MSU Red Cedar Message Board

Kris Weshinskey- Basketball

Dr. Mike Longaker of the 79 National Championship team. Arguably, one of the most successful Spartan athletes to never make the pros. Graduated from Warren High the year before I did.

[quote]Former Spartan Mike Longaker received the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Longaker was a three-year letterwinner from 1978-80. He was known as the squad's most inspirational player, with his contagious enthusiasm and hustle. MSU head coach Jud Heathcote called him "one of the great, solid, super kids" he has coached. Joining the Spartan squad as a walk-on during his freshman campaign, he played in 52 games during his career. As one of Michigan State's most physical defenders, he had the difficult chore of guarding Earvin Johnson in practice for two seasons, including MSU's 1979 NCAA Championship team. In 1980, he received the MSU Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award, while also winning the men's basketball Sportsmanship Award in both 1979 & 1980. He earned an honorable mention spot on the Big Ten All-Academic Team.

A finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship, Longaker graduated from MSU with a nearly-perfect 3.95 grade-point average and attended medical school at Harvard where he graduated in the top percent of his class in 1984. In 2003, he earned his M.B.A. from University of California-Berkeley and Columbia University in the inaugural class of their combined program. Dr. Longaker has split his professional career between stints in New York and California. He currently is a professor in the Department of Surgery at the Stanford University Medical Center, while also serving as the director of the Children's Surgical Research Lab at Stanford. [/quote]

http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031207aac.html

As for truly obscure, Jamie "Shoes" Huffman

LB Mike Austin

Undersized, but played with a lot of heart during the Saban era. Had one of the best blind side hits on a QB against Iowa.

Brett Johnson....Football

Jeff Tropf and Mark Talaga - not a law firm, but two leading scorers for MSU in infamous "walk-out" game versus Indiana in 1976.

Dee Rizzo - Hockey

I believe the first kid's name was Jeff Tropf. And he transferred to CMU after that devastating season.

Solid

I'll go with Josh Butland - Football

When he started was when I first started going to games 88-91. Sat in row 60 and would consistently punt the ball over the upper deck from our vantage point.

He made the Madden All-Name Team.

Bill Burns, Longsnapper.

Bob Henry, OT.

Me - quarter bounce. Also lettered in Mexican.

Hoops= Jake Hannon, actually played against Hansbrough during the tournament and Justin Ockerman (2004)

Football= Paul Cummings, Brian Bury