Where I Come From: My All-Time Favorite Michigan State Players
by Pete Rossman on Jul 8, 2010 7:00 AM CDT
in EA Sports NCAA FB 11
37 comments
This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.
Throughout the eight years I've been a Spartan fan, I've cheered for a few players just a little louder than others. Here's an incomplete list, in no particular order.
Drew Stanton
Out of all the MSU quarterbacks I've seen as a Spartan fan, he was the biggest competitor. My favorite part of watching him was during the broken plays, when the pocket breaks down and the receivers are covered. It was then when he'd go on one of his improbable scrambles, moving down the field in slow motion yet still making linebackers miss. He didn't care where he played, including a disastrous stint on special teams during the Alamo Bowl in 2004 where he blew out his knee. He sometimes tried too hard, forcing plays that weren't there, but that's partly why he's one of my favorites - no one could ever accuse Drew of not caring enough.
Because he's the antithesis of a stereotypical linebacker, mainly for moments like these (video courtesy of SpartanMag):
I played piano for seven years, and that's not just good for a football player, that's good for anyone. I like players that are multitalented, so I like Jon Misch.
Domata Peko
Mainly because of the hair. How could you not like that hair? His fumble return for a touchdown against Michigan in 2005 remains one of my favorite plays.
One of the few good adjustments to be made on the field after the Rather Hall brawl was that Mark Dantonio had to moved Keshawn Martin to kick returner to replace the dismissed Glenn Winston (Edit: Winston actually was lost for the season due to a knee injury, and then was dismissed - Martin was already a kick returner, but his role expanded with Winston's absence - thanks to witlesschum for the correction - Pete). Without Keshawn's returns, MSU might not have won the Purdue game (a return deep into Purdue territory set up the winning field goal). The excitement level goes to 11 whenever he's on the field, and I hope to see him as the wildcat QB about 3-5 times a game.
No favorite player list would be complete without a spot for a walk-on, and Travis is my pick. Not one of the biggest Spartans, but one of the heaviest hitters.
Those are a few of my favorites. Who are yours?
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Domata Peku...
or, BIG FELLA! as Brent Musberger referred to him as during that EPIC return. That was one of my favorite games to witness in person (would have been better had we not shanked those FG attempts). The tailgate was awesome, the weather was great, and we went into the game 5-0… Nothing much to cheer about until Henne lost that fumble, and going against everything they teach you as a D-Lineman (fall on the ball!), the big Samoan picked it up and rumbled 73-yards, and then HURDLED Mike Hart into the end zone. One of the most exciting plays I have ever witnessed in person
That TD was the high water mark of JLS football
The crowd was going insane, the 4-0 Spartans had the lead in the 4th… but that defense was gassed. Frankly, it would have been better for MSU if Peku had been tackled at the 30 so the offense could give them a breather. That team was shattered the next week at OSU with the botched FG try before half, and never recovered.
At the risk of being blasphemous . . .
. . . it wasn’t a fumble.
PP-TPW.
The Only Colors
by LVS on Jul 8, 2010 7:37 PM CDT up reply actions
But if they had overruled it
I would have willed a couch into existence just so I could burn it in protest. The rabble that would have ensued would have cost innocent people life and limb. The official made the right decision.
Sparty on. Gator done.
Co-sign on Stanton
Just imagine how much worse the JLS era would have been without Stanton. Truth be told, some of those collapses were largely a matter of Stanton only being able to carry a talent-deprived team on his back for so long before the talent gap caught up with us (the epic collapse against Michigan after he got hurt being example #1).
Blair White would probably be #2 on my list.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Jul 8, 2010 8:21 AM CDT reply actions
Stanton has to be on there.
It’s a sports tragedy that he never got to celebrate a win over U of M, or a bowl victory, or, really, to leave a tangible legacy at MSU. The intangible legacy is pretty great though.
The quintessential Stanton play I remember was against Illinois in the misbegotten 2006 season, wherein the team played like they could just turn it on and off early (letting EMU and Pitt hang around and then burying them) and then tore out every fan’s heart (cue Mike Valenti) in the rain against ND. Stanton, against a bad Fighting Illini team they’d hung 60-some on in 2005, tried to plow into the endzone and actually broke his helmet. Drew was understandably injured and had to leave the game. His teammates bungled a bit and Juice Williams led a late drive to give Illinois the first significant win of the Zooker Era. Drew’s body couldn’t take the pounding he put it through trying to drag those teams to victory and all the injuries he’s had since have sabotaged any chance he’s had at a successful pro career. Though the man is still in the NFL, something a lot of guys can’t say. He did make his mark in the record books where he’s second to Jeff Smoker in career yards, pass completions and total offense, and number one in completion percentage. He threw the most TDs in a season ever for a Spartan QB with 22.
Pete, I think you got the Martin entry a little garbled. He was running back kicks all year in tandem with Winston, who didn’t start punching frat boys until after the regular season (Rather Hall happened 11/23). Winston’s absence was because he blew up his knee midseason.
Keyshawn’s stats for 2009:
- Rushing: 18 for 219 yards and 1 TD
- Recieving: 18 for 411 yards and 5 TDs
- Passing: 3 of 3 for 40 yards and 2 TDs
- Kick returns: 23 for 665 and 1 TD
- Punt returns: 21 for 156 0 26
1,451 total yards and he probably brought water bottles to a few guys and helped train the current Zeke in his spare time. I think he’s pretty good. And remember he was a find by the Spartans staff coming out of high school.
I could just cosign Pete’s excellent list, but I’ll add Josh Thornhill. He’s fourth overall in total tackles with 395 (though that’ll likely be fifth come October, Greg Jones has 359) and he was always a reliable presence on those teams (1998-2001) who’d come up and nail someone. Add his lineage and academic accomplishments as pluses.
Tyrell Dortch has to make the list just for his determination and fight. Came in as blue chip RB recruit and got some carries in 2000 as a backup, then in 2001 moved to corner and suffered that insanely gruesome broken leg at Wisconsin. Came back from having his leg become confetti (amputation was a real possibility, according to reports at the time) and played RB in 2003 and then moved to defense, again, in 2004. He played Chris Smeland’s fondly remembered bandit position as well as anyone could. I gotta admire the way the guy did all that.
I liked Eric Smith’s play on the field a lot and I got quite a bit of hilarity out of the talk radio reactions when he told Jemelle Hill that coaches underrated his speed and talent because he was white, but ixnay on the flag planting-ray, though it was Notre Dame. (John L. really seemed to hate ND, probably his most redeeming characteristic as a coach) I’m not sure how I feel about him trying to break Anquan Bolden’s face with the Jets, either.
I messed up on Keshawn
You’re right, I’ll take the blame for that.
by Pete Rossman on Jul 8, 2010 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions
On Eric Smith
He wasn’t TRYING to break Boldins face, he went for the hit and stayed to high. If you actually watch the play, Smith was pretty hurt too, just not to the extent Anquan was
You're right...
…that’s not a fair way of saying it. He didn’t lead with his crown, he hit Boldin with his facemask as I recall, and they were both airborne or diving. I didn’t mean to suggest it was obviously malicious, but he did get fined and suspended by the league for it. In the story I pulled up, he says he was knocked out, too, which I hadn’t known before.
From back in the day ...
Eddie Smith, Kirk Gibson, Bramer, and Byrd. They rolled up 500+ yards at the outhouse.
Mark Brammer.
The Traverse City Star!!!
by BennieBladesFan on Jul 8, 2010 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions
As the resident old guy
I’ll take Mickey Webster, Clint Jones, Gene Washington, Charles Smith, and Charles “Mad Dog” Thornhill from the 65 & 66 team. But, my favorite from that team was Pat Gallinagh the undersized middle guard and an academic All-America who would occasionally take time off from his studies to play Monopoly or bridge with us nerds. Pat coached football in small schools in the Western U-P forever and is in the U-P Sports Hall of Fame. If you search the alumni association website you can find a poem he wrote about what it meant to be a Spartan. Another player from that era was Allen Brenner who was a wideout on the ’66 team as a soph, then in ’68 played both ways as a safety and wide-out. He knocked down the Terry Hanratty pass that sealed the ’68 victory over Ara the Weasel.
From the one platooon era, Herb Adderly was my favorite. Before he signed with the Packers, he was drafted by both the Packers and an AFL team. The representatives of the two teams had a fist fight in the parking lot north of the stadium to determine who would sign him—at least that’s the legend. Sam Williams was another fave, he came out of four years in the Marine Corps in the ’50’s then came to MSU and wandered onto the football practice field and decided he was tougher than those guys. He was right.
From the ’70’s I would say that Brad Van Pelt was the guy. If we had made the right hire after Duffy retired, he would have been the all-America QB instead of linebacker.
TJ Duckett
Would have to be the top for me. MY first ever jersey was his #8. My first memories that have stuck from MSU football are of him. The game winning TD vs PSU and “The Catch” vs UofM are forever burned into my head.
"You think our war drill is something now. Next year is going to be fist fighting."- Tom Izzo
Go Spartans
Completely agree on Stanton
MSU students, myself included, had an irrational level of faith in that guy considering he never really got to play on a team that won anything. But the way he played endeared him himself to all of us. They weren’t winning a ton of games, but it wasn’t because he wasn’t trying.
I still remember that 05 game clearly. As mentioned above the team was 4-0, the weather was beautiful. Before the game after introductions Stanton ran down by himself into the corner in front of the Student section and saluted the crowd. The place went completely nuts.
I would add Otis Wiley for his knack for making big plays, although truth be told I think he also gave up his share.
Devin Thomas’ one year of action was definitely memorable.
stanton - yup
id also add jeehu, also a big duckett fan. i love a RB that you can give the ball to and they plow people over.
i will always love blair white. it seems like no matter how covered he was or the route he was running, he was going to catch the ball. thats all i think about is a pass attempt then a blair white catch. countless 3rd and long situtations. loved that.
Sidebar
Is anyone else considering NOT buying this game simply because Tim Tebow is on the cover? After living in Florida for the past 3 years, I can say, that if arrogance was a competition, Michigan fans and Gator fans would have a real battle…
Mason, Muhammed and Plexico
I started at MSU as a grad student in 94 (from California) so I don’t have the historical record of Uncle Omar. However, I’m surprised nobody has mentioned anybody from the 95 team. Derrick Mason and Muhsin Muhammad were the starting recievers with the immortal Tony Banks at QB (who was a starting QB in the NFL for awhile). Scotty Greene was the fullback that had a Stanton-esque running style. Keep in mind Saban used Greene a lot in 1-back sets and on 3rd downs (he caught a lot of balls) so he was not a Dantonio style fullback. The 95 Michigan game was the best game I have ever attended. It was my first year with season tickets, it was a back-and-forth game with a light snow during parts of the game. The game ended with a 103 yard drive! How is that possible? Well, the drive started on the 12 yard line after a botched trick kick return. Then there was a 15 personal foul penalty after converting a 4th and 10 by the smallest of margins. There was tremendous catches by Mason and crew. Do yourself a favor and watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mqMDAIF8eA
Plaxico is another personal favorite for similar reasons. Like Mason and Muhammed, Plaxico’s most memorable game came in a victory against Michigan. He just abused their secondary. At one point in the second half, they put David Terrell on defense to cover Plex and was just abused. He also had a killer hit on kick coverage. I don’t remember the stats anymore but he had over 200 yards receiving and was the most dominant performance I have even seen by a Spartan. The link below is just to one of the Plex/Terrell plays but it is indicative of the whole game. In the series that Terrell was on D, Plex steamrolled him every play (either as a blocker or on a touchdown grab).
Mandarich, Snow and DeMarco
Before we really new about the ‘Roids, Tony Mandarich was bigger than life. I remember him absolutely flattening an Iowa DE on the first offensive play of the game and the guy being intimidated the rest of the game. Percy Snow was my generation’s Greg Jones, but bigger. We would chant “Kill, Percy, Kill” in the stands for entire defensive series. Brian DeMarco lived on my floor, so I always followed him.
Bubba +?
Not one mention yet for maybe the greatest Spartan of them all?
And Carl Banks…maybe the 2nd greatest…not a word so far?
Julian Peterson and Robaire Smith..always made things happen.
I was pretty enamored with Dixon Edwards and Carlos Jenkins…these guys were terrific linebackers.
Jim Morrissey…played hard every down.
+1 on Julian
What that guy did in 2 years at MSU was incredible.
by Ducking Delvon on Jul 9, 2010 9:20 AM CDT up reply actions
Greg Jones
He might be MSU best linebacker ever.
Also: Jeff Smoker, Herb Haygood (WATCHOUT), and Gari Scott.
Sparty on. Gator done.
[call] HERB HAYGOOD!
[response] HEY, HE’S GOOD!
One of my favorite players for sure, if for no other reason than this.
PP-TPW.
The Only Colors
by LVS on Jul 8, 2010 8:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Brett Swenson?
This guy was incredible. I saw him win the Wisconsin game two years ago. It was a religious experience. He was also great at Purdue last year. Wasn’t he the all time scoring leader for MSU?
Give Brett some love.
Steve in Kentucky
While we're on the subject of special teams ...
Brandon Fields spending his freshman year punting twenty yards past the return man was entertaining. I remember a punt from our own 20 after a three-and-out that went 60 yards on the fly and rolled dead at the 1, and another from our 35 that landed 8 yards deep in the endzone and bounced into the 15th row.
Yup
Seconded. I love having a reliable field goal kicker, and Swenson was amazing.
by injuredcyclist on Jul 10, 2010 5:24 PM CDT up reply actions
how about Morten Andersen?
he was a bright spot when I was at State and certainly went on to a great NFL career.
Late 80s, Early 90s
People have done a good job covering the 2000s, but here’s a few guys from my childhood that I distinctly remember liking:
Blake Ezor – I was 9 when he went off for 6 TDs against Northwestern in the snow (still a record). Also had a key kick return against Indiana in ’87 in the game that clinched the Rose Bowl berth. And finally, on a personal note, he came to my 3rd grade class and I got to interview him with 3 of my classmates – I still have the cassette tape of that interview.
Mill Coleman – I guess you could compare him to a Keshawn-type player, but at a time when our offense wasn’t exactly as creative as it is now. Still, “The Thrill” was always fun to watch.
Courtney Hawkins – another great receiver from those early ‘90s teams, I’ll never forget watching him making a diving catch on a deep ball only to break his collarbone when he landed. Nice pro career, though.
Travis Davis – big old D-lineman who put up some great sack numbers for the Rose Bowl/Gator/Aloha teams. Still holds the record for most sack yardage (217 yards on 24 sacks).
Also, someone a little more recent would be Ike Reese – loved that guy. And a classic LB name.
Scott Greene
he was awesome, big RB my freshman year, he & Alstott from Purdue were the two huge white B10 RBs!
Jon Misch
I took my daughter to the MSU spring game, and the ‘practice’ they have in the morning for the kiddies. Misch was having the most fun out there- making fun of the other players, cheering on all the kids, talking smack about offensive players- it’s really good to hear that his talents seemingly know no bounds. I remember Blake Ezor from when I went to school, and some of my other favorites are TJ Duckett, Javon Ringer, and Blair White, with Captain Kirk headed that way.
I work at UM, and that gives me plenty of opportunities to mess with my coworkers. For a guy who was leaving our unit, I printed a picture of Blair White pwning a couple of Michigan defenders, ‘signed’ it as if White had done it, and laminated it to put in his going-away card. Oh, the look on his face said it all. “Dear Damon, thanks for all the support and terrible coverage your guys have given me as I’ve pwned Michigan almost single-handedly. May your career after college be better than the trail of UM dead I’ve left behind.” Best, Blair White
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