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| Mike Hart will be present for the dedication ceremony |
The ES was at today's press conference, at the Administration Building on the East Lansing campus next to the Red Cedar River, and took these notes:
"We have previously discussed building a statue in honor of Mike Hart," stated president Simon. "But, because of the lack of private funding, we did not move forward with the project. However, considering the victory yesterday, coach Dantonio's 8-3 record against that school 60 miles down the road, and more specifically, his comments after the game... well, we decided it was time to revisit this need." (see 3:46:00 at the video she referenced)
President Simon noted several needs for the project, including the dominance of Michigan State over Michigan in running the ball against Michigan during the Dantonio era. She provided an interesting side to her comments: "Excuse me," she quipped. "Once again, we dominated the line of scrimmage. When will the media report this correctly? MSU has gained nearly 2,000 yards rushing against Michigan since Mark took over. Just consider - what has the other school has accomplished?" With the statement, Michigan State released a chart (below) showing MSU having actually gained 1,923 yards rushing compared to Michigan's 988 yards rushing since coach Dantonio began his tenure at Michigan State in 2007.
"It is time for the Spartan Nation to stand up and support this effort," said Simon. "We love Mike Hart and his contributions to Michigan State University."
