The Greatest Spartans Of All Time

I’ve recently been asked who the greatest Spartan athletes of all time were. No, I did not come up with a top ten, nor a top five. To be honest, I felt it too difficult to rank and thus compare the careers of the likes of Charles “Bubba” Smith, Scott Skiles, Andre Rison, Steve Smith, Lorenzo White, Percy Snow, and even Kip Miller among others. Instead, I narrowed it down to two. While you may have beef with my runner-up, I don’t think anyone’s arguing with my leader of the pack.

Though he would have been unfit to take over Gerard Butler’s role as King Leonidas in the movie 300, Earvin Johnson is indeed the unquestionable leader of all Spartan greats. Living up to his nickname, “Magic” did things with a basketball never seen before by Spartan and basketball fans alike. Jenison Fieldhouse (MSU’s basketball facility prior to the Breslin Center’s existence) became not only a place to watch basketball games, but also a place to watch Magic.

Johnson’s 1979 team defeated Larry Bird and Indiana State to win the program’s first ever NCAA national championship in basketball. It was that year that he solidified himself as an iconic figure in the land of green and white, and it was then that he put the school’s basketball program on the map.

As evident by his success in the NBA following a career at MSU, winning one title wasn’t enough for the 6’9 point guard. He had to go and win five more, and unanimously categorized himself as an all-time great in the process. And as if his 1979 Big Ten MVP and NCAA tournament MVP were not enough, he proceeded to mess around in the League and earn himself three regular season MVP’s and three NBA Finals MVP’s to go along with five rings, twelve all-star appearances, 9 all-NBA first team selections, four NBA assists titles, and two NBA steals titles among many other things (such as gold medals, a retired jersey number, two statues in his honor, and consideration for being the greatest point guard to ever pick up a ball). It isn’t just Magic’s resume, moreover, that makes him the greatest Spartan athlete to ever live. His personality is what puts him over the top.

Magic has a personality that has allowed him to transcend time and keep himself a consistent poster child of the NBA despite retiring 17 years ago. Whether you know him for advocating for AIDS, intensifying the most fervent chapter to the NBA’s fiercest rivalry (Celtics vs. Lakers), his wide-sized smile, or his dazzling ball handling skills and sky hook (which he stole from Kareem after the big man tried it in a game of H-O-R-S-E against Johnson), you certainly know who he is. He’s an iconic figure, who will forever be remembered by the basketball gods, Lakerland, and most importantly, Spartan Nation. He is without a doubt, the greatest Spartan athlete of all-time.

Who trails Magic, you ask? Well, to answer that, we have to leap sports and consider the pigskin. For me, I simply need to meander across my family tree to find the answer.

Brad Van Pelt is your man.

He was not only one of the greatest Michigan State athletes to ever compete, but he was also the busiest. Brad earned seven varsity letters while playing football, basketball, and baseball at MSU. He did not just participate in each sport, but flourished in all three. He did not coast, but he worked his tail off and wound up an All-American or honorable mention All-American in all three of America’s favorite sports.

Brad Van Pelt was described by many as all business come game time, and did not have the boisterous personality to transcend the game like Magic has done with basketball. The unfortunate part about the career of my father’s cousin is that it’s often forgotten or ignored by the younger generation. If he would have played in the ESPN era, however, then his name would surely be remembered by sports fans of all generations. While a number of people my age have never heard of Brad, a number of people twice my age won’t stop asking me about him. This is because the Owosso, Michigan native played at State from 1969-72, which is certainly before my time. I did, however, get to meet the man and have also been fortunate enough to hear plenty of Brad-based stories from my Dad, who seems to admire the former man of steel.

Brad was great on and off the field. While he was a light-hearted, easy-going person when the pads were off, he was as tough as nails under the lights. He excelled in three sports (which played an intricate role in me putting him #2 to Magic), but ultimately made the football field his domain, as well as the platform for which he would make a career out of.

After being the first defensive back to ever win the Maxwell Award (which goes to College Football’s best player nationwide), he was selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft and went on to enjoy a 14-year NFL career in which he was voted to five Pro Bowls. He was a man-among-boys, standing about 6’5 and 230 pounds (which was more significant in the 70s and 80s than it is today). BVP was also the hardest-hitting safety in college football when he wore the Spartan helmet, and an even harder hitting linebacker when he played for the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants in the NFL.

Brad spent most of his professional years with the G-Men in New York, an organization that didn’t take his talents for granted. In 2011, just six years after he was nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, The Giants honored their former linebacker at halftime of a game against the Packers by inducting him into the New York Giants Ring of Honor.

He’s my second greatest Spartan, moreover, not for what he did in the NFL but for what he did while still a Spartan. And he certainly did a lot. Brad Van Pelt is currently in the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Sports Hall of Fame at Michigan State. It’s safe to say such honors are well deserved. Though Brad is no longer with us today, his legacy lives on with the Michigan State University football program, who’s current dominating defense surely would have made him proud.  I am honored to say I am related to the greatest Spartan football player who ever lived.

Pay is for Professionals

     In today's wealth-driven society, college athletes are no different than anyone else insofar as they too have money-chasing instincts and aspirations. Over the past three years, especially, the debate on whether or not collegiate athletes should be paid or not has crept its way to the forefront of popular discussion in the sports world. Not only are people starting to go to bat to try and get things changed for these 18 to 22-year old's, but these athletes have begun speaking up for themselves. What they do not realize, however, is the effect such a change would have on the purity of their sports. Paying college athletes could potentially ruin the sports that we know and love for years to come.
     Before long, the games would be dominated in number by those who don't play for the love of the game, but for the money that comes with the game. When the reason for playing is altered, so too is the game. Sure, if the NCAA were to start paying its players it could start with a small stipend, but stipends would lead to an increased number of Reggie bush-like scandals, because it would only be a matter of time before schools start surreptitiously increasing their "stipends" and using their "stipends" to purchase some wheels for the new freshmen on campus. Furthermore, stipends most likely would (eventually) lead to salaries and contracts and negotiations and so forth. And if the amount of money being granted to players would defy the odds and not increase annually -- if it stayed small -- then should that small amount really be enough to create a fuss and debate about this matter in the first place?
     Paying players would create an unnecessary, extra incentive for high school athletes to push toward the collegiate ranks. I deem it unnecessary because college athletics are built for those who are completely in love with their sports. The die-hard athletes who dedicate their lives to the sports are the athletes who bring the most passion to the games. Those who chase money -- well -- they chase money. They might certainly like and enjoy their sports, but they don't eat, sleep, and breathe them. When athletes can sacrifice their bodies and give their coaches, selves, fans, and teammates their all in each competition knowing they won't make a single cent doing so, that's when special happens. Special doesn't happen when people play a sport for the sake of making money...and if we begin to pay our athletes, the amount of money they will be making would certainly increase over time, and as a result, they will both subconsciously and consciously be drawn to "Mr. Green".
     Scholarships should be enough for college athletes. Why do they need a stipend to simply play the game they love? Sure, they entertain sports fans nationwide. So do six-year old's playing little league. Will we need to pay our toddlers to play too? You might laugh at such a statement but the politics and snowball effect that would follow paying college athletes could make such an erroneous situation possible. Sooner than later, high school athletes would also be asking for paydays. Why should college ball players get it and not those in high school? Just because they're not on video games?
     Rather than demanding money for having their jersey number put on a college football game, athletes should consider it an honor (rather than something they ought to demand cash for). Further more, if college athletes get paid, at what level do we draw the line?
     Does every team get an equal amount of pay? Does that mean NCAA D3 athletes deserve to make as much as NCAA D1 athletes? If so, then what is the purpose behind paying them? And if not, then players will without a doubt make their way to whatever schools fill their pockets to a satisfactory level. As a result, rivalries would be ruined.
    Rivalries are arguably the best part about college sports. Do we really want athletes avoiding their favorite schools in order to go elsewhere because more money might be elsewhere? If this occurs, the amount of guys and girls playing for schools they've had tremendous pride in since childhood would be diminished, and therefore the intensity and genuineness of the passion in various rivalries would also  decreased.
    Lets consider the rivalry Duke and North Carolina have in basketball. For the sake of such a rivalry, its best when Duke recruits future Blue Devil players who are genuinely in love with the school and grew up as honorary members of the Cameron Crazies from inside their homes, and UNC brings in guys and girls that simply hate royal blue and love baby blue. This allows the passion to remain in the rivalry. What if, however, each team brings in players who simply join the school because the money drew them there. Would the passion still exist? This is a question I hope we never have to answer, because if the answer is no, then rivalries would surely take a hit...which would be to the disadvantage of sports fans everywhere. If schools begin divvying their wealth amongst their athletes, then it won't be just rivalries being ruined, but sports as a whole will take a hit. College athletes are already getting scholarships, so any further pay should remain solely for professionals.