The Michigan State men’s and women’s basketball programs held their annual “MSU Madness” event on Friday night at the Breslin Center. Aside from the dunk contest and student campout, legendary Spartans coach Tom Izzo received quite an honorable surprise from a longtime friend.
Izzo’s childhood buddy and college roommate, Steve Mariucci, called in from Los Angeles to deliver the news that Izzo will have his No. 10 jersey retired at his alma mater, Northern Michigan University.
A special honor for #10 💚💛@NMU_Wildcats pic.twitter.com/MDMRRYen3p
— Michigan State Men’s Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) October 5, 2024
“I want to be the first to inform you, Tom Izzo, that your jersey, No. 10, will be retired at Northern Michigan University basketball,” Mariucci said in a video played in front of his family, team, and over 10,000 fans in attendance.
The celebrated head coach teared up as his wife, Lupe, and son, Steven embraced him following the announcement. It is not hard to tell how much this honor means to Izzo and his family after all he has done with the university.
It was only fitting for Mariucci to deliver the good news as he and Izzo were childhood friends, growing up in Iron Mountain, located in the Upper Peninsula. They were also college roommates in the 70s who played different sports in their time at Northern.
Mariucci was a Division II All-American quarterback who went on to coach multiple NFL franchises and is now an NFL sportscaster, while Izzo was an All-American guard on the basketball team who has led the Spartans for 29 years with over 700 wins as head coach.
In his playing days as a three-year starter for the Wildcats, Izzo scored 367 career points while setting the single-season record for minutes played (930) which was held for 10 years. He possesses emotional ties to the university with his long-term experience and generosity to give back.
In 2016, Izzo was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame for his sustained success and upstanding character that has reflected NCAA Basketball better than any individual in the game. His reaction after receiving the news on Friday was similar because of how much that university means to him.
Later this season, Izzo will be taking his team up north to Marquette, Michigan, to be a part of the Mariucci Family Beacon House, a hospitality house for medical patients that was founded by Mariucci, which opened to the public in 2022.
“We go up there every year, a fundraising thing for him [Mariucci],” Izzo said at Big Ten Basketball Media Days earlier this week. “In fact, next week, when we go up there, we’re going to spend a little time at the Beacon House. It’s for people who can’t afford to stay in a hotel when maybe their sons, daughters, husbands, or wives are getting medical services. I do get up there just about every year. It has kept me grounded.”
Izzo is not just having his number retired because of his play on the court and illustrious coaching career but for his compassion and kindness in giving back to the community that raised him since birth. That is a prime example of what it means to be a Spartan and he deserves every bit of this.
“It’s a different place, and now I’m taking my whole team up there for three days to kind of learn where I came from,” Izzo said. “I think we’re in a stage where entitlement is too prevalent right now. There’s nothing entitled about the U.P, and I love that.”
The Spartans will kick off the ’24-’25 season on October 13th, with an exhibition matchup in Marquette against his alma mater. Izzo will be praised for everything he has done for the university and the local community with No. 10 hanging in the rafters forever.
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