Photo Courtesy of MSU Athletics
Mark Dantonio, head football coach at Michigan State University, will speak to spring 2015 graduates of the College of Education during the Baccalaureate Commencement Ceremony, starting at 3:30 p.m. May 10 at the Breslin Center.
Dantonio began coaching the Spartans in 2007, and has since led the team toward multiple winning seasons and bowls. In 2013, he took the team to victory in the 100th Rose Bowl game and claimed the Big Ten Championship title. Additionally in 2013, after a perfect 8-0 season in the Big Ten—the first perfect football season in Spartan history—Dantonio earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors from the media and coaches.
In 2014, Dantonio again helped the Spartans make headlines, finishing the season ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press and USA Today/Amway Coaches polls after pulling out a dramatic fourth-quarter win in the Cotton Bowl.
He also supports his athletes in the classroom. In his first eight seasons, 128 players earned their undergraduate degrees, 98 earned Academic All-Big Ten Honors, seven were awarded with Academic All-Americans and three were named National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes.
Among the graduates of the College of Education Class of 2015 is Dantonio’s daughter, Kristen, who will earn her Elementary Education degree. In total, the class is comprised of 574 graduating seniors, which includes majors in Elementary Education, Special Education, Kinesiology and Athletic Training.
“We’re very pleased to have Coach Dantonio as our commencement speaker this spring,” said Donald E. Heller, dean of the College of Education. “He is an inspiring leader, not just because of what his players have accomplished on the playing field, but also for the standard of academic excellence he demands of his players as well.”
The Baccalaureate Commencement Ceremony is free and open to the public.