Michigan State University's football history is overflowing with famous, interesting, and colorful figures. From Gideon "Charlie" Smith, who in 1913 became one of the nation's first black collegiate players, to George Webster, the "Greatest Spartan of All Time," to Morton Andersen, who still holds the Big Ten record for longest field goal-they are all Spartans. Earl Morrall, Bubba Smith, Lorenzo White... the list goes on. Added to this list of tremendous players are legendary coaches like the "Biggie" Munn and Duffy Dougherty. And who could forget the famous 10-10 tie with Notre Dame in 1966 or the Rose Bowl victory over Southern Cal in 1987? Spartan tradition is more than the coaches and players on the field, however, and Michigan State Football: They Are Spartans offers many rare images and long-forgotten anecdotes about how the program became a player on the national stage. The early days as a farm college team, the development into a football power as an independent, the successful struggle to join the Big Ten conference, and of course, the historic rivalry with a certain team from Ann Arbor are all recounted in the pages of this book.

When African-American Quarterback Jimmy Raye enrolled at Michigan State University in 1964, he was much more than a student athlete: he was part of a groundbreaking movement that changed college football forever. The Michigan State team with a progressive head coach, a pioneer black quarterback, and the first fully integrated roster in college football is the subject of this engrossing new book by award-winning author Tom Shanahan.Michigan State was a world away from Raye's hometown of Fayetteville, N.C. -- both in miles and culture. In his junior season in 1966, Raye was Michigan State's first black starting quarterback and the first black quarterback from the South to win a national title. The story of Raye's journey, as well as those of his Spartan teammates and coach Duffy Daugherty, is told in Raye of Light: the first book to fully explain Duffy Daugherty's Underground Railroad and its impact on college football.

Did you know that the Michigan State Spartans have a fierce rivalry with the University of Notre Dame? Each time the two teams play, they compete for the Megaphone Trophy. Learn more about this college team’s history, traditions, uniforms, team records, coaches, and legendary players in Michigan State Spartans, part of the Inside College Football series.

After winning 13 games in 2013 and 11 in 2014, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio was anything but satisfied. Dantonio announced in the summer that his 2015 team’s motto would be, “reach higher.” The Spartans did just that. Behind quarterback Conner Cook and one of the nation’s top defenses, Michigan State survived a few early-season scares before statement wins over rivals Michigan and Ohio State set up a Big Ten championship game match-up against Iowa. In Indianapolis, MSU scored on an epic final drive to secure the conference championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Reaching Higher is the story of how Coach Dantonio elevated Michigan State into college football’s elite, told through images and stories from from The State News, Michigan State’s award-winning student newspaper. This commemorative edition highlights the key moments and stars from the Dantonio era in East Lansing, from Dantonio’s hiring in 2007 to the thrilling overtime win over Georgia in the 2012 Outback Bowl to the 2013 Big Ten championship season and Rose Bowl win to the program’s College Football Playoff berth in 2015. Also including features on stars Cook, Kirk Cousins, Le’Veon Bell, and others, Reaching Higher is an essential read for every Spartans fan.

Reviewing a record that few schools can match--11 national championships, 42 conference championships, three Heisman Trophy winners, and countless All-Americans--this sports history spotlights the University of Michigan's football legacy. The book presents 122 years' worth of action captured by the school's student-run newspaper, the Michigan Daily, drawing from the devoted reporters and photographers who covered the sidelines. Featuring stories and images that were originally published in the periodical, the account presents a record of these young journalists' outstanding work as well as a must-have keepsake for anyone who ever strolled the campus in Ann Arbor or attended games at Michigan Stadium. The school's legendary coaches, greatest players, and most memorable victories are related, from the teams of Fielding Yost and Fritz Crisler through the Bo Schembechler and Lloyd Carr eras to Brady Hoke's current bowl-winning club. Conducting a spectacular journey through the past of one of college football's top programs, this is an all-inclusive companion for die-hard UM fans.

Here Whitney and Kourtakis examine Michigan State football, on and off the field in the Perles years. They interviewed professors, athletes, and coaches to bring the MSU football program and its controversial coach to life. Profiles of some key players whose tangles with their opponents and sometimes the law this fascinating reading.