Tuesday, September 30, 2014






"MICHIGAN MAN" QUOTE OF THE DAY



"I did not," he replied. "I didn't see it. I can only answer for me."

- U of M head football coach Brady Hoke when asked if he saw his sophomore quarterback looking "wobbly" after the hit.  On Monday, Hoke said that Morris had not suffered a concussion. 

On Tuesday, fellow "Michigan Man" and Wolverine AD David Brandon issued a press release AT 12:50 AM saying that Morris had indeed suffered a "PROBABLE MILD CONCUSSION." 


Bo would be proud.  




Brady Hoke, Dave Brandon
Communication issues appear to be running wild at Michigan, notably between athletic director Dave Brandon and football coach Brady Hoke. (Carlos Osorio)
 
Column: Brady Hoke appears unsupported by Michigan AD Dave Brandon in wake of Shane Morris situation
Nick Baumgardner | nbaumgardner@mlive.com By Nick Baumgardner | nbaumgardner@mlive.com MLive.com
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on September 30, 2014 at 5:01 AM, updated September 30, 2014 at 10:20 AM



 
 
 
 
 

shane-morris-injury

 
ANN ARBOR -- Brady Hoke and his entire sideline screwed this up. There's no question about it.
Hoke and his entire sideline are in no way innocent with the way they handled quarterback Shane Morris' head injury Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium. Let's make that clear. 

But after reading through Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon's statement on the topic -- released just before 1 a.m. Tuesday -- we have to now make one more thing clear:

On Monday afternoon, Brandon allowed his head football coach to step to a press conference podium in an absolute no-win situation. Hoke was unprepared, unsupported and left there to face live bullets. 

Alone. 

On Monday afternoon, Brandon threw Hoke -- a man he hired in 2011 -- under the bus, and hung him out to dry. 

Speaking with reporters inside the Crisler Center on Monday, Hoke said he could not make any comments about what type of medical attention Morris received on the sideline Saturday, instead deferring to a statement he believed Michigan's medical staffers would be sending out at some point later in the day. 

He also said, to his knowledge, Morris was not diagnosed with a concussion. Beyond that, Hoke said he had no conversations with Brandon about the entire situation prior to walking on that stage.
From there, Brandon and Michigan's athletic department went silent for an entire day. That statement from medical personnel Hoke believed was coming? Never released.

Instead, in the middle of the night, Brandon -- who is also not a doctor -- released his response to the situation, contradicting plenty of what Hoke had told reporters more than 12 hours earlier. 

Brandon said he had been involved in "numerous" meetings about the entire situation since Sunday morning. Apparently none of those included Hoke. 

Brandon also goes on to say that Morris was diagnosed with a "probable, mild concussion" on Sunday. Apparently no one told Hoke, who even stated that he had seen and spoken with Morris at the team's facility Sunday. 

Brandon also explains that, in his "judgement," there was a "serious lack of communication" on the field between Hoke, team physicians and the entire medical staff.
               
Oh the irony there.
There appear to be too many cooks in Michigan's football kitchen at this point, and none of them seem interested in letting Hoke know what's on the menu. 

At this point, if you want to fire Hoke, do it for his team's performance on the field. There seems to be plenty of cause.

Michigan appears unorganized with its game plans. Its player development looks broken. Hoke's ability to manage a game on the fly isn't sound. The team isn't winning, and hasn't looked competitive against any real opponent this season. 

Hoke hasn't shown an ability to win games on the road, his overall record has gotten worse each season and he's 0-5 away from home against the program's chief rivals. 

We know this. 

But, at this point, we know something else, too. 

Brandon left his coach dangling in the breeze for two days. He allowed people to question Hoke's personal character and his regard for player safety with zero support.

If Michigan removes Hoke and allows Brandon to search for his replacement, best of luck finding anything close to an accomplished coach to come and work in this current environment.
Does Michigan, Hoke included, have to be better with how it handles injuries -- notably head traumas -- during a football game? Yes. 

Does Hoke have to be better with the way he coaches his football team? Yes.  

But at the end of the day, Brandon -- a man lauded for his public relations savvy in a former life -- let his coach take every ounce of heat with zero support. 

He, too, has to be better.  

Because, right now, this is Brandon's Michigan: 

A three-ring circus.

A-Rod has got this . . . .

One main street, many bars, and a stubborn U.P. problem

If you live in the U.P., you likely know someone whose life has been damaged by drugs or alcohol. “It’s part of the culture,” local police say. (Photo by Flickr user Fabio; used under Creative Commons license)
If you live in the U.P., you likely know someone whose life has been damaged by drugs or alcohol. “It’s part of the culture,” local police say. (Photo by Flickr user Fabio; used under Creative Commons license)

I grew up in Negaunee. Its Main Street has a row of bars. A row. There’s no bookstore in the town. No cineplex. But you can ricochet down the street and hit at least five bars. Maybe more.

We come from a drinking culture. And I’m not talking about France’s healthy glass of red wine with your meal. I’m talking about something else. If you’re a fellow Yooper, you’ve probably had drinking destroy somebody in your family – an uncle, an aunt, a cousin, a grandfather.

I remember going to Teen Leadership and Pip Fest when I was in high school – programs set up for teens dealing with drug and alcohol abuse in their families. I remember a hell of a lot of tears. (Such an incredible contrast to those wacky beer commercials.)

I’m saying all this so you understand growing up in the U.P. left me a little haunted by drugs and alcohol. I saw what it did to people I cared about and the sight of the effects was stronger than any Just Say No campaign. What’s interesting is that now, having grown up and become a writer, the demons of booze demonstrate themselves in other ways, i.e. in the stories I’m covering.

Recently I had the idea of finding out about crime in the U.P., its roots, its causes.
When I talked to Detective Sergeant Tom Swanson of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Department and Patrol Captain Blake Rieboldt of the Marquette PD, I wanted to know what factor keeps popping up as far as U.P. crime. Was it predominantly males? Twenty-somethings? The poor? A particular area?

No, no, no, no.

The great discovery for me was finding out that the one factor that seems to be connected to the majority of crime for the region was also linked to the current health problems facing the U.P.: Alcohol abuse.

When we’re speaking of improving health and lowering crime rates, we mean reduction of drug and alcohol dependency. It’s that simple.

Or that complex.

Andy Chosa, foundation coordinator of Great Lakes Recovery Centers, said, “The crime that does take place in the U.P. is very highly likely to be linked to someone with a substance abuse disorder.”
The most recent crime report for Marquette County – the most populated in the U.P. – shows only two crime categories reached beyond 1,000 occurrences – larceny (1,118 occurrences) and all other, including drunkenness & vagrancy (1,945 occurrences). Chippewa County, the second largest county, had over 1,000 occurrences of disorderly conduct (1,227) and all other, including drunkenness and vagrancy (1,705). Disorderly conduct and larceny are linked to drunkenness and drug use.
“It’s not getting any better,” said Rieboldt.

In fact, when it comes to drugs like methamphetamine, Rieboldt said in the last two years, “meth has hit us like a ton of bricks.”

Swanson said the same is true with heroin. Swanson has found a slow, but steady increase in heroin usage, stating, “heroin is creeping its way into this area. It’s growing.” 

One might question if, or why, people in the U.P. seem prone to drug and alcohol abuse – the long winters? The poverty? The lack of sufficient positive alternative choices?

“Everything kind of revolves around beer and wine,” said Rieboldt, adding, “It’s just part of our culture.”

But that culture might be more on the national level rather than just selectively in the U.P.
Chosa puts things in statistical perspective, saying that according to the recent 2011 Michigan Department of Community Health reports, “approximately one in four” U.P. residents is alcohol dependent. “It’s a staggering problem,” said Chosa. Those numbers are in line with the national average, but they are not good statistics by any means.
Chosa quoted a sheriff who stated, “I’ve got people in my jails that aren’t criminals.”
The solution, Chosa said, is rehab.

Rieboldt agreed, saying, “There is some success with rehabilitation.”
“We know what works,” said Chosa, “Sustained, continuous treatment plans.”

Swanson said the public needs to utilize the programs set up in the community to assist with issues of need, such as the Diane Peppler Resource Center and the Advocacy Resource Center for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, which work hand-in-hand.

 Swanson said there “are so many programs available people don’t know about.”
Chosa said those wishing to donate can go directly to the non-profit Great Lakes Recovery Center web site.

He encouraged those with drug and alcohol problems to get actively involved in stopping their addiction cycle, encouraging them to pick up a phone, go to a doctor, go to A.A., go to rehab, tell a family member.

And for those so tied to their addiction that they cannot break free on their own, Chosa encourages friends and family to make contacts for the person. Before the addiction leads to a life-changing criminal altercation with the police.
Ron Riekki was born and raised in the U.P. His books include “U.P.” (Ghost Road Press), “The Way North: Collected Upper Peninsula New Works” (Wayne State University Press), and other books, plays, and chapbooks. He has twice been nominated for Illinois Press Awards for journalism and prefers waffles for brunch. The views and assertions of guest columnists do not necessarily reflect those of Bridge or The Center for Michigan.

Friday, September 26, 2014



HAPPY FRIDAY:
MINER'S CUP EDITION

 
 
DEPRESSING STAT OF THE DAY:  MTU has won  9 of the last 12 and with last year's win they have now tied the all-time series at 41-41-5. Happy Homecoming.
 

Thursday, September 25, 2014

#TBT   

Young Love

Green Bay Packers Fans Blame Olivia Munn for Aaron Rodgers' Poor Play

                 
Green Bay Packers Fans Blame Olivia Munn for Aaron Rodgers' Poor Play
Getty Images
Aaron Rodgers is struggling. Nay, the Packers are struggling.
After three games, Green Bay is sitting with a less-than-sterling 1-2 record, and the masses are restless.

Who is to blame for losses to the Detroit Lions and Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks? Which person must atone for Rodgers' dipping completion rate? Who is responsible for the Packers dropping to 28th in the league in total offense? 

These are questions many a cheesehead continues to mull after Sunday's loss at Ford Field, and a few have seemingly found the answer: Olivia Munn. 


Deftly applying the sharpest edge of Occam's razor, a cross section of Packers fans have bypassed all on-field possibilities and come to the conclusion that Rodgers' celebrity girlfriend is at the root of Green Bay's offensive issues.

Disappointed Packers fans weighed in on Twitter on Sunday, drawing all kinds of cast-iron connections between the television actress and Rodgers' struggles on the field.


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

YET ANOTHER "MICHIGAN MAN" BEMOANS THE STATE OF 
THE MALAISE & BLUE


Ex-Michigan QB rips football, leadership

Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press 3:41 p.m. EDT September 23, 2014

           
Former Michigan quarterback Michael Taylor has multiple issues with the U-M athletic department -- and the university as a whole -- and he let loose in a radio interview today.

Speaking on the "Ryan and Rico" show on WMGC-FM (105.1), Taylor shared his thoughts on the state of Michigan football ("a propaganda football team, telling people how great we are"), former players ("treated like glorified fans"), coach Brady Hoke ("his pedigree did not deserve to be a $4-million coach here at Michigan"), athletic director Dave Brandon and his personal frustration with the school. 

Dollar Menu Baby!

On the failed promotion of getting two free tickets for buying Coke products: "Sad. It's very, very embarrassing. I would never have thought, in my lifetime, that you couldn't give away Michigan tickets because folks wouldn't buy them. That is due to the leadership going on in the athletic department. ... As a former player, we're not treated any better. They try to come in and treat us like glorified fans years ago and now can't get guys to come back. Now there's so many gimmicks that you see and now they want us to come because they're having trouble filling up the stadium. That's a sad state of affairs, in my opinion."

• On the disrespect of former football players: "That's been the calling card for quite awhile now. It's sad. To give a person one ticket when you've got empty seats in the stadium. Most of us have families, and I don't think that's doing our legacy any justice. Two, they call themselves having a weekend of champions where they try to lump us in with these other sports. Now I have nothing personal against any other sport or anyone who played any other sport at Michigan. But I played on one of only six teams that won the Rose Bowl in 135 years at Michigan in football. So you cannot honor us on our field for all the blood, sweat and tears we have done. The most appalling part of that last year was we had to buy a ticket to come back and get honored. Michigan football is not going in the right direction. The leadership is bad, there are many more issues on and off the field than I care to talk about. It's just sad."

On talk among his former teammates: "How mediocre we are. That's pretty much it. I'm not one for all the talk. Actions speak louder than words. What we've become is a propaganda football team, telling people how great we are when we're mediocre. When, in your last 12 games, you've only got victories over Northwestern, Appy State, Indiana and Miami of Ohio, that is not good. That is not good. We're mediocre right now. Will it stay that way? I don't know. I don't work there. I don't have the say-so. But I do know this: I know a few hundred players who are not happy with what is going on and definitely think changes need to be made."
• On what causes the disconnect: "It came to a certain point where folks wanted to root against our own program. When Rich Rodriguez got the job, I don't think people understand how difficult of a job it was that he took over. First of all, he didn't have 85 scholarship players when he took over the program. … We all understand he took over 50-55 scholarship players. You can't win in the Big Ten or anywhere else with that number of players.
While we were going through our toughest times, guys decided they were going to sabotage recruiting, badmouth the program on their social media outlets. This is a new day and era where these kids are social media-driven. When you have those type of things, you lose recruits, you lose support."

• On his experience: "I've heard guys give excuses and said Jim Harbaugh lied about what Michigan steers you in, as far as where you go as a degree. That's the farthest thing from the truth, because I was accepted into Michigan in the engineering school, and they took me out of it and put me in LS&A. That's a fact. So before people talk about what Michigan will and won't do, they took away your dreams. I wanted to be an engineer. It just so happened that I graduated from the school of business. … Michigan has never talked about Michael Taylor being a Michigan business school graduate."


"Pride goeth before the fall."  Coach Mark Dantonio after Mike Hart's infamous Little Brother comment in 2007.

• On the coaching search in 2011: "We didn't get the coach who should have been our coach here (Harbaugh) because we insulted him in the first place. So then look who we get. It's nothing personal; Brady's a nice guy, I'm sure all you guys agree. I'll agree to that. Really nice guy, very personable guy. However, his pedigree did not deserve to be a $4-million coach here at Michigan." 


• On Harbaugh and LSU's Les Miles not coaching at U-M: "We've got two guys who both put the uniform on, both have coached and coached and won. ... (Miles) has a national championship under his belt and never got an offer, never. It was insulting. That was ridiculous. … Then you have Jim Harbaugh. … Neither one of those guys was really considered here because of too many other guys who had direct links to making sure they didn't get an offer and a job here. So we got Rich Rodriguez. And we didn't get what we should have gotten. Rich is a great man, in my estimation. A good guy. I've sat down and talked with him and his staff. I saw firsthand what they did. I saw what former players did, talking to their high school coaches and saying Rich is going to get fired, don't send your kid to Michigan. ... When you do those things, you end up getting what you deserve."

• On his personal frustration: "There are hundreds of former Michigan football players that can't get interviews at their alma maters. I am one that's included in that group. I can't tell you how many jobs I applied for at Michigan during one of the most tough economic times in the state of Michigan and couldn't even get an interview. So someone please tell me what is the value of coming to play for the University of Michigan when they want to throw their nose up at many of us? Many of us remaining are African Americans who don't come back because of the way we were treated over years."

• On whether U-M can get Miles or a Harbaugh with Brandon as AD: "I wouldn't and I don't think they would, either. As far as what happens to Brady, that's not up to me.
And I don't believe in firing any man that's given a contract, during the season." 

• On firing Hoke after the season: "After the season? I'll put it this way. Didn't Dave Brandon come out and say he'd judge Rich Rodriguez on red-letter football games? ... If you judge Brady Hoke on red-letter football games, where do we stand? That's all I'm saying, is that the treatment given to Rich Rodriguez should be given to Brady Hoke. He preached toughness, he preached the downhill running game, the Michigan defense. The proof is in the pudding. And 12 games, 4-8, mediocre completion, it is what it is. I'm not here to say whether the man is going to be fired; I don't make that call. All I do know is Dave Brandon should not be let to make another decision at Michigan. Period." 

• On whether removing Brandon would improve things at U-M: "I don't know. You've got a lot of things going on around there. Let's be honest with ourselves. The same things that were happening racially when I was there from 1985-1990 are continuing now. Look at what the student did, being black at U-M. … How many former players they don't help that need help, that they do nothing for? They choose the ones they want to do something for. That's not right. We all put on that uniform. All had blood, sweat and tears, all felt the same watching the Michigan football games. I'm pretty sure. Ask everybody. They are upset and act like they are in the game, win or lose, because you can't get that out of your blood. What's irritating is to see how we are treated as glorified fans as former players. ... If anything, a former player should at least get access for an interview. Some of us can't even get that."

• On what he wants: "Regardless what they do (with Brandon), there needs to be change. There needs to be change with how they treat former players, there needs to be change in how they treat African-American students on their campus. How former African-American football payers are treated. If that doesn't change, I'm not going to go to games. I'm not going to give them a dollar. I don't have $95 to pay for a ticket."

• On the current team: "It's disheartening when you see the level of coaching they're getting. They supposedly have talent but ... is that transferring over on (Saturdays)? That boils down to coaching."
• On whether Hoke can turn it around: "The quarterback is not the problem. They can change if they want to. The ship will sink, trust me. … I think I know something about playing quarterback. I know what I see and I know one thing: they can make a switch if they want to and put this all on Devin (Gardner)'s shoulders, these two losses are his  

 On whether Hoke can turn it around: "The quarterback is not the problem. They can change if they want to. The ship will sink, trust me. … I think I know something about playing quarterback. I know what I see and I know one thing: they can make a switch if they want to and put this all on Devin (Gardner)'s shoulders, these two losses are his fault. But the ship will sink even further. … I hope he can change things around, because I'm tired of being a laughingstock going around with that Michigan jersey on. Even as bad as I've been treated and others have been treated, they still support Michigan because of the bond we had on that football field." 

• On criticizing the program: "As usual, you're not a Michigan Man if you speak up against the program. I don't hold anybody at fault for what they believe in, because nobody has walked in my shoes. Nobody walked the shoes when they told Michael Taylor they wouldn't fix his shoulder after they put me out there against Notre Dame when they put me out there when my arm was black and purple. That's a fact. … No one told me when I played in the 1990 Rose Bowl, my final game, that they were not under any financial obligation to fix my shoulder. ... As far as my support, if anybody does not like what I've said, I don't care."

• On his case for not buying a ticket: "I never lost a game for two years in the Big Ten, never one, being a starter. I'm the only quarterback in Michigan history to that. … And this is how I get treated. ... Pardon me if it sounds a little abrupt or it sounds like Michael Taylor is very irritated, but yes, I am very irritated the way myself and brothers have been treated over the course of years." 

• On players not returning: "There's a lot of guys who played on my team that won't come back. And one of them, you never hear them even mention his name. When I got hurt, Demetrius Brown hasn't been back, doesn't plan on coming back and won't come back. That's a fact, and I talked to him personally. The reason why? Because he won a Rose Bowl and is not even mentioned as one of the greatest quarterbacks to have played here."​

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

THERE'S THE LIONS WE KNOW & LOVE
 
THEY ARE BUMS . . . . AND DEEP IN THEIR HEART THEY KNOW IT

They've weathered injuries to one of their starting safeties and four of their nickel cornerbacks, and now the Detroit Lions defense might have to overcome its biggest loss of all.

Starting middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch left Sunday's 19-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers with a potentially serious left knee injury and will undergo an MRI on Monday. EDITOR'S NOTE: He's out for the season with a torn ACL.

Tulloch, who's never missed a game in his nine-year NFL career, suffered the injury in the first quarter Sunday when he celebrated his drive-ending sack of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The Curse of Bobby Layne strikes again?

Tulloch appeared to be mocking Rodgers with his sack dance, mimicking the quarterback's "Discount Double Check" touchdown celebration, when his knee gave way and he crumpled to the ground.
Tulloch tested his knee on the sideline between series and returned for two plays on Green Bay's next drive before leaving the game for good.

DeAndre Levy slid over to middle linebacker and called plays in Tulloch's place, and Tahir Whitehead played as the second linebacker the rest of the game.

"It's unfortunate," Tulloch said. "You're passionate about the game and you want to get up and celebrate and it happened. People do it a million times, but unfortunately that it happened to me, but like I said, I've been healthy for nine years of my career, I've never missed a game, let alone damn near plays. Sitting on the sideline is new to me. It's sickening. But I'll be all right. I'll get back right and be able to help this team move forward if everything goes well."

Lions coach Jim Caldwell said he didn't have any problem with Tulloch's celebration even though it resulted in injury.

"There's got to be some enthusiasm in the game," Caldwell said. "That's why these guys play, that's why we coach it because you got passion for it. That was a big moment. Things happen. I remember there was some time ago back when (kicker Bill) Gramatica hurt his knee (celebrating) a particular play, but those things are flukes and our guys will keep certainly being excited about what they do."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
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Monday, September 22, 2014




CONGRATS COACH BUCK
ON THE MSU HOF

With AD Mark Hollis

2014 MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class: Carl "Buck" Nystrom
 Carl "Buck" Nystrom was an All-America guard on MSU's 1955 National Championship team under Duffy Daugherty.
 
 

 
   
 
 
Sept. 18, 2014
By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com Online Columnist | @GrinzOnGreen   Carl "Buck" Nystrom didn't know it at the time, but from 1951-56 he was being groomed as an emissary for Michigan State football of the future. Today, the member of MSU's newest Hall of Fame class is an ambassador for the Spartans' storied past.   Nystrom joined MSU as a walk-on from Marquette Graveraet High School, where he was an all-state fullback. As red-shirt sophomore in '53, he was a backup offensive guard on legendary coach Biggie Munn's seventh, and last, Spartan team. In Michigan State's Big Ten debut season, it extended a win streak spanning four years to 28 games, finished with a 9-1 record, captured a co-conference championship and beat UCLA, 28-20, in the Rose Bowl.    "I was playing maybe 10-15 minutes per game, behind a couple of guys at the guard position," Nystrom said from his Upper Peninsula home.   The following season, Nystrom's position coach, Duffy Daugherty, succeeded Munn, who moved into the athletic director's office. Michigan State struggled to a 3-6 record and 1-5 league finish, but something special was in the East Lansing air.   "In '54, I was No. 2 behind a kid named Ferris Hallmark, who was a senior," Nystrom said. "He hurt his knee in the Iowa (season-opening) game and I jumped up into that position, had my first start against Wisconsin and from there on I was first-unit player. We had a little bit of rough time in Duffy's first season as coach, but at the end of the fall term we always elected our captains for the following year and I got elected by my teammates."   In '55, Nystrom helped MSU again beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl, 17-14, finish 9-1 and win its third national championship.   "We only had 13-15 seniors, but they were all good players and we really turned the program around from the previous year," he said. "I was very fortunate to not only have a great season along with my teammates, but I made All-American and Academic All-American and was voted Most Valuable Player by my teammates. So everything just fell into place for me to have an opportunity to be earmarked for this honor, but we had a lot of players in the '50s that could be in this Hall of Fame."  A middle guard on defense, Nystrom played all 60 minutes in the 21-7 victory over No. 4 Notre Dame ("I was unbelievably tired," he said in a previous interview with The Marquette Mining Journal). Daugherty called him the best guard he ever coached and he was the first Spartan to earn All-America and Academic All-America accolades.   "Good things happened to me, but you've got to remember, the '50s and '60s were probably the highlight of Michigan State football," he said. "When between Biggie and Duffy you win six national championships, a couple of Big Tens, some Rose Bowls and have a winning streak that's never been duplicated at Michigan State, my era of football was outstanding."   



"I think the university has done a good job to consistently pinpoint those successes we had. Every once in a while they'll bring some of our players to the forefront and highlight those decades by talking about them and what a tremendous impact football had on the university and what it has become."
-Carl "Buck" Nystrom


One of the best parts of being inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame, Nystrom said, is the chance to keep his teammates and those teams relevant with contemporary fans.   "There's no question about it," Nystrom said. "I think the university has done a good job to consistently pinpoint those successes we had. Every once in a while they'll bring some of our players to the forefront and highlight those decades by talking about them and what a tremendous impact football had on the university and what it has become."   The Washington Redskins selected Nystrom in the 30th round of the 1956 draft. However, he passed up a chance to play in the NFL because he considered himself too small, at 5-foot-10, 194 pounds, to play professionally. So he embarked on a 58-year high-school and collegiate offensive line coaching career that included three stints at MSU (in '58 as the freshman team coach and in '72 under Daugherty, and from '83-86 with then head coach George Perles).    
 In addition to being part of three national championships as a player - he pointed out that he was ineligible as a true freshman on MSU's 9-0 team in '51 under NCAA rules of the day and was a redshirted backup on the undefeated '52 team - and three as an assistant coach (Division II with North Dakota State in '65 and Northern Michigan in '75, and Division I with Oklahoma in '68). Eight years before he died in 2013, former Oklahoma head coach Chuck Fairbanks, Nystrom's former MSU teammate, told the Mining Journal: "He's the greatest line coach who ever coached in high school or college football, without question or exception. He's just so special. There's no one better in his ability to teach young players how to play. He's the unqualified best. He never lost his passion to coach kids."   Throughout his career, Nystrom has employed principles and techniques he first learned at Michigan State, and still does when volunteering his retirement time with Marquette-area high school teams and running his four offensive line camp each summer.   And so, when Nystrom called MSU head coach Mark Dantonio the week of the Oregon game, it was the closest Dantonio could have come to having a conversation with his revered predecessors, Biggie Munn and Duffy Daugherty.   "I wished him the best of luck, and then we got to talking about football and I told him how well I thought Michigan State looked the first game (against Jacksonville State) mechanically and technically," Nystrom said. "You know, you can talk about having a 1,000 plays in your playbook, and all those things are necessary, but when it really comes down to nut-cracking, it doesn't matter what system you're running.      "Have you got good fundamentals? Good mechanics? It still really comes down to, can you block and tackle? Those are the things we really learned well during my time at Michigan State. If you can block and tackle you'll make a lot of systems go.   I don't think there was a guy on Biggie's staff that never became a head coach and there were only one or two off of Duffy's that didn't."   
Joan & Grandson Logan.
 Nystrom played his final down 59 years ago, but he can't help but be impressed with the consistency Dantonio has developed in his eight seasons. One question that remains to be answered is, who will be the current Spartans' Buck Nystrom to be inducted in MSU Hall of Fame class of 2073?   "Mark has done an outstanding job," Nystrom said. "They've got the right guy, and he's not only a good football man, but a humanitarian, particularly with the kids. Mark is coming along really great, he's had some nice years and this last Rose Bowl capped it off. I hope now he can win the national championship.   "That would bring it full circle for guys like me."