With the ink still wet on his $1.1 million per year contract, newly appointed MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio faced the crowd at his introductory press conference Monday, raised his right hand and motioned toward the large hunk of metal wrapped around his ring finger.
"I wear this championship ring very, very few times," Dantonio said. "But I wear it for a reason. I wear it to symbolize what could happen — what could happen if you have the resources, if you have the players and most importantly, when you have the commitment."
It was the ring he received after the 2003 Fiesta Bowl when Ohio State — with Dantonio as defensive coordinator — beat Miami (Fla.), 31-24, to win the national championship. Now he wants to win another one — in East Lansing.
"That didn't happen because of ability," Dantonio said. "That happened because of a mind-set. … It happens because of a commitment from the players — a belief in values and a belief in themselves."
Junior linebacker Kaleb Thornhill, who has endured three consecutive losing seasons with the Spartans, took notice of Dantonio's ring.
"Oh man, it's cool to see," Thornhill said. "You want one on your finger, and you know how hard he worked for that, how much he put into that. You know that he's gonna put the time into us to bring us to the next level.
"That's all you can ask for."
Respect for an institution
Dantonio's hire may seem like a "compromise" to some camps — rumors swirled throughout the coaching search that a disagreement between MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon and the MSU Board of Trustees led to a botched search — but Trustee Joel Ferguson said the board strongly supported Simon.
"Mark Dantonio is absolutely the best fit for Michigan State University," Ferguson said. "He was a unanimous choice by this board not because anyone else had any flaws, because the other candidates were excellent also. He just happened to be the best."
If Dantonio's name seemed to come out of the blue, it's because he insisted on waiting until the end of Cincinnati's regular season before interviewing for the job.
Dantonio interviewed with MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo, Athletics Director Ron Mason, Associate Athletics Director Mark Hollis and MSU police Lt. Alan Haller — a former MSU football player — on Saturday night.
He then interviewed with Simon on Sunday morning. A contract was signed Sunday night, and Simon recommended Dantonio to the MSU Board of Trustees on Monday morning. The board approved by an 8-0 vote.
Green and White roots
Dantonio began his coaching career in 1979 as an assistant coach at Westside High in Anderson, S.C. He made stops at Purdue, Ohio State, Akron and Youngstown State before coming to East Lansing in 1995 where he served as the defensive backs coach and associate head coach until 2000.
Dantonio said he soaked up plenty of gridiron knowledge while working under Nick Saban, who was MSU's head coach from 1995-1999.
"I learned a tremendous amount of football, practice organization — all the things that go along with the X's and O's of football, determination, tenacity," Dantonio said.
Saban left MSU to coach at LSU after the 1999 season. Dantonio stayed at MSU for one more year, then left for Columbus, Ohio, to work under Jim Tressel at Ohio State.
With Dantonio as defensive coordinator, the Buckeyes went 7-5 in 2001, then went undefeated in 2002, winning the national championship.
Like Saban, Tressel also imparted coaching wisdom to Dantonio.
"I learned patience — hopefully, I learned patience," Dantonio said. "I learned compassion for people. Everybody does it a little bit different, but I can tell you that I learned you have to be able to harness the human spirit at some point if you want your players to play well, to play above their abilities."
Success at Ohio State led to Dantonio accepting his first head coaching job at Cincinnati in 2004, inheriting a program that went 5-7 the previous year. The Bearcats went 7-5 in 2004, 4-7 in 2005 — after moving from Conference USA to the Big East — and 7-5 in 2006 — with a bowl game coming. The 2006 campaign included a 30-11 upset victory against previously undefeated Rutgers.
"We obviously have someone with extraordinary experience," Simon said. "He is an individual that understands what the Spartan football tradition is all about."
Lofty goals
With those experiences under his belt, Dantonio said he plans to compete for championships at MSU.
But planning to win championships doesn't automatically equate to on-field success. John L. Smith said he had the same goal at his hiring.
So what makes Dantonio different? How is he going to change a losing culture?
"I've recruited Chicago, I've recruited Detroit, Michigan, all across Ohio, on the East Coast, Florida, Texas, California," Dantonio said. "That's me, personally, as a recruiter. I have personal relationships with individuals out there that can help."
Though he was hesitant to offer any concrete thoughts on his coaching style, he hinted at a return to smashmouth football.
"I believe at stopping the run on defense," Dantonio said. "I believe in having the ability to run the football and be two dimensional on offense. You have to be able to run the football to some extent.
"We have to do that because that speaks to toughness. … This is a tough game. You need to be challenged."
Dantonio said MSU will be his last coaching stop, regardless of failure or success. He said fans of the Green and White can rest assured the new head coach of MSU football is dedicated to the program.
"We'll go very slowly and walk very boldly, and carry a big stick," Dantonio said.
