Michigan State football helmet logo (1965-1968, 1970-1972)

This is a facsimile of the logo MSU used on its football helmets from 1965-1972 (interrupted in 1969 when the Spartans used a football-shaped sticker with the number "100" in the middle, commemorating the 100th anniversary of college football).

I have never been able to find a decent example of this old logo (which I love, by the way, for reasons I'll explain in more detail in this post), so I decided to recreate it myself. (If I haven't already made it abundantly clear, I am indeed a giant dork).

On the web, I found a photo of a reproduction of the 1960s helmet, enlarged the photo, printed it, and then made the logo bolder by coloring it in with a Sharpie marker. My younger son has a drawing board that lights up, so I was able to trace this from the photocopied logo. (I'd love to lie and tell you that I drew this freehand, but there's no way I could have reproduced it [reasonably] accurate without tracing it). Using more of my son's art supplies, I traced it and colored it in with a green pencil. Finally, since I wasn't able to scan it because my scanner isn't currently hooked up to our desktop computer, I photographed it with my phone and then uploaded it to Facebook. (That's probably way more detail than anyone could possibly care to read).

So there you have it, my version of the 1960s Michigan State Spartans football helmet logo. I think it's classic, I don't understand why MSU doesn't at least use it on some of its Nike "throwback" clothing. The logo had a brief resurrection in 2006 for the 40th anniversary of the "Game of the Century" Notre Dame game, but that 2006 game was such a disaster for the Spartans that it seems MSU is in no hurry to bring it back.

The logo has a charm to it. It hearkens back to a time when logos weren't created with an eye to how they'd appear on TV or how much merch they'd sell.  It also just has a distinctive "1960s" look to it. I mean, is it just me, or does the Spartan's profile look a little like a young Charlton Heston?

I don't know what I'll do with this logo, besides write a boring blog post about it (and use it as my Facebook profile picture), but at least I have a decent version of it after searching endlessly for one. Maybe I'll write a letter to Mark Hollis and suggest the university give it another chance.

Looking back at Purdue and looking ahead to Illinois (and Michigan)

 I didn't see any of the MSU/Purdue game, as I was out of town and had no access to a television. It doesn't sound like I missed much.

The game was apparently so much of a snooze fest that Big Ten Network seems to have deemed it unworthy of repeated viewings, so it's nowhere to be found in the "Big Ten Football in 60" capsule games that BTN shows the following week. Instead, we get about a dozen replays of the Indiana/Michigan shootout, in which the defenses only made sporadic appearances.

The oddest part of the MSU/Purdue game is looking at the box score. MSU had no turnovers, rushed for over 180 yards, and though Connor Cook's numbers were nowhere close to Aaron Rodgers-like, they weren't necessarily awful. Having seen only the meager highlights of a game that featured few true "highlights," it just looks like MSU must have had several drives that just staggered and sputtered.

It's disappointing from the standpoint that it looked like, after the Iowa and Indiana games, the offense had made strides, but it looks like there is still work to be done. The offense, though definitely improved from the non-conference slate, is a work in progress.

Next up is a road game against Illinois, and though the Illini were beaten fairly soundly by Wisconsin, they are still able to put points on the board (the Illini scored 32 against the Badgers), and they could give MSU a tough time on Saturday--particularly if MSU's offense continues to sputter. In addition, the Spartans have a rivalry game the following week and if MSU is caught looking ahead to Michigan, it could be an upset down at Champaign-Urbana (or Urbana-Champaign--I have no idea what that place is calling itself these days).

As far as Michigan goes--and I suppose as a fan, I am allowed to look ahead--they haven't looked good all year despite having lost only one game, but no game against them is ever a given. The Wolverines have an explosive offense that, like Illinois, is capable of lighting up the scoreboard. Devin Funchess may be one of the top tight ends in the country, and he scares me. Sure, Michigan's defense has largely been a no-show this season, and Devin Gardner erratic at best at quarterback, but that doesn't mean this will be the case on November 2. Michigan will also have two weeks to prepare.

In short, I never see the Michigan game as a guaranteed win, no matter how good (or not good) the Wolverines happen to be. But having said all that, I fully expect MSU to be jacked to the moon for this game, and Pat Narduzzi's defense will play its most intense game of the season. I just hope that it's a controlled intensity and the the Spartans don't face the same problems they did against Notre Dame, with yellow flags flying all over the field. The MSU D should make Devin Gardner's life hellish on the field and there is no reason to give Michigan a break with any stupid penalties.

But here I am getting ahead of myself. MSU needs to take care of Illinois first.