Michigan State Football: Top 50 players of all time
11. Andre Rison
For a short period in June 2015 through November 2015, Michigan State fans were looking forward to the idea of another Rison (Hunter, Andre Rison’s son) joining the program as a receiver and attempting to break some of his dad’s all-time marks. The famous No. 1, Andre, had an incredible career with Michigan State and translated that to the professional level as well.
Nicknamed “Bad Moon”, the legendary receiver is near the top of many categories in school history including fifth in receptions (146), second in yards (2,992), third in yards per catch (20.5) and fourth in touchdowns (20). He will be there for quite some time as all of those numbers have held up for some time.
Rison also played on the 1988 Rose Bowl champion team and had 34 receptions for 785 yards and five touchdowns that season. His best year, though, came in 1986 as a sophomore when he caught 54 passes for 966 yards and five touchdowns. He rounded out his career as a senior with 39 receptions for 961 yards and eight scores.
Michigan State wasn’t exactly a pass-heavy program at the time, so his numbers would have been much more impressive and he would likely still be No. 1 all-time in receiving at MSU if the Spartans gave him more of an opportunity to thrive in the offense.
The Indianapolis Colts selected him No. 22 overall in 1989 and he went on to catch 743 passes for 10,205 yards and 84 touchdowns in the NFL. Quite possibly the most successful Spartan receiver of all time.
Next: 10. Kirk Cousins