Mark Dantonio did more to pull Michigan State football forward than any other coach in the school’s history.
Then, in announcing he was stepping down Tuesday — on the eve of National Signing Day via a letter posted on Twitter no less — he did plenty to shove it back.
Dantonio, 63, won 115 games at MSU, led the school to Big Ten titles, the Rose Bowl and even the College Football Playoff. He maxed out the place. Yet his run of excellence was clearly over the past few years — a 3-9 season in 2016, consecutive 7-6 campaigns in 2018 and 2019.