Mark Dantonio

Who is Mark Dantonio?

Mark Dantonio is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at Michigan State University, a position he has held since the 2007 season, presiding over one of the most successful eras in the program's history. He led the Michigan State Spartans to three seasons of 11 or more wins, two Big Ten Conference championships, and four straight victories over rival Michigan. In 2013, he coached Michigan State to its first 13-win season and the program's fifth trip to the Rose Bowl, where they defeated Stanford. This was only the second time a Big Ten team had reached the 13-win mark, the other being Ohio State's national championship season in 2002, where Dantonio was the defensive coordinator. The 2013 season also marked the first time a Big Ten team won nine conference games by double digits in each contest. From 2004 to 2006 Dantonio was the head football coach at the University of Cincinnati.

In 2006, Dantonio was hired as the Spartans head coach, returning to the school where he had previously served six years as an assistant coach under Nick Saban and Bobby Williams.