EAST LANSING – They came from Beaumont, Texas and Fayetteville, North Carolina. From Anderson, South Carolina and Roanoke, Virginia. Bubba Smith, Jimmy Raye, George Webster, Charlie “Mad Dog” Thornhill and more.
They came to Michigan State as trailblazers and left as champions with an enduring legacy. The Spartans’ 1965 and 1966 teams not only won back-to-back national titles, they were instrumental in the integration of college football. And last week, those squads were formally inducted into the Michigan State athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 class as the first full teams honored.
“It’s unbelievable that it’s happening some 60 years after the fact but better late than never,” said Raye, who quarterbacked the Spartans to their 1966 title. “I’m really proud of the effort to get this done by the committee that championed this cause and gives all the teammates that were part of that ‘65-’66 team, that run, it gives them a chance while they’re still here to smell their flowers and deservedly so.” Nearly 60 players from those teams returned to campus last week and gathered inside the Clara Bell Smith Center.
They arrived with smiles and family members, then swapped stories with their former teammates. “It’s amazing,” said Raye, who was individually inducted into the hall of fame in 2018. “It’s like we went to practice yesterday, came back and just started right where we left off.
Great friendships, great camaraderie, a band of broth.