Everything Mark Dantonio said at his press conference following resignation
Mark Dantonio shocked the college football world on Tuesday, announcing he was stepping down as the head coach at Michigan State after 13 seasons with the program.
Dantonio released a statement on Tuesday via Twitter. Later in the evening, he held a press conference to talk about his decision and answer questions from the media about the sudden choice to step away from the game.
Dantonio leaves the program as the all-time winningest head coach and won three B1G titles and reached the College Football Playoff in 2015. Michigan State played in 12 bowl games during his 13 years in East Lansing.
Here’s everything Dantonio said in his press conference on Tuesday evening:
Mark Dantonio: "I think that my legacy, as defined by me, will not be by wins and losses — although there's a lot of them. It'll be about the relationships I made with the players."
— Dustin Schutte (@SchutteCFB) February 4, 2020
Mark Dantonio said there were times he didn't feel the joy of being a college head coach.
— Dustin Schutte (@SchutteCFB) February 4, 2020
Mark Dantonio: I will miss our coaches, I will miss our players.
— Dustin Schutte (@SchutteCFB) February 5, 2020
Dantonio says “zero. No relevance whatsoever” with Blackwell lawsuit on his decision.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 5, 2020
Mark Dantonio on coaching search: People will run to here. They'll crawl here.
— Dustin Schutte (@SchutteCFB) February 5, 2020
Mark Dantonio asked if he thinks he left Michigan State in better shape than he found it: "I think it's pretty safe to say."
— Dustin Schutte (@SchutteCFB) February 5, 2020
Dantonio on what he wants his players to remember him for:
"I told them the truth — good or bad. I told them how it was and I was real with them. I was a mentor to them. I was somebody there to help them grow as people. That's my goal. That's always been my goal as a coach."
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) February 5, 2020
Dantonio asked if he would've handled anything different in recent years if he could: "No, I don't think I would. I don't look at life like that."
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) February 5, 2020
Dantonio said the next coach at Michigan State needs to be able to recruit this area of the country, know about the program and possibly have experience in the Big Ten.
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) February 5, 2020
Dantonio says he “tried very hard not to say anything negative” about Curtis Blackwell. Rebukes follow up question about Robertson. “We’re not gonna talk about that here. This is a celebration.”
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 5, 2020
Mark Dantonio ends the presser by thanking players and coaches — past and present. Says they made his time in East Lansing special.
— Dustin Schutte (@SchutteCFB) February 5, 2020
