Michigan State and Hall of Fame basketball coach Tom Izzo announced Thursday they have agreed to a lifetime contract.
The contract still needs formal approval at the next meeting of Michigan State’s Board of Trustees in September, but that will be a formality for the coach who has led the Spartans’ program since 1995.
Izzo’s lifetime contract puts him in company with John Calipari at Kentucky and Bill Self at Kansas. Calipari agreed to a lifetime deal in 2019 and Self did the same in 2021.
“Michigan State has been a home to me and my family for 40 years and I’m ecstatic to sign this contract,” Izzo said in a news release. “It means a great deal to me that the Board of Trustees, President (Samuel L.) Stanley, (athletic director) Alan Haller and the University continue to have the confidence in our program as we strive to be not only the best men’s basketball team in the country, but to play a role in helping every program in the department achieve success.”
Haller said the new deal reaffirms a commitment Izzo made 12 years ago when he proclaimed he’d be a Spartan for life.
“Not only is Tom Izzo a Hall of Fame basketball coach, he’s a terrific ambassador for Michigan State University and Spartan Athletics,” Haller said. “He means a great deal to our university, our department, our community and Spartans around the world. Although his legacy is cemented with a championship-filled resume, it’s very clear that Coach Izzo’s hungry to accomplish even more and bring great pride to Spartans everywhere. Michigan State is beyond lucky to have Tom Izzo as our head basketball coach!”
Izzo is entering his 28th season as the Spartans’ head coach. He joined Michigan State as an assistant coach in 1983 and took over the head coaching position 12 years later. Izzo’s teams are 666-267 all-time, a winning percentage of .714.
The Spartans won the NCAA championship in 2000, the last Big Ten team to achieve the feat. They’ve been to eight Final Fours under Izzo, have appeared in a league-record 24 straight NCAA Tournaments and have won 10 Big Ten regular-season titles and six Big Ten Tournament titles.
–Field Level Media