Hall-of-Fame coach Tom Izzo officially reached the 750-win mark, adding yet another milestone to one of the greatest careers in college basketball history.
Izzo has been the head coach at Michigan State since 1995. He’s been there for the highs and the lows — championships, crushing tournament runs, and the occasional early-round heartbreak. He’s watched stars come and go, and he’s turned plenty of scrawny kids into household names along the way.
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In the Izzo era, the Spartans have finished with a winning record in every season but one. In his first year at the helm, Michigan State went 16–16, finished seventh in the Big Ten, and won one game in the NIT. Read that again — Izzo has never had a losing season in East Lansing.
Tom Izzo Accolades
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27 straight NCAA Tournament appearances
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11 Conference Championships
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6 Conference Tournament Championships
The 2000 championship season holds a special place in many Spartan fans’ hearts. Personally, I remember being a nine-year-old punk finishing up fourth grade, wanting to talk about nothing but Michigan State basketball. Teachers tried to teach me fractions; I tried to teach them about MSU’s version of the Flintstones.
Art class? Didn’t matter what the assignment was — clay, markers, paint — you were getting a Spartan logo.
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I stayed up late watching games in my room on a six-inch black-and-white TV — the only television a kid could claim during Y2K. While my family binged VHS seasons of Friends before binge-watching was even a thing, I sat in my room studying Mateen Cleaves and Charlie Bell stats. But more than anything, I watched how demanding Coach Izzo was.
Without ever meeting him, I learned early that reaching goals takes work — real work.
And I’m far from alone. Tom Izzo didn’t just change my life; he changed countless lives. Players, fans, families, and people he’s never met have all been shaped in some way by his influence. For many, Izzo was a constant — a foundation — growing up.
Born and raised in Iron Mountain in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Izzo met his lifelong friend and future NFL head coach Steve Mariucci there. The two were teammates at Iron Mountain High School before becoming roommates at Northern Michigan University, where Izzo played guard from 1973 to 1977. In his senior season, he set a school record for minutes played and earned Division II All-American honors.
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Izzo is now the 49th coach in NCAA history to reach 750 wins. He sits just four victories away from tying former Michigan coach John Beilein and continues to climb. At 70 years old, Izzo still coaches with the fire of someone half his age — and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon.
If he reaches 800 wins, he’ll join a group of just 30 coaches in college basketball history. And let’s not forget: Michigan State’s streak of 27 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, which began in 1998, remains the second-longest active streak in Division I basketball.
Career Record:
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Overall: 750–303 (.712)
Izzo has also remained one of the strongest recruiters in the country. He brings in players who look like Spartans — athletes ready to commit to a program that will challenge and change them. That hasn’t slowed at all. Michigan State held the No. 1 recruiting class for months before Kansas recently nudged ahead, leaving the Spartans with a top-two class highlighted by one five-star and three four-star recruits.
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That depth will pay dividends next season.
Tom Izzo has reached 750 wins, but to him, it was just another night at the office. His eyes are still set on bigger goals. For now, though, it’s worth pausing to appreciate the GOAT — and recognize that we’re still watching a living legend.
