The Tom Izzo that many MSU fans don’t know
As Michigan State’s head basketball coach, and one of the most successful Big Ten coaches in history, Tom Izzo is arguably the most beloved sports figure for MSU fans in over a generation. He’s a living legend of sorts.
Last weekend John Hogan of the Grand Rapids Press gave fans a behind the scenes look at where Izzo came from and what it has taken for him to get where he has. It’s definitely one of those rare “must-read” news stories.
“Daddy, Daddy, I’m open,” calls out the blond Spartan, whom the Izzos adopted.
His father, the successful, popular and forever busy head basketball coach at Michigan State University, happily complied.
Three days later, this rare respite ended, and Izzo was on the road again for a 10-day, five-city recruiting blitz, part of the summer recruiting evaluation period.
“You’re trying to see 500 teams playing at 10 different high schools,” Izzo said.
The pace, Izzo says, isn’t healthy and can be deadly. He recalls sharing a flight with Wake Forest coach George Edward “Skip” Prosser on a demanding tour last July. Prosser died a year ago this week from a heart attack. Izzo attended the funeral.
“I watch one full day of games, starting at 8 a.m. up until 10 p.m. If I’m lucky, I get lunch on the run,” he said. “Then we move on. The hard part of that recruiting schedule is you don’t get to stay in one place long.”
Lupe Izzo worries the pace will catch up with her husband.
“The road kills him; constantly on airplanes, and the time changes,” she said. “He calls from New York, and I think he’s in St. Louis.”
Photo: Grand Rapids Press/Lori Niedenfuer Cool