Michigan State Football: Mark Dantonio shockingly announces retirement

Michigan State football is now looking for a new head coach with Mark Dantonio’s sudden retirement announcement on Tuesday afternoon.

The day that we all anticipated happening in the near future is here despite claiming that he wanted to coach at least another season. Mark Dantonio is retiring.

Just weeks after receiving his bonus, Dantonio made the decision to hang up the clipboard and head into retirement early, shocking just about everyone. This also comes less than 12 hours before National Signing Day, putting the entire program in limbo with a new class inking letter of intents.

Dantonio took to Twitter to thank Spartan Nation and to reveal his upcoming plans to remain with the athletic department in a special role.

The timing of this is interesting given his deposition and signing day on Wednesday, but the head coach didn’t feel like he needed to waste any more time mulling over his future. The time felt right and it’s actually not bad for the program seeing as there had been doubts about his ability to lead the program from certain fans.

Despite all the doubt and criticism he’s absorbed over the past few years, Dantonio can leave the program knowing that he had one of the most successful runs in school history.

In fact, he became the program’s all-time winningest coach, won a Rose Bowl, three Big Ten titles and made a College Football Playoff. He put Michigan State football back on the map during a time when the Spartans were desperate for any sort of exposure. He took a job at a program in shambles and turned it into a perennial winner and contender.

Dantonio deserves plenty of respect for what he’s done at Michigan State despite the last few years being disappointing. It’s time to build this man a statue.