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Reuters
Michigan State University and Hall of Fame basketball coach Tom Izzo announced Thursday that they have agreed to a lifetime contract.
The deal is subject to formal approval at the next meeting of the Michigan board of directors in September, but it will not affect his coach, who has led the Spartans program since 1995. It is an official approval for
Officially, this is his five-year rollover contract with an average annual value of his $6.2 million and a gross value of his $31 million.
Izzo's contract put him with John Calipari of the University of Kentucky and Bill Self of the University of Kansas. Calipari agreed to a lifetime deal for him in 2019, and Self did the same for 2021.
this deal," Izzo said in a news release. “Not only is it going to be the best men's basketball, but it means a lot to me that the Board, President (Samuel L.) Stanley, (Athletic Director) Alan Haller, and the university continue to have faith in our program. Not only do we support the national teams, but we also play a role in helping all programs within the division to succeed.”
Haller said the new deal will allow Izzo to continue for 12 years. He said it reaffirms the promise he made earlier when he declared he would be a Spartan for life.
"Tom Izzo is not only a basketball Hall of Fame coach, but a great ambassador for Michigan State University and the Spartan Athletics," Haller said. “He means a lot to our university, our faculty, our community, and Spartans around the world. While his legacy is cemented with a championship-filled resume, , It's clear that Coach Izzo is hungry to achieve more and bring great pride to Spartans around the world.Michigan State University is extremely excited to have Tom Izzo on board as head basketball coach. Lucky for you!”
Izzo is entering his 28th season as head coach of the Spartans. He joined Michigan State University in 1983 as an assistant coach and assumed his coaching position 12 years later. Izzo's team's all-time winning percentage is his 666–267 with a .714 winning percentage.
The Spartans won him the NCAA championship in 2000. This is the last Big 10 team to accomplish this feat. Under Izzo, they have appeared in eight Final Fours, a league-record 24 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, and won 10 Big Ten regular season titles and six Big Ten Tournament titles.
– Field Level Media
