When Sparty storms out of the tunnel and onto Spartan Stadium’s field with the MSU flag flapping in the wind, supply chain management sophomore Brad Siciliano said he gets goose bumps.
“Sparty pumps me up before games because I know that he is not only getting our student section and fans excited before the games but when people see Sparty on national television they know he is representing Michigan State University — and as a student, I feel proud and honored to be a Spartan,” he said.
The Sparty costume was introduced in 1989. Many years before that, a papier-maché Spartan helmet developed by the Theta Chi Fraternity was carried by the Spartan Marching Band.
“In ’89, they wanted something that was a total outfit, not a partial one,” said Bev Vandenberg, associate director of MSU’s Alumni Association. “We asked Real Characters in Atlanta, Georgia to give us a design with facial characteristics and they gave us what we have now.”
Mascot-less wolverines
At Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. match up against Michigan, Sparty will be the only mascot in the stadium, as U-M does not have a wolverine – fake or real – to scurry up and down the sidelines.
But many U-M students don’t think a wolverine mascot is necessary, because the same types of feeling pulse through their veins without one, said U-M sports management senior James Harasin.
“For MSU, Sparty runs out and fires the fans up,” he said. “The equivalent for us is when the band takes the field and plays ‘Hail to the Victors.’ The band major runs out and touches his head to the ground – that gets us going. Then the team takes the field. It’s the same feeling Michigan State gets.”
Jerry Sigler, vice president of U-M’s Alumni Association, said the university tried to develop a mascot in the early ’90s, but students thought it looked more comical than intimidating.
“We tried to create Willy the Wolverine, but it only lasted two years and most people found it to be kind of silly,” he said. “Not having one hasn’t been something people have thought negatively about.”
Some U-M students said the university like what they have now and don’t see a need for change.
“Michigan has its own traditions,” U-M movement science junior Matt Huspeni said. “There is no Wolverine logo. This tradition – we don’t need to change it. It sets us apart. Our symbol is the Michigan helmet.”
But Harasin said it might be appropriate to change with the times and get one because having a mascot adds something to the atmosphere.
Some MSU students realize Michigan has accomplished a lot without a mascot. They also think the students have found other things to attach themselves to, however.
“U-M fans just love football,” hospitality business freshman Alex Henderson said. “Maybe Lloyd Carr is their honorary mascot — I sure hear a lot about him from U-M friends whenever they talk about their team.”
Hiding an identity
But for MSU students, Sparty is king. Not just on the football field but at every type of venue imaginable: wrestling matches, photo shoots, weddings, birthday parties and so much more.
And many people wonder — who is under that buff, yet foamy body?
“It’s a secret kept from everyone,” said Brad Collins, a 2003 alumnus and former Sparty who didn’t make it his first year. “I was a volunteer who helped with the program. The next year, I tried out and got it. And now I’m still a mascot today.”
Collins went on to be the mascot for an NCAA basketball team and two different minor league baseball teams.
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To become Sparty, full-time MSU students between 5-foot-10-inches and 6-foot-2-inches tall can audition at the beginning of spring semesters.
Although it varies, there are usually about four students chosen to be Sparty every year.
Those students who are given a Sparty position are forced to tell white lies because they’re required to keep their identity hidden, said Brad Leedy, a 1996 alumnus and former Sparty.
“When I left for the night to do a sporting event, my excuse I always told friends was, ‘I am going to the basketball game or volleyball game or wrestling match,’” he said. “I had to tell half-truths. But eventually a lot of my good friends came from being Sparty and were in SAF. They knew already anyways.”
Many of the former Spartys say that the camaraderie was what kept them in love with the program.
“The best part of it is all the friends I made while going on road trips with the cheerleaders and managers,” said former Sparty Jeff Miller, a 2000 alumnus. “They are still my best friends today. Everyone was there for the same mission. It was like nothing else I’ve ever done.”
Another life-changing experience that ex-Spartys mention as their favorite, yet most time-consuming, activity is preparing for nationals.
The Sparty team is responsible for making a video featuring an original skit to be judged by the Universal Cheer Association for a national competition. If chosen in the top 10, the team then prepares a 90-second routine to be performed in Orlando, Fla.
Sparty has won the competition three of the last four years as well as other awards such as the “Buffest Mascot” from Muscle and Fitness Magazine.
“Being Sparty is a huge commitment,” said Danny McKenna, a hospitality business senior who was Sparty from 2005-07. “But it was, as clich
