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.

Gideon Smith

Here is a link to a great piece by sportswriter Steve Grinczel on the life and legacy of Gideon Smith, the first African-American football player in Michigan State history, and only the third African-American football player in college football history. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Smith's gridiron debut with the M.A.C. Aggies. This is an extremely well-written and well-researched article. Enjoy!

Gideon Smith article

Hello, is there anybody out there?

Hi folks, I don't know if I have that many (if any) people reading my goofy blog, but if you're out there, I'd like to hear from you. What, if anything, do you like about the blog? What can I change? What else do you want to hear or read?

From the outset, I've wanted this to simply be a fan's observations of MSU sports, and I suppose in that I've been successful. This is not a place to go for recruiting information or in-depth analysis. It's just one guy's look at MSU fandom.

I apologize for the fact that I don't seem to have much time to devote to the blog, so the "Spartan attic" part of my mission has largely gone to the wayside. I have had ideas that I've wanted to expand upon, but haven't found the time to do so: such topics as games from my past that had an indelible impression; favorite Spartan athletes from the past; and maybe a few essays on the pieces of Michigan State memorabilia I have in my possession.

Anyway, if you're out there, let me know what you think. If you are at all interested in this blog, and there's a topic you'd like me to explore, or have any ideas whatsoever, feel free to let me know. I'm open to feedback from all one or two of you out there.

Spartans knock off the Hoosiers, and I was there in person!

No sooner had I lamented the possibility that I may not attend an MSU football game in person than I was the lucky beneficiary of a ticket to yesterday's Homecoming game between the Spartans and Indiana. I have my brother-in-law to thank, who found himself with an extra ticket early Saturday morning and rang me up.

So my relatively modest streak of consecutive years attending at least one MSU football game has been extended to 21 seasons. It was also a privilege to be physically present for the 500th game in Spartan Stadium history.

The weather in East Lansing was glorious yesterday, with temperatures in the 70s and only one small cloud in the sky that I could see. It was certainly the most beautiful Homecoming I've seen in several years, and definitely better that last year's rainy, cloudy, wet day that also featured a disappointing loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Against Indiana, the Spartans played a good, if not great, game. The Hoosiers did manage to break a long touchdown run on their first possession, taking a quick 7-0 lead. The Spartan defense, however, got things straightened out and did a good job containing Indiana's no-huddle offense. Of the the four touchdowns that the Hoosiers scored, two were the result of MSU miscues: With MSU up 14-7, MacGarrett Kings fumbled a punt return late in the second quarter and Indiana took over in great field position and scored to tie the game at 14-all. Then, late in the fourth quarter and up 42-21, the Spartans gave the Hoosiers the ball on a bizarre interception that deflected off an MSU receiver's hand and into the arms of an Indiana defensive back. The Hoosiers had possession inside the MSU 40-yard line and quickly punched it in to cut the score to 42-28. The final score is deceptive, as I don't think the game was quite as close as one would assume by looking at the box score.

In any case, it was a good win against a much improved Hoosiers team, and I'm encouraged by the strides the offense has taken in the last three weeks. I feel a little ridiculous freaking out as I did after the Notre Dame game: perhaps I should have had a little more confidence in the coaching staff's ability to get it straightened out and find the right players to fit in the correct spots.

Time to take a time out and watch a little Staudt on Sports to relive yesterday's game. I will try and get back to this later, with the operative word being "try" because you know how that goes.

A big improvement, and a big win

I need to write my post-game observations earlier--i.e. immediately after the game--rather than wait until two days later when the inspiration isn't quite there anymore.

My stress-o-meter for this game was high, and it reached dangerous levels when Iowa took advantage of the Darqueze Dennard/Isaiah Lewis collison (temporarily knocking Dennard out of the game) to score a touchdown, and quickly followed that up by throwing a touchdown pass that Dennard misplayed. In a half in which Iowa had been thoroughly outplayed, the Hawkeyes took a 14-10 lead into the locker room. I can't repeat the language I blurted at my TV screen--but by now you probably know me enough to guess that it was deeply emotional and contained a few choice four-letter words.

I calmed down in the second half, and the Spartans took control and played perhaps their best 30 minutes of football this season.

Yes, I know that Iowa isn't Alabama. They aren't even in the top 25. But Iowa has been a constant thorn in MSU's side going back decades--particularly at Kinnick Stadium. Going on the road and knocking them off is an important win for the Spartans, I don't care what the naysayers believe.

I also have to give the MSU coaching staff credit for the offense's vast improvement between the Notre Dame game and the Iowa game. Like a lot of fans, I freaked out after the Notre Dame game (read post below), but it looks like the Spartans are working things out on the offensive side of the ball.

Remember when I wrote that the Notre Dame isn't always a good litmus test for how the rest of the MSU football season will go? The opposite is true with the Iowa game. The Spartans tend to play the Hawkeyes in September or October (I don't why that is). If one looks that the years in which MSU defeated Iowa, the Spartans have almost always gone on to have at least a winning season (1987, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2008, and 2011 for example).

***

My modest streak is in jeopardy.

Since 1993, I have attended at least one MSU football game each season for a total of 20 consecutive years. It looks like that streak will end this year.

I should have bought tickets for one of the non-conference games, but for whatever reason (still in a baseball mood, perhaps? Not excited to spend good money to watch an inferior opponent?) I didn't pull the trigger.

The final home game against Minnesota is one I could easily attend and not break the bank in doing so, but I will be driving home from Disney World that day.

I'd love to see the Michigan game, but I don't have an extra 300 bucks (or so) floating around waiting to be spent on a football ticket.

The Purdue game could be a possibility, but I'm scheduled to be at a family event that Saturday, so that's probably out. The only legitimate possibility is this weekend's Indiana homecoming game, and I'm still trying to figure out if I can make that happen. We'll see. But chances are, I don't see an MSU football game in person this season--and it's breaking my heart.

An anniversary, the Iowa game, and Brian Hoyer

Today is the 4th anniversary of this great game between Michigan State and that team southeast of us. Full disclosure: I was so angry about how Michigan had tied the game with seven seconds left in regulation that I stormed out of the house, took a walk up the street, and missed the overtime. Wonderful fan I am, eh?

Watching these highlights, it's clear that Kirk Cousins had not become the quarterback that we knew in 2010 and 2011. He makes two ill-advised throws that he would later learn not to attempt, and either tuck the ball or throw it away. It was Cousins the sophomore still learning to play at the college level.

Anyway, it was a memorable and exciting win for the Spartans.

Back to 2013 now. I have to admit I'm still not sold on this year's Spartan football team, but in fairness it takes me at least the first third of the season to warm up to any MSU football team. This Saturday's game against Iowa will tell us a lot: a win, and MSU could be looking at a very good year--maybe even despite the anemic offense, a loss and it's right behind the eight ball again. This really is a pivotal game.

I couldn't be happier for former Spartan Brian Hoyer, who is now the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. I never thought he deserved the abuse he received from some fans when he was at MSU, and he deserves praise for sticking with it in the NFL before finally getting his chance on the big stage.

If Hoyer is still starting for the Cleveland when the Lions play the Browns, it will be a rematch of the 2009 Capital One Bowl. Matthew Stafford led the Georgia Bulldogs to a 24-12 win over Hoyer's Spartans. I'll be rooting for the Lions against the Browns, but I'd like to see Hoyer have a big game. My ideal final score would be something like 35-31, with Hoyer throwing four touchdown passes with no interceptions; and only losing because the Browns' defense can't stop the Lions.