Bumping into Coaches Izzo and Dantonio
This past weekend, a family member of mine got hitched up at Bay Harbor in Petoskey. My girlfriend and I stayed at the hotel at Bay Harbor, and had the good fortune to be situated on the same floor as both Coach Izzo and Coach Dantonio. Apparently they were Up North for some sort of alumni event (Sparties rocking full green regalia littered the resort).
Long story short, my gf and I ended up on the elevator with them both on Friday evening, and had about 45 seconds to say hello. I let them know I was a Michigan grad, but my girlfriend is a former Spartan, so we had some common ground for peaceable conversation. Izzo was extremely friendly and classy. He shook hands warmly, chatted us up and let us know why he and Dantonio were at Bay Harbor, and generally seemed like the quality guy he's purported to be.
Dantonio, on the other hand, was sullen and unpleasant. He said almost nothing, and scowled a bit when I mentioned I was a Wolverine. He barely made eye contact with either me or my girlfriend when we shook hands, and it took some restraint for me not to ask him how recruiting's going. Instead, as we stepped off the elevator, I told Izzo that, even as a Michigan fan, I respected the hell out of the job he's done in East Lansing, and appreciated the positive role he's played both for MSU and for the state. I said nothing to Dantonio.
Nothing too significant here, just thought the MGoCommunity might appreciate the anecdote.
dantonio is a jerk.
Way to keep it classy. Should've said something about recruiting though
I don't think Grateful Blue wanted a pack of Spartan football players showing up at his door for their annual beatdown.
Part of me wants to yell at you for the horrendous thread this is going to spark.
ending would have been vastly improved if you had kicked Dantonio in the nuts, just for the fun of it
I hoped he used his car when he bumped into Dantonio
nothing worse than chitchat with a stranger on an elevator or a plane.
you're paid millions of dollars to be the face of hundreds of thousands alumni and represent your state. In that case you have to realize that is part of your job.
Funny, I thought he was paid millions to be a football coach.
Usually it's only in the hundreds of thousands to be a football coach. The millions come into play with PR-type stuff.
Given the degree to which the local media has fawned over Dantonio, and how he maintains a national reputation of being a "tough disciplinarian" depite not punishing a soul on his roster, I'd say he has the PR thing aced.
Mark Dantonio has no national reputation. The program he coaches isn't relevant enough. Even a story as salacious as the frat house beatdown wasn't big enough to crack espn.com's articles listed on its front page (residing instead only on the college football page).
His local rep can be almost totally attributed to the contrast he enjoyed with Rich Rodriguez in a state that can justifiably be called xenophobic, he being a deep-rooted midwesterner and his rival being a guy with a funny accent.
That's funny.
I've seen MSU on at least 2 different national broadcasts in the past year in which the talking heads raved about how he was a strict disciplinarian and a man of god.
As a matter of fact, I'm positive you saw one of them, because it was this year's Michigan/MSU game.
His local rep can be almost totally attributed to the contrast he enjoyed with Rich Rodriguez in a state that can justifiably be called xenophobic
Where on earth does this come from?
When a complete stranger goes out of his way to tell you on an elevator that he's a fan of your hated rival, are you really obligated to "represent" anything to him? You're not going to win him over regardless.
I got stuck in an elevator once, for 6 hours, while I was trying to catch a plane. It was 90 degrees in there.
That was bad.
I HATE the "stop and chat"
Forgive Dantonio. He's had a rough 2011.
looked over at your gf and said "Oh, by the way, remind me to call my little brother when we get back. I forgot that my little brother called and I should get back to him. You know how my little brother gets if I don't call him back. He is my little brother, after all."
And yes, I realize this is tasteless and rude. But it's Dantonio.
"Sweet Home, Alabama" for a couple of floors.
I would also like to commend you on your super bowl intros back in february
Dantonio and Izzo couldn't be more different. Personally I think Dantonio is a jerk, but most people who know him say he is just socially awkward. I've seen him at events, in rooms filled with MSU supporters, hardly say a peep to anyone.
I didn't appreciate until watching some of RR's struggles at U of M (and I do not mean to start that discussion) just how important being a politician is for a coach at a big-time program. Some people just aren't good at that - or at least they aren't good at doing it in some circumstances.
I'm also a Michigan grad, but I'm from Okemos, right outside of East Lansing. Like most of us, I have a ton of MSU friends, so I have some Kevin Bacon style friend of a friend relationships with Danonio and Izzo. Izzo is actually a pretty good friend of my uncle, and I hear nothing but great stories about him. He also is an extremely approachable, friendly man, when I 've met him on occassion.
A couple years ago, I went to a fundraiser for a girl with cancer, at the MSU football stadium. Dantonio was the guest speaker. During his speech, he referred to the girl incorrectly (by name), and I thought that was a bit strange. He also seems to be generally unhappy, but maybe that's his public persona. I obviously don't know him personally.
Than again, I'd be angry too, if I had to compete with Hoke, and his recruiting excellence!
Tell us something we don't know. Dantonio has always been an asshole.
in grumpy, old men. Its going to get worse for him. I expect to see the scowl worsen with time. Funny stuff.
No stinkpalm deployed for Dantonio? Bad form, indeed!
A small price to pay for the smiting... of one's enemies.
Michigan drinking ALL his milk shake...
The differences you describe are exactly what I would have expected.
he might have had indigestion or just learned that his favorite uncle died, but I'd say Coach D is an unpleasant person, too.
Sort of OT I know but i had the occasion to meet and talk to Tressel several years ago at a banquet here in Northern Ohio. Sad to say I thought i understood how he was able to lock down the borders of the state in recruiting - he was very nice and hospitable to me and i was flying the full colors (maize n blue embossed M polo) while we spoke.
Now i find out he had even powerful weapons in his recruiting arsenal.
60% of the time, it works everytime
I don't know if it would have been possible to ask the question about recruiting without smiling knowingly immediately after. That could have sparked an incident, or at least given Dantonio a chance to dress you down in front of your gf, which obviously would have sucked. However, there probably was a 50% chance that if the two of you had exchanged unpleasantries, it would have ended with something like:
MD: "You don't know what you're talking about you little shit!"
GB: "I know you can't win a recruiting head-to-head right now vs. Coach Hoke."
MD: "This is ridiculous. I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast!"
GB: "You eat pieces of shit for breakfast!?"
Elevator door opens, you walk out with him still pointing his finger at you.
Fin.
I like to think I would have talked trash, but in reality I probably would have just said go blue as I exited the elevator.
First, who gives a rat's arse IF (and I do mean IF) you are a "Michigan grad"--really, what the heck does this have to do with Dantonio?
What's with you guys that go out and announce the size of your winky as if anyone anywhere would care?
Dantonio probably knew you were full of crap the minute "I'm a Michigan grad" spewed from your rude piehole.
I wish you would have asked him about recruiting, and then he would have beat the hell out of you.
nə
I think it's fair to say that we've all known Sean Ornery is a troll for a long time, but hearing of your Michigan State fandom is a new and exciting twist to the saga.
Is that all you got, Scoutie? At least I don't post lying bullshit on a message board just to get some validation.
Izzo AND Dantonio on the same elevator with this clown? Yeah right.
Mark Dantonio?
Are you always an insufferable dickhead?
I'd ASS-U-ME that MD is an introvert, I'm not defending him but I know how painful It can be to talk to people. Having said that I still have wish only bad things for his program.
but that doesn't give you the right to be a douchebag to people who wants to strike up converstation with you no matter how hard it is to talk to people. From all account from what I hear about Dantonio, he is an ass-hat.
MD made his bed by being a HC, I give two shits if he an Introvert or a ra-tard, whatever, that’s MSU's problem.
Sad thing is if I was in that elevator I wouldn't of said a word to either of them, I'm sure my wife would say something (she would talk to a tree stump) and I would join in IF needed. Now if Bo was in that elevator security would have to peel me off his leg.
"As am I".*
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<br>*Making no judgement of The poster...just how it came off.
I like to think of myself as more of a D%^khead.
I'm an introvert too, but I still can make small talk and be cordial amongst strangers when the situation call for it. Lloyd Carr is a guy who I'd describe as an introvert.
Honestly, from the description from the OP, Dantonio sounds more anti-social than introverted, which for a head coach, is kind of a bad combination.
Would seem to include public flatulence, but the OP didn't say anything about it.
OP: Did you catch a sudden whiff of malodorous air when you were talking with Dantonio?
Those things your mother calls anti-social aren't really anti-social.
Unless I'm with friends, talking in an elevator isn't something I'm really interested in doing. Even if I were in an elevator with Izzo and Dantonio, I probably wouldn't have said a word.