MSU AD Bill Beekman on the Football Team: ‘They’re Ready to go’
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's been a long road for Mel Tucker and the Michigan State football program.
"We hired coach (Tucker) on February 12, which was the press conference, and by March 13, we were shut down," Beekman said.
They've missed out on significant opportunities, including their annual spring game, practices, fall camp, and barely hit the practice field before the Big Ten decided to pull the plug on fall sports.
However, Wednesday morning, the league announced the reversal of their decision, and Big Ten football is set to begin October 23-24.
About Tucker, Michigan State athletic director Bill Beekman said he couldn't think of "a more tenacious (person), more resilient, and who's taken circumstances that were sort of unimaginable for a first-year coach and tried to turn every lemon into lemonade."
Tucker is known for being a positive person – positivity is something he preaches to his team.
It's one reason why the Spartan football team accepted and understood the conference's initial decision.
"He has a ferocious can-do spirit … he's excited," said Beekman.
But there's only so much the players and coaches have been able to do up until this point, and in the words of Beekman, "That obviously gets old."
Now, it's time to work.
"The coaches, the students – they're ready to go," Beekman said. "They are going to be hard to hold back, and I think they are very excited to have the opportunity to play." '
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