CBS Sports Picks a Mt. Rushmore for Michigan State Football – The Only Colors
Past trumps present for Spartans honorees.
It’s always fun to talk about who would make the Mt. Rushmore for any given team during the offseason, and CBS Sports has now chosen its own version for the Michigan State Spartans.
We’re in a historically successful era of MSU football, but the site’s Tom Fornelli decided figures from the past most deserve their face in stone. Three of the choices hail from the 1960s, and one played his college football in the ’80s.
Michigan State football’s Mt. Rushmore: Present is great, past was better https://t.co/osor2Om4gP pic.twitter.com/DfNchXOHwi
— CBS Sports CFB (@CBSSportsCFB) June 8, 2016
The chosen figures are defensive back George Webster (1964-66), running back Lorenzo White (1984-87), defensive end Bubba Smith (1964-66) and head coach Duffy Daugherty (1954-72).
Here is what Fornelli had to say about each figure:
George Webster, defensive back, 1964-66: Webster was called “the greatest football player I ever coached” by Daugherty, who also said Webster “doesn’t tackle people, he explodes them!” Webster played a position called Roverback, which Daugherty created for him; he was a combination safety-linebacker, a hybrid we see a lot more of today. Many consider Webster the greatest Michigan State player of all time, as the Spartans went 23-6-1 in his three years as a starter, winning two national titles. After leaving Michigan State, Webster would be chosen fifth overall by the Houston Oilers in the 1967 AFL Draft. Webster’s No. 90 was the second number Michigan State retired.
Lorenzo White, running back, 1984-87: The most accomplished running back in school history, White’s name is all over the program’s record books. He’s the Spartans all-time leader in rushing yards (4,887), rushing attempts (1,082), rushing touchdowns (43) and 100-yard games (23). The 4,887 career rushing yards still ranks fifth all-time in Big Ten football history. He rushed for 2,066 yards as a sophomore, becoming the first Big Ten rusher to ever break the 2,000-yard mark, and he’s still the only Spartan who has been able to accomplish the feat. He rushed for 292 yards in his final home game against Indiana, leading the Spartans to a 27-3 win and clinching the team’s first Big Ten title and trip to the Rose Bowl since 1966.
Bubba Smith, defensive end, 1964-66: A teammate of Webster’s, Bubba Smith was a giant defensive end for the Spartans before giant defensive ends became the norm. When he stepped on the field standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing in at 280 pounds, Bubba stood out. He almost did not play at Michigan State, however, because the native Texan wanted to play at Texas. Unfortunately for the Longhorns and fortunately for the Spartans, Texas could not offer him a scholarship since the Southwestern Conference had yet to be integrated.
Smith dominated on the field as a leader of its Gang Green defense, doing so as Michigan State fans would chant “Kill, Bubba, Kill!” The Baltimore Colts made Smith the first selection of the 1967 NFL Draft. Following his football career, Smith gained a new form of fame, starring as Moses Hightower in the Police Academy movies.
Duffy Daugherty, coach, 1954-72: Daugherty spent 19 seasons at Michigan State, going 109-69-5 in the process. He won two recognized national titles in 1965-66 (the school claims two more in 1955 and 1957), and was also one of the first coaches to field a racially integrated team. Daugherty also led the Spartans to eight straight wins over rival Notre Dame from 1955-63, a win streak matched only by Michigan (1887-1908) and USC (2002-09) against the Irish.
With Mark Dantonio continuing to make his mark on the Spartans program, it’ll be interesting to see if he can eventually carve his own face on the mountain.