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Jud Heathcote's charm made him great, but he was the 'mother' of coaches

Related Topics: Jud Heathcote

Laura Trabka/Lansing State Journal

Mother’s Day will never be the same. Jud is gone.

Jud Heathcote, the former Michigan State basketball coach who gave the state the 1979 NCAA national championship and introduced us to Earvin (Magic) Johnson and Tom Izzo, died Monday in Spokane, Wash. He was 90.

Jud came to MSU from Montana in 1976 and the place hasn’t been the same since.

He came in throwing around one-liners like Rodney Dangerfield and went out the same way, 19 seasons later.