Thanks Coach D. My last tie to MSU football is gone, but I will be grateful for many things.

So, I know it's weird, but I didn't sleep much last night.  I'm actually pretty bummed out, so doing this is cathartic for me.  Thanks for letting me spew this:

Dear Coach D,

I learned a lot from you.  Sitting in lunch rooms on hot june afternoons, watching film and learning how football is supposed to be coached. Never became the guy you were for many reasons, but damn, I hope you know how much you taught me.  Not just football but all kinds of stuff.  






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I always knew you wanted the job either at MSU or at OSU, and my family was beyond blessed you got the MSU job.  The year you got the job, you allowed me an hour of your time that Spring to bring my two little girls up to your office and play around with them and show them the duff, and joke with them about what kind of lose their dad was.  You absolutely convinced my eldest that she needed to be a Spartan.   The last laugh we shared together was the 11 year old leaving your office and saying "I really want to come to MSU, but if I can't get in here, I'll just go to Harvard"



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Fall of her freshman year, I got to see you briefly at the Kellogg center.  Shook your hand and said good luck before the game that day.  Last time I ever shook your hand or talked to you personally.   You asked how my family was and I got to tell you that the girl who had Harvard as a back up plan was not only a freshman at MSU, but she made the team.  You were very happy for me and my wife and we could tell.  




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We got to live a dream for four years, starting with the playoffs, amazing games along the way, like trouble with the snap, the BTCG, seeing her on the field at Ann Arbor running around with the Paul Bunyon, then ending with final four run.  Mostly, because you made such an impression on her.  









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I know you won't read this, but I'm gonna send you a card, which probably won't be read either.  But know that besides my wife, you had an influence in getting my kids to college and especially to MSU. One is now graduated, one is a sophomore.    We will be grateful forever.   I came home last night and my wife a kid were crying on the couch.   That broke my heart.  I hope you find peace  in your retirement.   You're a damn good man.




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Now my last connection to MSU football is gone, but man was it fun.  I will just watch and hope somebody can have that five year magical run you had.  What a blast it was.   Thanx from the Dwags family.  

solid post, dude.

Wow, awesome.

I guess it is weird to hear you say that your last connection to MSU football is gone. But that's because you had a more personal connection than most of us ever will. Now you're like the rest of us schlubs.

I never met the man, but I struggle to think of any sports personality that I admire more then MD, and that goes far beyond the field. While that could just be a facade from afar, everything I've heard from people that know him better only confirms that. I will truly miss having him represent MSU as the head coach, but am glad that he will be part of the MSU community for many years.

MiamiSpartan wrote:Wow, awesome.  

I guess it is weird to hear you say that your last connection to MSU football is gone.  But that's because you had a more personal connection than most of us ever will.  Now you're like the rest of us schlubs.

I never met the man, but I struggle to think of any sports personality that I admire more then MD, and that goes far beyond the field.  While that could just be a facade from afar, everything I've heard from people that know him better only confirms that.  I will truly miss having him represent MSU as the head coach, but am glad that he will be part of the MSU community for many years.

So that day in April of his first year I actually went there on a whim on  a friday, told the wife, lets get  a hotel, take the kids up for the day, show them campus etc.  We were just walking the campus on a beautiful April day.  We actually got the kids into Beaumont tower and they played those bells with the help of a lady up there.  We kept walking and I said "WTF, lets go into the football office".  We did, Becky was actually walking down the stairs and saw me and recognized me.  They had been married in 1990, and when he was a coach here with Saban, she would sometimes be out with him at socials during sports camps.  She say's "Hi, how are you..." I could tell she was scrambling to remember who the fuck I was.  I said hi, told her my connection, it rang a bell.  I said I'm just here to show the kids around.  She insisted on taking us up to his office, and my wife and I said no, no, no, but she insisted, we walked in and he was so cordial and polite and great with my kids, and then she says, not joking, "I'm going to get Mark some Wendy's, would you guys like something?"  LOL, we said no thanks.  Then he took the kids around.   I was only a nothing visiting h.s. coach under Saban and he took the time to do that.  was really really cool.

my only contact with Dantonio was at some sort of women's clothing boutique in downtown EL.. his daughter(s) were there shopping, trying on stuff.. I was there with my daughter as she was shopping, trying on stuff.. they had this couch toward the back of the store and he and I just kinda sat there.. looked at each other and mumbled something about "we're just here to sign the credit card slip".. we kinda laughed and that was it.

seems like a good man, though.

Robert J Sakimano wrote:my only contact with Dantonio was at some sort of women's clothing boutique in downtown EL.. his daughter(s) were there shopping, trying on stuff.. I was there with my daughter as she was shopping, trying on stuff.. they had this couch toward the back of the store and he and I just kinda sat there.. looked at each other and mumbled something about "we're just here to sign the credit card slip".. we kinda laughed and that was it.

seems like a good man, though.

LOL, that's the kind of stuff he's probably bummed he didn't get to do enough of. I'm thinking he doesn't want to miss that with the grand kid.

DWags wrote:
LOL, that's the kind of stuff he's probably bummed he didn't get to do enough of. I'm thinking he doesn't want to miss that with the grand kid.

That's life man... I have no plan on working past 63 and I'm not a millionaire. I can't even fathom having the drive to do an "all encompassing" job at that point in my life.

This is great stuff Wags. Thanks for sharing.

Awesome read. I have to say I don't often actually like football coaches as people and have a very short list of ones I actually admire as individuals off the field. Coach D makes that list easily. Always liked his dry wit and his approach to adversity. We were very lucky to have him as a coach and I got to witness some incredible memories in Spartan Stadium thanks to him.

AvgMSUJoe wrote:

DWags wrote:
LOL, that's the kind of stuff he's probably bummed he didn't get to do enough of. I'm thinking he doesn't want to miss that with the grand kid.

That's life man... I have no plan on working past 63 and I'm not a millionaire. I can't even fathom having the drive to do an "all encompassing" job at that point in my life.

nobody on their death bed ever wishes they had spent more time at work.

Good stuff Wags.

A lot of friendship and memories from college had MSU football involved in some form.

Solid, DWags.

Bump because of where we are now. We will ever have another Mark Dantonio.

duffy munn wrote:Bump because of where we are now. We will ever have another Mark Dantonio.

He's actually coaching again.

InTenSity wrote:

duffy munn wrote:Bump because of where we are now. We will ever have another Mark Dantonio.

He's actually coaching again.

Not really inten but god bless him for being here is our time of need.

InTenSity wrote:

duffy munn wrote:Bump because of where we are now. We will ever have another Mark Dantonio.

He's actually coaching again.

Not coaching. Advisor to DBS.

duffy munn wrote:Bump because of where we are now. We will ever have another Mark Dantonio.

Unbelievable where we are now but we got a mob begging for CUM. You can’t make this stuff up.

steveschneider wrote:

duffy munn wrote:Bump because of where we are now. We will ever have another Mark Dantonio.

Unbelievable where we are now but we got a mob begging for CUM. You can’t make this stuff up.

MOB... You mean a habdful of message board douchebags? There is a difference you know.