Michigan Agricultural College, now known as Michigan State University, originally named Spartan Stadium, Macklin Field after John Macklin, the head coach of the football team at that time.

In 1925, shortly after the opening of Macklin Field, MAC was renamed Michigan State College, and it was not until April of 1963 that Michigan State University was given the name it bears today. 

Macklin Field opened with 13,064 seats. As time went on, more individuals became interested in watching the football games, which prompted the expansion of the football field in 1935. The renovations included lowering the football field six feet and raising the seating capacity to 27,000.

Macklin Field continued expanding in 1948, adding more seats, and prompting the changing the of the name of the football field to Macklin Stadium. On Dec. 12, 1948 Michigan State College was accepted into the Big Ten Conference. 

In 1957, Macklin Field took its current name, Spartan Stadium, which now has a maximum capacity of just over 75,000 seats.

Game-Day Traditions  

Spartan Stadium and Spartan Football have been staples at Michigan State for so long, and in that time, game attendees have compiled multiple fun traditions throughout the years—most of which fans still do to this day.

Every game day at MSU before kickoff, the announcer states, “It’s a beautiful day for football!” to the crowd, and the crowd joins in. It does not matter what the actual weather conditions are, but the sentiment is that any day is beautiful if football is going to be played.

Also, during pregame, MSU’s mascot, Sparty, runs out of the Spartan Stadium tunnel with the MSU flag to center field and puts it in the ground, then proceeds to do one-handed pushups in front of all the fans.

A fairly new tradition is the football rushing out onto the field playing the famous Fast Life Yungstaz’s Swag Surfin’ song where the crowd links arms, shoulders or even elbows to sway side to side. The original song was AC/DC's Thunderstruck which was around since 1999, and has recently made a comeback at Spartan Stadium with the return of former head coach Mark Dantonio to the Spartan sideline. 

Another out-of-the-box Spartan Stadium tradition is Zeke the Wonder Dog catching frisbees during the game. Zeke is not the wonder dog's real name, which has stayed confidential throughout the years. The first Zeke the Wonder Dog was a yellow lab who was the runner-up in the world championship Frisbee competition in the late 1970s.

Lastly, arguably the most iconic Michigan State tradition can be heard around the world. MSU fans around the world cheer “Go Green, Go White!” which has created a Spartan connection almost like a family. The crowds on all sides of the stadium point to their opposite side chanting either Go Green or Go White. 

Accomplishments 

Since the opening of the Michigan Agricultural College, Spartan football has won six National Championships and nine Big Ten Championships.

There have been 14 College Football Hall of Famers, 319 NFL Draft Picks—with 36 first-rounders—89 First-Team All-Americans, and 80 straight years with a player selected in the NFL Draft from 1939 to 2020. 

Iconic Events

Along with football, Spartan Stadium has hosted iconic concert performances and commencement speeches from former Presidents. The Rolling Stones had the stadium’s first concert in 1994, U2’s U2 360 Tour performed in 2011 in front of 65,000 people, in 1960 former President Harry S. Truman delivered a commencement speech to the graduating class of 1960 and former President Bill Clinton addressed the 1995 class.

Present Day

Spartan Stadium continues to bring joy and excitement to MSU students and fans through its football program and the excitement of game days. The stadium holds memories and traditions that will continue to be passed down through generations of Spartans.