With the MSU and University of Michigan rivalry heating up more than ever, a new tradition will be coming into play.
On Friday, Alex's Great State Race will begin. MSU and U-M ROTC cadets, as well as Playmakers ultra-marathoner Michael Richmond, will run Saturday's game ball from the Big House to Spartan Stadium. The runners will arrive at MSU at 3:30 p.m.
The 64-mile trek is in memory of MSU student Alex Powell, who died of cancer in the spring of 2011.
According to the RCPD website, Powell was a senior at Okemos High School when he was diagnosed with cancer, but the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities made it possible for him to attend MSU. His family was inspired by the work of the RCPD and decided to create a tradition that would build support for the organization.
Scott Westerman, the associate vice president for alumni relations and executive director for the MSU Alumni Association, said the goal of the event was to have a common objective highlighted as game day approaches.
"The Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance told us after last year's skywriting incident that the best rivalries aren't about tearing one another down. They are about how we can attack big problems together," Westerman said in an email.
To learn more or to donate to MSU RCPD or its sister organization at U-M, The University of Michigan Service for Students with Disabilities, go to alex.rcpd.msu.edu.
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