Denny Stolz, a former Michigan State head coach who was honored as B1G Coach of the Year, has died. He was 89.

Stolz may be most remembered for big wins over Ohio State in 1974 and against Notre Dame in 1975. The Spartans were 19-13-1 in 3 seasons under Stolz (1973-75), including back-to-back 7-win campaigns in 1974 and 1975.

Stolz joined the MSU staff in 1971 and served as the defensive coordinator for the final two seasons of Hall of Fame Coach Duffy Daugherty’s career before he was named the program’s 16th head coach on Dec. 13, 1972.

After going 5-6 in his first season as head coach in 1973, the Spartans bounced back to finish third in the B1G in 1974 with a 6-1-1 mark in league action (7-3-1 overall) as Stolz earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. MSU closed the season on a five-game winning streak, including the win over top-ranked Ohio State on Nov. 9 in Spartan Stadium. That win was fueled by Levi Jackson’s 88-yard touchdown run with 3:17 left in the game to lift MSU to a 16-13 win over the Buckeyes.

MSU finished the season ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the UPI poll, the best finish for the Spartans in 8 years.

Michigan State went 7-4 in Stolz’s final season in East Lansing in 1975, highlighted by a 10-3 victory at No. 8 Notre Dame on Oct. 4.

Stolz later coached at Bowling Green State and San Diego State.