Having gone to MSU, I met some really great people and numerous individuals who deserve respect.  From a national standpoint, Steve Smith seems like a real class act, and Magic is one of the top-10 best NBA players in history.  Sam Rami is pretty cool, and James Caan is one of the better actors working today.  I'm sure there are others, but those are a couple that rush to mind.

That said, the average MSU "fan" is someone I can do without in my life.

Tom Izzo, for being a great coach and a classy guy in a really, really sleazy profession. 

Master Chief is the only spartan I can tolerate, although I have found myself playing very poorly in Halo Reach just so I can hear, "The spartan is dead" come across the radio...

that dog that catches frisbees at halftime got his masters from MSU.

my cleaning lady and the cashier at potbelly's this morning (no jokes)

Brian Hoyer because I'm a Pats fan and think he is a competent backup for Tom Brady and that is the natural order of things.

Dad and two of my sisters are sparty fans. But not very passionate ones so they don't talk much trash. My ex's dad was big time spartan fan. He even bought me an MSU shirt knowing my stance. I also went to the concrete jungle to see Pitt V MSU a couple years ago.

Haven't been to a college game since but am going to UM v. Iowa this year to get that bad taste out of my mouth  from that game. Although I will say the tailgating was impressive at State.

results of her msu med school interview but before her Michigan interview. Until then I got nothin'

Tom Izzo.  Magic Johnson.  That is all.

give me douchebumps.

...is my lovely wife.

She can't tell her Sparty friends this, but she hopes our kids go to Michigan! I love this woman!

and maybe

Thats all I got for ya

He played baseball for the Spartans this past, and ended up in the Tigers Low A affiliate, CT Tigers, where I work(ed) as a bat-boy. I hate Spartans, but Eric is the one exception. A very nice young man, who ends up playing foosball with me at the team BBQ. 

I gotta admit that I like Sam Raimi quite a bit.  Although he did leave State early to go film Evil Dead.  That was definitely a wise move on his part.

Bonus Evil Dead note -- Evil Dead: The Musical is playing in Detroit right now at the City Theatre.  We saw the preview show last night and I thought it was hilarious.  I highly recommend it.

50+ replies and no one mentioned Bobby Williams?  Seriously?  He's awesome!

E-Ate, and I always kind of liked Matt Trannon. The rest can can get fricked.

my bro. but he wasnt a db about it until this week

growing up around East Lansing I have nothing but respect for Izzo he's always been a class act, Mateen and Magic too

I dunked on Kirk Manns once down at the WMU rec center when he was an assistant there and I was a (high-flying) member of the student body.   Dude was a hell of a player but he got some of mine that day.

And my wife. She likes Michigan Football. She just preaches the book of Izzo a little too much.

a small handful of hot nurses at the Children's Hospital in Detroit that are State alums, one in particular.

That's all I'm gonna tell you.

Of course, they're my little brothers.  My husband is a State grad, but not a Spartan (a lifelong Michigan fan), and his little brother, too.

Kirk Gibson definitely comes to mind first.

After that it'd be Magic, maybe Greg Kelser for doing Pistons games all these years ... meh, that's about all I got

Respect & like Magic, Gibson, & Izzo.

Javon Ringer. He put up decent numbers but never really drew attention to himself. Just handed the ball to the ref after a TD and walked back to the bench. Class act.

Justin Abdelkader and Drew Miller, but only because they're Red Wings now.

Wouldn't say there are any Spartans I love but that dude could kick a football. Props where props are due.

...and sister-in-law, both of whom have bachelors and masters degrees from State (big Sparty fans), and my late Dad who earned his third masters degree (MBA) from there (not a Sparty fan).

I am looking forward to calling my big brother little brother again since he always treated me like Mike Hart described how he treated his little brother, since I was his little brother and he liked to remind me of it. Of course I call my little brother who's also a Michigan alumnus little brother because he's my, you know, little brother.

My oldest brother who played linebacker at EMU is still my big brother even though he went to EMU and they were terrible when he went there.  Mostly because he's still as big and strong as he was when he was playing football thirty years ago.

Both my parents, my fiancee.

I'll probably get beat up for this one, but as a Blackhawks fan, I am a big Duncan Keith fan.

Deleted for being in bad taste.

Fullback in the 90's.

Gibby!!!!

You picked the worst day to create this thread.

Magic in the all star game after the HIV announcement and Gibby in the World Series for LA - two great Spartan sports memories.

Magic, Kirk Gibson, Steve Smith and...

Greg Kelser (does a good job as color guy for the Pistons and occasionally during the NCAA tourney).

What an amazing, classy, awesome thread.  Kudos all around, MGoUsers.

To return the favor:

* I've always been a huge Dhani Jones fan; I love football players who are much more than football players, and that's Dhani to a T.  If you don't want his show on the Travel Channel, you are losing out big time.  His endless quest to educate himself about different cultures and social strata is one I deeply respect.

* Rich Eisen is probably the most underrated sports media guy on the planet.

* I have had a world of respect for a long series of smart, tough, productive U-M O-Lineman: Long, Backus, Hutch, Jansen, all the way back to Skrepenak.

Peace

Ty