MSU, running and The Beach Boys -- those were the three loves of Mike Rummel during the fall of 1965.

At the time, Rummel was a law enforcement administration freshman on the MSU cross country team, and it was then his three loves came together. It’s a moment he’s never forgotten, and it’s a moment which brought him back to MSU — 50 years later.

The way Rummel recalls it, it all started with a regular fall afternoon run with his teammates along the river trail behind Shaw Hall during the fall of 1965.

That’s when it happened.

“As we came up on Shaw Hall running east to west the sounds of “Little Deuce Coupe” came loudly from a dorm room in Shaw,” Rummel said. “The weather was sunny and warm. Classes were changing. Students moved out of our way as they saw who we were — just about the only interest the cross country team ever generated within the student body. That memory has stayed with me all these years.” 

And while that fall would be the only season Rummel would participate on the MSU cross country team, and while he’ll also be the first to admit he was the slowest one on the team, running with the team his freshman year is an experience he’d never take back.

From there, Rummel would go on to live a life for the ages — one which has included dropping out of MSU to serve time in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, a return to MSU where he graduated in 1972, to becoming a lawyer and serving as a Navy JAG aboard the USS Carl Vinson. 

But through it all, Rummel has always made it a point to run during his life, and he’s done so all over the world, from California to London, to the miles he grabbed aboard the USS Carl Vinson when it was anchored off the coast of Africa. 

But in all his years of running, that run in the fall of 1965 stands out from them all.

So on Oct. 15, Rummel, the now 68-year-old living in California, booked his airline, auto and hotel reservations to return MSU’s campus for the first time since 1972 to recreate that moment — one that’s run through his head thousands of times since it occurred. 

Additionally, Rummel said he’s thankful to still be able to run today. After decades of running, Rummel’s knee gave out two years ago. He was forced to sit out of the activity he loved, and he thought he would never be able to run again. Thankfully, that proved not to be the case.

“Finally, this past June, I decided it felt good for running,” Rummel said. “I started running again. I’ve had it X-rayed numerous times. Surgeon said everything is fine. I can run as much as I want as long as I’m not running a marathon every day.” 

So with his new found health, Rummel made it a point to stop by MSU on his way back to Maryland for his 50th high school reunion, to recreate the run behind Shaw Hall while “Little Deuce Coup” played on his iPhone. 

“I was 18 when that happened and by today’s standards that was when I first became an adult,” Rummel said. “So since my arrival here, fifty years, my entire adult life has been running through my mind -- everywhere I’ve been, everything I’ve done, what went right, what went wrong, what could’ve have been done different, what could have been better, what was great, just having all those memories ... and the continuity. I like the continuity. Michigan State’s still here, what I remember is still here, and there’s some new stuff added ... it’s nice ... I love Michigan State.”