Mark Dantonio

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Mark Dantonio (born March 9, 1956) is the current head coach of Michigan State University football team. He was hired on November 27, 2006 to replace John L. Smith. Dantonio became the 24th head coach at Michigan State. Dantonio compiled an 18-17 overall record in his 3 years as the head coach of the University of Cincinnati including a perfect 1-0 record in bowl games. The 2006 campaign included an upset win over previously undefeated Rutgers University who was ranked in the top 10 nationally at the time.

In 2003, Dantonio became the first head coach in 23 years to lead Cincinnati to a winning season in his first season. Dantonio believes very strongly that football players' development takes place on and off the field. As head coach, Dantonio has had fifteen players earn all-conference honors and twenty-five received conference academic recognition. Dantonio’s first season was capped off with a convincing win over Marshall in the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl.

Dantonio will try to bring the winning attitude that he established at Cincinnati to East Lansing. At the press conference where he was announced as the new head coach Dantonio talked about Michigan State being a ‘dream job’ for him. He felt that establishing MSU as a national power once again centered around strong recruiting and winning attitudes.

As head coach, Dantonio is known for running strong defensive units. At Cincinnati, he quickly instilled discipline into the team which had an immediate effect in his first season. Character was a major factor in the decision to hire Dantonio. Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo stated that Dantonio has a little bit of former bosses Nick Saban and Jim Tressel.

[edit] Childhood and education

Mark Dantonio was born in El Paso, Texas on March 9, 1956. He grew up in Zanesville, Ohio and attended Zanesville High School. He was a three year letter winner at the University of South Carolina where he played defensive back from 1976-78. After earning his bachelor’s degree from South Carolina, Dantonio moved onto Ohio University where he earned his master’s degree in education in 1980.

[edit] Early Coaching Career

Dantonio began his coaching career at Ohio where he was a graduate assistant. In 1981, he made his first stop in the Big Ten when he moved on to Purdue as a graduate assistant. He spent two years in Columbus as a graduate assistant for Ohio State in 1983 and 1984. In 1986, he began a five-year stint on Jim Tressel’s staff at Youngstown State as a defensive secondary coach. The University of Kansas hired Dantonio in 1991 to be their defensive secondary coach. When Nick Saban was hired at Michigan State in 1995, he wooed Dantonio to join his staff in East Lansing where he remained through the 2000 season. In 2000, following Saban’s departure, Dantonio was appointed as MSU’s associate head coach before reuniting with Jim Tressel at Ohio State in 2001.

[edit] Defensive Coordinator at Ohio State

Dantonio served as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State for three seasons. His defense became known as one of the stingiest in the country. During the Buckeyes' 2002 National Championship season, Ohio State ranked second nationally in scoring defense and third in rushing defense. In the 2003 season his defense ranked number one in the country in rushing defense and ninth in total defense, which led the Buckeyes to an 11-2 record and #4 national ranking. Six Buckeye defenders were named first team All-Big Ten during Dantonio's tenure there and thirteen were drafted into the NFL, including two first round picks in Chris Gamble and Will Smith.

[edit] Head Coach at Cincinnati

Dantonio was named head coach at Cincinnati on December 23, 2003. He became the first head coach in 23 years to lead the school to a winning season in his first season at UC. The Bearcats' 7-5 record included a 5-3 record in Conference USA, which was good enough for a second place finish. The Bearcats finished the season on a winning note with a convincing 32-14 win over Marshall in the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl. During Dantonio’s time at UC, he led the Bearcats to a bowl game victory, directed the team's transition into the Big East Conference and laid the groundwork for the future success of the program.

[edit] Head Coach at Michigan State

Mark Dantonio became the 24th head coach at Michigan State. The Michigan State football program is optimistic that Dantonio's leadership can restore it to its winning ways of the late 90's, the same time that Dantonio was employed by the school as a defensive secondary coach. Dantonio has finalized his staff at Michigan State by bringing 8 of his 9 coaches from Cincinnati. The 9th coaching position was filled by Dan Enos who will be retained from the previous staff. Enos was an assistant for Dantonio in Cincinnati until 2005. He was the QB's coach at Michigan State in 2006.

[edit] Coaching record at Cincinnati

[edit] References

• Michigan State Dantonio Profile: Mark Dantonio
• ESPN: Michigan State Hires Mark Dantonio
• New York Times: Michigan State Looks to Cincinnati for Coach