"Just two Hall of Famers!": MSU's Tom Izzo and former football HC Mark Dantonio snapped in heartfelt moment

MSU men's basketball coach Tom Izzo and former football coach Mark Dantonio were captured on Instagram sharing a warm embrace. This came during Dantonio's induction to the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame and for his admission to the Spartans Ring of Fame on Sunday at the Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.

Tom Izzo's daughter, Raquel Izzo-McDonald, posted the heartfelt moment on her Instagram stories with the caption:

"Just two hall of famers!!!"

MSU men's basketball coach Tom Izzo and former football coach Mark Dantonio (Image Source: @raquelizzo15/Instagram)

Mark Dantonio coached MSU from 2007-2019 where he went 114-57 (69-39 in Big 10). He guided the Spartans to a 13-1 record in 2013, winning the Rose Bowl over Stanford, 24-20.

The former South Carolina defensive back also helped Michigan State win the Outback Bowl (2011), Cotton Bowl (2014), Holiday Bowl (2017), the Pinstripe Bowl (2019) and three Big 10 titles.

He announced his retirement on Feb. 4, 2020, but returned to the Spartans as associate coach in September 2023 following the suspension of Mel Tucker and the appointment of Harlon Barnett as interim coach.

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Tom Izzo's special message to Mark Dantonio at his Ring of Honor induction

Dantonio and Izzo (Image Source: IMAGN)

MSU coach Tom Izzo was one of the guests during Mark Dantonio's special day and delivered a message to the former Spartans' college football coach.

"I appreciate the friendship, I appreciate the support. And I’m going to be excited to share with you some incredible coaching honors that you’re receiving this weekend."

Izzo will start his 30th season as the Spartans' coach. He aims to surpass the team's 20-15 record (10-10 in Big 10) and a second-round finish in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

MSU will take part in the expanded Big 10 Conference that welcomed former Pac-12 teams UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington into the fore. The Spartans went to Spain last month and played three exhibition games against European teams. They went 2-1 with wins against Madrid and Valencia All-Stars.

Michigan State will have two more preseason games against Northern Michigan on Oct. 13 and Farris State on Oct. 29. The Spartans open the regular season with two home games against Monmouth on Nov. 4 and Niagara on Nov. 7 at the Breslin Center.