1967 - The year my brother and his friends kidnapped, painted and then wore Sparty
Note: It's hate week and while many of you I'm sure remember me posting this before I'm sure the board has one or two new members since 2018
It was 1967 and my brother Charlie was a Senior at Michigan and a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. One his fraternity brothers had been to a party up in East Lansing earlier that year and saw that MSU stored Sparty at the Sig Ep fraternity house between home games so they decided to drive up there and kidnap him They were successful (read the article below for the details) so they painted a winged helmet on him and announced if State wanted him back they would have to go on the field at the Big House and take him. So my brother (that's him on the far right of the picture below) wore the now handsomely painted Sparty down onto the field and gave him back to somebody from State before the game.
Yeah State was pretty damn good that year going undefeated (only the mythical 10-10 tie with Notre Dame blemished their record) and they spanked us that day 34-0. But for a few days anyways Sparty called Ann Arbor home and he wore a maize n blue winged helmet instead of that stupid green thingie.
October 28th, 2021 at 9:11 AM ^
Super cool.
I predict that Hassan Haskins will be wearing a few Spartans into the end zone as fashion accessories.
October 28th, 2021 at 9:21 AM ^
Hate Week!!
October 28th, 2021 at 9:22 AM ^
Great story from an era that seems like another world away.
The MSU NC season with the 10-10 tie against ND was in '66. 1967 was a miserable year for Sparty, going 3-7.
1967 was an indication that Duffy Daugherty's best years were behind him—he coached six seasons after the great 1966 season, and only had one winning season among them, going 6-5 in '71. He went 1-3 against Bo.
October 28th, 2021 at 9:36 AM ^
Don - Every time I post this you correct me and every time you correct me I remember I screwed up the year 66 vs 67 for Sparty's undefeated year. One would think I would be able to finally fix that repeated error but to date I have not. By-product of the aging process I suppose.
This actually reminds me of something a mentor once told me in when I was new to the business world and starting my climb up the company ladder. He said "Hubbard, I dont mind you making mistakes. But for the love of God, can you please make some new ones?"
October 28th, 2021 at 9:39 AM ^
Hahaha... I have no memory of correcting you on this before, which tells you something about my aging memory.
October 28th, 2021 at 10:22 AM ^
Are you sure you're wrong about the date, and that Don is right? The dateline on the pasted article is Oct 12, 1967...
October 28th, 2021 at 10:45 AM ^
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Michigan_State_Spartans_football_team
10-10 Tie with ND being in 1966 was the only thing OP misremembered. MSU did in fact beat UM 34-0 on Oct 14, 1967
October 28th, 2021 at 10:59 AM ^
"Hubbard, I dont mind you making mistakes. But for the love of God, can you please make some new ones?"
i had a boss tell me that once, too, back in the day. SO great.
October 28th, 2021 at 9:24 AM ^
this should be posted every year on the week of the sparty football game with us. great prank, too, though now they'd probably charge everyone involved with all manner of felonies and misdemeanors (breaking and entering, larceny in a building, home invasion, vandalism, etc.). no need for your brother to worry, the statute of limitations has long since passed.
go blue, beat sparty!
October 28th, 2021 at 9:24 AM ^
It remains a great story. Please post every year.
October 28th, 2021 at 9:26 AM ^
In 1967 I was 11 and I had a paper route delivering the Ann Arbor News. I remember this story. A color picture would be great to see. I miss the AANews.
October 28th, 2021 at 10:56 AM ^
What, you don't like MLive?
/sarcasm
October 28th, 2021 at 9:35 AM ^
Love this story. Putting the "found" ad in the MSU newspaper was priceless, and giving a Madison, WI phone number was a nice touch.
These heroes should be honored at halftime next year when Sparty comes to AA.
October 28th, 2021 at 9:43 AM ^
Lets arrange a paint party and under the cover of darkness..... adorn both izzo's and mork's houses with a beautiful Maize block M.
who's with me? ..... then when we're done we'll go streaking thru town.
yes, i realize mork isn't the hc any longer.... but mel hasn't been around long enough to be as disliked as his predecessor.
October 28th, 2021 at 9:56 AM ^
I like Mel. Seems like a cool likeable guy.
October 28th, 2021 at 11:00 AM ^
mork not being sparty's coach does not make the prospect of annoying him any less delightful.
October 28th, 2021 at 10:10 AM ^
Ah yes, 1967. The year that was 8 years before I was born...
I remember the first time you posted it and it never gets... old.
October 28th, 2021 at 10:14 AM ^
That version of Sparty was always creepy to me, in the same way that Boiler Pete of that vintage did. They looked vaguely psychotic. Now, they’re just punk-ass annoying.
October 28th, 2021 at 10:33 AM ^
Pete is still creepy
October 28th, 2021 at 10:21 AM ^
You have your dates wrong. State was 9-0-1 in 1966, not 1967. They reverted to mediocrity in 1967.
October 28th, 2021 at 11:14 AM ^
Yeah, I know. If you scroll up a few comments you'll see Don corrected me as he always does because I always screw up the dates.
A tradition like no other.
October 28th, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^
Animal House is on of my favorite movies, I hope your brother didn’t have a 0.0.
Great share, go blue.
October 28th, 2021 at 11:03 AM ^
fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son.
October 28th, 2021 at 5:33 PM ^
^^^^^^^^
Said Dean Wormer....
October 28th, 2021 at 11:05 AM ^
Your brother and his friends are heroes.
October 28th, 2021 at 11:07 AM ^
Back in the late 90s we piled into a car and drove up to EL to paint the sparty statue. Spent the night in jail, do not advise trying it.
October 28th, 2021 at 11:19 AM ^
Love it. Great story.
October 28th, 2021 at 12:37 PM ^
Hate week. So very Orwellian...
October 28th, 2021 at 2:27 PM ^
Great, great story. "You see, kids, this is how we trolled people before the Internet."
