Tom Izzo was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2016, cementing his status as one of the game’s all-time greats.

Now in his 27th year, Izzo has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, including the 2000 NCAA National Championship, 10 regular-season Big Ten Championships, six Big Ten Tournament titles, eight Final Four appearances, eight National Coach of the Year awards and a Big Ten-record 23 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

These accomplishments, however, are not what make Izzo one of the best in the game, but rather it is his insatiable desire to accomplish more.

With a career record of 643-254, it’s easy to see that Izzo knows how to win, but he also knows how to win the right way. In his 26 years directing the Spartan program, 85 per-cent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last 22 years, 65 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees.

In 26 seasons, Izzo has returned Michigan State to national prominence, placed his name in the NCAA record books and become a leader among college basketball coaches.

Izzo’s 643 wins are fifth most by any coach in his first 26 seasons in the history of college basketball. In late November 2009, he passed his mentor Jud Heathcote (340 wins) to become MSU’s all-time winningest coach. When the Spartans beat Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Big Ten Tournament, Izzo won his 600th career game. He became one of only two Big Ten coaches with at least 300 conference wins when MSU beat Iowa, 78-70, on Feb. 25, 2020.

Full bio: https://msuspartans.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/tom-izzo/1115