“You never give yourself the credit”: Tom Izzo’s daughter Raquel Izzo pens heartfelt letter for MSU coach after his historic achievement 

Tom Izzo set a record on Saturday, as the Michigan State legend topped Bob Knight for the most Big Ten conference coaching victories in league history.

In three decades at Michigan State, Izzo has built an amazing legacy, one that got him inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. But some close to Izzo say that the numbers are only the beginning.

His daughter, Raquel, said in an Instagram post:

"Everyone knows the highs.... Most people don’t see the grind you put in every day to be the best you can be, the sacrifices, sleepless nights. You never give yourself the credit, never making it about you but the truth is players do not always reach their untapped potential without great coaches to help lead and guide them, not just on the court but almost more importantly off it.... It’s not who you are on the court but who you are off the court to your players, staff, and fans that make you special," wrote Raquel Izzo.

The family tribute was a telling moment of Izzo's memorable day as he seems to be a well-respected presence both on and off the court.

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Tom Izzo's career

Tom Izzo played at Northern Michigan and spent two seasons as a high school coach in Michigan before returning as an assistant coach. He then became a part-time assistant coach at Michigan State in 1983 at just 28. Other than a brief two-month offseason sojourn at the University of Tulsa, Izzo stayed at Michigan State until 1995, when he was hired to replace Jud Heathcote.

Heathcote was an MSU legend, the coach who led the team to the school's first NCAA Tournament title with Magic Johnson in 1979. Izzo replaced him and has never left the school since then. In his fourth season, he took the Spartans to the 1999 Final Four. The next year, Izzo led the team to an NCAA Tournament crown.

Izzo has won 727 games at MSU, including 354 Big Ten victories, now a league record. He has led the Spartans to eight Final Four appearances, 10 Big Ten regular season titles and eight Big Ten Tournament titles.

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Tom Izzo's current team

Tom Izzo turned 70 last month and hasn't reached a Final Four since 2019. But his Spartans team is 20-5 and ranked No. 11 in the AP poll. State has lost three of its last five games, but Izzo's team has generally overachieved on the season.

Izzo's trademark defense is evident this year. MSU has held opponents to 39.9% shooting and just 28.9% from 3-point range (eighth best in the nation). The Spartan defense could add yet more achievements to Izzo's legendary resume.

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