mark dantonio - MSU Alumni Association - Michigan State University

you come here, we can feature you
if you’re a good enough player.’”
Dantonio says offensive linemen
will have to learn how to
pass protect and run block. “I
don’t want an offense that just
runs the zone play,” he says. “I
want to run power football, I
want to be able to get that yard
when we need a tough yard.”
Dantonio wants to re-establish
the fullback position, which
Smith had eliminated in his
spread offense. “We will have a
fullback on this team,” he avows.
“We need to run some gap plays,
some power plays.”
Don Treadwell, who previously
coached at MSU and helped develop
wide receiver Charles Rogers,
will run Dantonio’s offense.
Treadwell has excelled as offensive
coordinator at four schools, including
Youngstown State, where
he won a national title, Boston
College and Ball State. “He
brings tremendous patience and
stability,” says Dantonio. “He
does a great job of listening. He’s
right on time with a play. You
never see us with a game delay
penalty. He gets plays in quickly,
and that’s half the battle.”
On defense, Dantonio believes in
zone pressures. “This is the age of
zone pressures, so we’ll zone pressure
a lot,” he notes. “We will also
feature a lot of man-pressures.”
Allowing that his defensive
formation will be somewhat
dictated by personnel, he likes to
use a “base, 4-3 front.” Others
have described his defense at Cincinnati
as an attacking defense.
He touts defensive coordinator
Narduzzi as “young, energetic
and very passionate.”
Dantonio intends to let his
coordinators run the show. While
he will help determine the game
plan, he does not like to change
things in the middle of a series. “I
want to empower our coaches and
give them ownership,” he explains.
“When you have ownership . . .
you look for ways to succeed. You
take it personal, and because of
that, you attack things more passionately.
Like everything in life,
if you’re passionate, you’re more
likely to succeed.”
When asked how he would
upgrade MSU’s overall team
speed, Dantonio says, “You have
to recruit to that, and there’s a
certain level of speed you can
increase. When you know what
you’re doing, you have the ability
to play faster. But more than
speed, you need explosiveness.”
Dantonio is very mindful of
MSU’s storied history and tradition—one
that includes seven
national championships since
1950—and wants to bring that
to the forefront again.
“I want to embrace MSU football’s
past,” he says. “That’s very
important to me. We’ll have an
honorary captain for every game,
and it’ll be an ex-Spartan player.”
At his introductory press conference,
MSU Trustee Joel Ferguson,
vice chair of the board,
emphasized that Dantonio was
everyone’s first choice and not a
“compromise” candidate.
“Mark Dantonio is absolutely
the best fit for Michigan State
University,” he said. “He was a
unanimous choice by this board
not because anyone else had
flaws, because the other candidates
were excellent also. He just
happened to be the best.”
Izzo believes Dantonio will
succeed so long as all Spartans
unite to support him:
“He’s got pedigree and great
character. If you have those
two things with a great work
ethic, everything else kind of
falls in place as long as we’re all
with him.”
Dantonio’s favorite metaphor is
a quote from Greek mathematician
and philosopher Archimedes,
who said, “Give me a place
THE DUFFY DAUGHERTY PROJECT
The Duffy Daugherty
Building expansion
project (see p. 42,
Fall 2006) remains in
effect, but its priorities
and emphasis
have evolved since
the arrival of Mark
Dantonio.
Mindful that sizzle
Rendering courtesy of Raymond O’Leary
can help sell recruits,
Dantonio has prioritized the project’s “Wow factor”—the Skandalaris
Hall of History (see Lasting Impressions, p.52 ), a two-level glass
structure that will showcase MSU football history in all its past glory.
Dantonio wants to prominently show MSU’s tradition to future
recruits—six national championships, three Rose Bowl triumphs,
76 first-team All Americans, 33 Academic All Americans, and such
iconic moments as 1966’s “Game of the Century” 10-10 tie with
Notre Dame.
When completed, the Skandalaris Football Operations Center will
include a meeting room with state-of-the-art video technology, along
with the Duffy Daugherty Tribute and Motivational Area where
coaches can perform game preparation. Position meeting rooms and
a Coaches Office Suite will round-out the expansion project. If you
wish to help, contact the Ralph Young Fund at (517) 432-4610.
ASSISTANT COACHES
Harlon Barnett
Dan Enos
Ted Gill
Pat Narduzzi
Dan Roushar
Mark Staten
Don Treadwell
Mike Tressel
Dave Warner
to stand on and I can move the
earth.” The more Spartans unite
behind Dantonio, the more solid
the platform. And the more
solid the platform, the more
likely he will be able to move, if
not the earth, at least the MSU
football program.
- Secondary
- Running backs
- Defensive line
- Defensive coordinator
- Offensive line
- Tight ends/tackles, recruiting coordinator
- Offensive coordinator
- Linebackers/special teams
- Quarterbacks
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