The Sparty Mascot Program has been overseen by the MSU Alumni Office since 1989. Sparty tries out for the job, is trained and appears at over 500 events a year, from MSU sporting events to weddings, fundraisers and golf outings. 

He crashes classes, gives out hugs and isn’t afraid to pull a couple pranks in the library. He just might be the student sitting next to you in class, but you won’t know until graduation. 

Sparty’s identity remains a secret until they graduate, per MSU tradition. The reveal comes at convocation, where former Spartys wear the mascot boots to accompany their cap and gown. 

The Sparty Mascot Program contained three graduates in May: Noah Vermeulen, John Morrison and Mitch Mills. Their path to Sparty began with a distinct email from the Alumni Office: “Don’t look back and wish you hadn’t done it.”

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that's a crazy statement. So I've got to hop on the opportunity,’” Morrison said. 

Vermeulen remembers the message, and the concept of being Sparty was already in the back of his mind after hearing about other former mascots. He paid close attention to Sparty’s interactions once he stepped on campus, witnessing the mascot’s presence at College of Engineering events, basketball games and following the Feb. 13th shooting. 

“Everyone knows that picture of Sparty kneeling in front of the statue,” Vermeulen said. “Seeing the power that had, in the way that it was a symbol of strength for the university and uplifted a lot of students. That was really something special, and I told myself, 'If I can do that, I want to do that. I want to be that for people.'”

The tryout process took around a semester, and becoming Sparty brought its own learning curve. Communicating through sign language and body posture was crucial, just like learning to walk and bearing the suit's physical demands. 

“We found that it's the equivalent of playing a full-length professional soccer match in a 45-minute interval of being in suit,” Morrison said. “So it's very intense. It takes a lot of physical preparation and fitness.”

The most physically draining days for Sparty are football games, although they can also be the most fun. While Morrison’s friends spent Friday nights partying, he was anticipating game day, with butterflies in his stomach. 

“From 6:00 a.m. there are people out tailgating, and it's so fun walking past all those people, seeing the passion and the excitement,” Morrison said. “The fact that they don't know that Sparty just walked past their tailgate, too, it's a fun little feeling.”

The fun moments also came with pressure to perform well and uphold tradition. Vermeulen would have nightmares of his Sparty head falling off like the Oregon Duck, and while the football run out is a highlight for many Spartys, it’s a lot of pressure to execute before a crowd of 75,000 people. 

“You just have to run,” Vermeulen said. “I'm just booking it, trying not to forget anything. Trying to make sure, like, all right, throw the flag down. Do my dance, do the push-ups, grab the flag and get out of there.”

Vermeulen’s first runout was one of his most nerve-racking experiences, but also one of his most memorable.

“Mark Dantonio walked down the tunnel, and so I pounded my chest and he went ‘Looking good, Sparty,’” Vermeulen said. “At that moment, all the nerves melted away. I was like, Mark Dantonio just told me I'm ready to go, like I'm good. Get me out there.”

While Sparty was busy leading the football team onto the field, Vermeulen’s friends wondered why he would choose “work” over the student section.  

“People would think I'm a little lame because I would rather go to work than hang out with my awesome girlfriend at the football games,” Vermeulen said. “You kind of have to let people think you're a little lame before the future payoff.” 

Vermeulen’s then-girlfriend and now wife, Kiara Vermeulen, was often interrogated more than Vermeulen himself. They started dating before he became Sparty, which was ironic given Kiara’s fandom for the mascot.

“I would always say I would leave any guy I'm dating if Sparty asked, like it was a joke I would make,” Kiara said, adding she loves Sparty’s goofy nature and ability to unite people. 

The Sparty Mascot Program allows select people to know about Sparty’s identity, requiring them to keep the secret too. Still, family members, roommates and even teachers are left in the dark, which makes things difficult when Sparty travels around the country. 

Morrison would often tell people he had homework, work or family in town to cover for his Sparty activities. Road trips were just “visits to his family.“

“Really, it's just whatever comes in the moment,“ Morrison said. “You get pretty good at lying, which is a weird thing, but it's part of the job. There were some close calls.“

The secrecy created meaningful moments for the people who did know – like when Sparty gave Vermeulen's dad a Pete Townshend windmill during a rock song, or signaled Kiara to call him after a game.

But the situation still took a toll. College students juggle busy schedules without the added stress of traveling and lying to the people around them.

“We are all across the country, all over campus, going to all sorts of events, and you have to balance that as a student,” Morrison said. “As a pre-med student, that was extremely difficult, taking all my core science classes and studying for the MCAT, doing research. So it was difficult keeping a secret on top of all of it.”

At the same time, being Sparty provided an escape, a time for pranking and bringing people joy when classes weren’t the easiest. It also provided moments that reminded Vermeulen why he became Sparty in the first place, like a conversation with an elderly gentleman at a basketball game. 

“He said, ‘You remind me so much of my brother. I had a brother, a huge MSU fan. Ten years ago, he got a picture with you, and we lost him four years ago,’” Vermeulen said.

“He puts his finger on my chest, and he said, "Man, you remind me so much of him. And keep doing what you're doing because you're doing such a good job, and you make people so happy. And you should be so proud of yourself.’ And in that moment, I felt like the persona just melted away… I really needed to hear that in that moment, and it was a reminder, especially with being Sparty, of what it meant to people, and that what I was doing was a great thing.”

Those moments reminded Vermeulen what Sparty meant to people, something he’s still learning now that the job is done. 

“Every moment I thought I understood it, it meant more than I thought,“ Vermeulen said. “Moments like that brought me back to reality and helped me understand just how unique and privileged of a position I got to hold.“

Morrison calls these moments the magic of Sparty. Because of the secret, when people see the helmet-headed mascot, they see Sparty, regardless of who’s in the suit. 

Graduation brings about different emotions for different graduates, including Sparty. It marked the finish line for a degree and a chance to share secrets, but also the end of a mascot career. And it also felt odd just wearing the boots. 

“At first, it kind of felt like I was walking around without pants on,” Vermeulen said. “It felt wrong.” 

But as the day went on, Vermeulen ran into fellow graduates and friends who pointed out his boots, congratulated him, asked for pictures and even thanked him. He got to hear the Breslin Center erupt at the sight of his boots during graduation, outside of the suit this time. 

“I've experienced that for Sparty, but that was my first time experiencing that for Noah, and so that was just really special.” 

Vermeulen, Morrison and others have experienced countless moments as Sparty, and the mascot has lived on through different Spartans living double lives. 

So the next time you interact with Sparty, remember, he might be someone you already know.

“Go make that memory with Sparty, because you're not the only one that's getting a memory when you do that,” Vermeulen said.