Unbelivable The Michigan State Spartans basketball team’s former head coach, Jud Heathcote, has announced his return to the team.
Jud Heathcote, a longtime men’s basketball coach at Michigan State, passed away on Monday at the age of 90. His most well-known accomplishment was leading Magic Johnson and the Spartans to victory over Larry Bird and Indiana State in 1979 and the national championship.
Coach Tom Izzo of Michigan State praised Heathcote in a statement, calling him “one of the most influential people in my life.” When Heathcote decided to step down as coach in 1995, Izzo assumed control of the program.
Izzo’s entire comment is available here.
The loss of Jud Heathcote has made the basketball world a more depressing place today. Jud was the one who was most concerned about the success of the game. He was a mentor to many and a coach’s coach. We have the utmost compassion and sorrow for his wife, Beverly, and the Heathcote family.
He was, without a doubt, one of the most important individuals in my life because he gave me a chance when nobody else would. He is the reason I have ever been successful as a coach. He remained one of the first people I would call when faced with a difficult coaching or personal issue, even after leaving Michigan State.
Today, Michigan State lost one of its icons. Nevertheless, nothing will ever be able to lessen his influence on the program, the athletes he trained, and the coaches he helped. Jud Heathcote made Spartan basketball what it is today.
In a statement, Mark Hollis, the athletic director at Michigan State, referred to Heathcote as “among the best teachers I had the opportunity to be around.”
Heathcote was hired by the Spartans in 1976 as their head coach following his five seasons at Montana, where he won two Big Sky conference championships. Following a disappointing inaugural campaign in East Lansing, the team improved to 25-5 the following year and advanced to the Elite Eight after bringing in a gifted young freshman in Earvin “Magic” Johnson in 1977.
Then, in 1979, Heathcote coached Johnson and the Spartans to a 26-6 record and the national championship, marking the pinnacle of his career. Under Bird, Indiana State went into the championship game undefeated, but Michigan State defeated them 75-64 to finish their streak.
