Tom Izzo to speak at the Governor Jim Blanchard Public Service Forum

September 9, 2024 - Becky Jensen

(East Lansing, MI) – Tom Izzo, Men’s Basketball Coach for Michigan State University, will be Governor Jim Blanchard’s special guest at the Blanchard Public Service Forum on Tuesday September 24th. The conversational Q and A style event begins at 7:30pm at the Wharton Center in East Lansing. 

Tom Izzo was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2016, cementing his status as one of the game’s all-time greats. The upcoming 2024-25 season will mark his 30th as the Spartans’ head coach. 

 Izzo has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments in 29 seasons as head coach of the Michigan State men’s basketball program, including the 2000 NCAA National Championship, 10 regular-season Big Ten Championships (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2019 and 2020), six Big Ten Tournament titles (1999, 2000, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019), eight Final Four appearances (1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2019), eight National Coach of the Year awards and a Big Ten-record 26-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.  

 “While he is one of the all-time greats in college basketball, it’s Coach Izzo the man, we are honoring.  He is known for his devotion to our Spartan Nation. We will honor Coach Izzo for being a wonderful and hugely successful, goodwill ambassador for MSU for decades” said Governor Jim Blanchard. 

Tickets are $25 for the general public and $5 for MSU Students and are available for purchase at whartoncenter.com 

For media requests, please contact Becky Jensen, 989-277-8912, or jensenr7@msu.edu. 

The Governor Jim Blanchard Public Service Forum is housed in the Department of Political Science, within the College of Social Science at Michigan State University. 

About the College of Social Science at Michigan State University: Our Science transforms the human experience and inspires leaders. We are working to advance engaged learning and societal well-being through academic excellence and top tier research. Learn more at socialscience.msu.edu. 

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