[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 14, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E146-E147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING MSU MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH TOM IZZO FOR HIS 700 WINS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 14, 2024

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to a legendary member 
of the Michigan State University community: head coach of the men's 
basketball team, Tom Izzo. Now in his

[[Page E147]]

29th year as head coach and his 41st overall year with the team, Coach 
Izzo recently added another accomplishment to his already impressive 
resume with his 700th career win, all of them with the Spartans. It was 
quite a present for Izzo to reach this milestone on his 69th birthday, 
however his dedication to the Spartans, to the MSU community, and to 
his home state of Michigan is the gift he continues to offer to us all.
  Growing up in Iron Mountain in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, young Tom 
Izzo dominated his high school football, track, and basketball teams. 
He didn't know it at the time, but his decision to focus on basketball 
at Northern Michigan University not only changed his life, but changed 
the course of the history of the sport. A tireless worker from the very 
beginning, it's no surprise that Tom Izzo went on to be named an All-
American and established the Wildcat record for most minutes played in 
a season.
  Northern Michigan University is also where Izzo began his collegiate 
coaching journey, serving as an assistant until a position opened up at 
Michigan State University. There, he worked under legendary coach Jud 
Heathcoate until his retirement, and in 1994 was officially named head 
coach of the Spartans.
  His incredible statistics could fill volumes: Izzo led his team to 
the 2000 NCAA National Championship, 10 regular-season Big Ten 
Championships, six Big Ten Tournament titles, eight Final Four 
appearances, eight National Coach of the Year awards and a Big Ten-
record 25 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. When the Spartans were 
selected for the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Izzo became the first men's 
basketball head coach in history to lead his team to 25 consecutive 
appearances. He is MSU's all-time winningest coach, with his 
accomplishments enshrined in both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall 
of Fame and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. And now, he joins an 
elite group of fewer than 40 Division 1 coaches to achieve 700 career 
wins.
  So beloved by students is Tom Izzo that students must camp out to 
join the highly coveted ``Izzone'' section of the Breslin Center, 
resulting in a sea of green and white tents and a 24-hour revival-style 
demonstration of support and love for the section's namesake. And when 
tragedy struck campus one year ago and a gunman claimed the lives of 
three students and injured several others, it was Izzo's voice the 
community turned to in the hours and days after the shooting. At a 
campus-wide vigil, he encouraged each and every Spartan to confront 
fear and to stand together. ``We need each other,'' he told us. ``For 
40 years I've always believed that at Michigan State, we are at our own 
strongest when we are together.''
  That night, Tom Izzo described himself as ``just a basketball 
coach.'' But he is so much more. A true leader and teacher, Coach Tom 
Izzo has brought so much more than hundreds of basketball wins to 
Michigan State University; he has brought stability, unity, and 
healing. Tom Izzo personifies the characteristics of the ancient 
Spartans, who were known for being prepared, methodical, jovial, loyal, 
and courageous. His heart beats to the tune of ``Victory for MSU'' and 
his blood runs pure Green and White. With abiding gratitude, it is my 
honor to recognize his service here, in the United States House of 
Representatives.

                          ____________________