 

Top-10 Career Tackle Leaders in MSU Football History

Player Name	Years at MSU	Career Tackles
Dan Bass	1976-79	541
Percy Snow	1986-89	473
Greg Jones	2007-10	465
Ike Reese	1994-97	420
Josh Thornhill	1998-01	395
Chuck Bullough	1988-91	391
Sorie Kanu	1995-98	365
Aric Morris	1996-99	350
Ronald Stanley	2001-04	344
Thomas Wright	1999-02	340

In 1990, Chuck Bullough, another former Spartan linebacker, totaled 164 tackles in a single-season. One year later, he beat his record finishing the 1991 season with 175, which still stands in 2020.

He helped the Spartans win a Rose Bowl in 1988 and two Big Ten Conference titles throughout his career.

Bass isn't left off the single-season tackle board by any means – in fact, he's on it three separate times, but his best year came in 1979 with 160 tackles (good enough for sixth in school history). 

Single-Season Tackle Leaders in MSU Football History

Player Name	Tackles	Year
Chuck Bullough	175	1991
Percy Snow	172	1989
Chuck Bullough	164	1990
Percy Snow	164	1988
Dan Bass	160	1979
Shane Bullough	156	1985
Greg Jones	154	2009
Ty Hallock	144	1992
Ike Reese	137	1997
Jim Morrissey	137	1984