ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg has been doing a cool feature: naming the four historical figures who would fill a Mount Rushmore for each of the 11 Big Ten football programs. (Apparently, this is part of a wider ESPN “Sports Nation” thing.)
He hasn’t gotten to MSU yet, so I thought we’d beat him to the punch by coming up with our own list. And, as a basketball blogger, I feel compelled to expand the exercise to include all major sports (football, basketball, and hockey–and beyond, if people are so inclined).
Three people seem like mortal locks to me:
- Duffy Daugherty
- Tom Izzo
- Magic Johnson
But I have to confess I don’t know as much about MSU athletic history as I should. So tell me who should fill the final sport. Or are there two people out there whose impact on MSU sports looms large enough to bump one of those guys off the list? (Reference: List of MSU Athletics Hall of Fame inductees.)
Once we have a list of nominees, I’ll put up a poll to narrow it down to the final four.
Related: I also have to confess I don’t know all that much about Brad VanPelt, who passed away earlier this week. For those that are either older or more well-read than I am, please share your memories/stories about a man who was apparently a major figure in not just one, but three MSU sports programs.
Bonus Material Incentive to Participate: I recently received several promotional copies of the newly-released DVD, “Michigan State Spartans Greatest Basketball Stories.” All individuals participating in this discussion (in good faith) will be entered into a random drawing to receive a free copy of the DVD.
