The 2012 Spartan Nation Awards! Spartan of the Year, Coach of the Year, Male & Female Athlete of the Year and Interview of the Year!

Spartan Nation 2012 Yearly Awards  Spartan of the Year: MSU AD Mark Hollis Hollis was not only recognized as the AD of the year nationally in 2012, he

Spartan Nation 2012 Yearly Awards

 

Spartan of the Year:Â MSU AD Mark Hollis

Hollis was not only recognized as the AD of the year nationally in 2012, he continued to be the single most important person in MSU athletics since John Hannah. The innovative leader somehow avoided the political mine fields of Michigan State and continued to maneuver his way to unprecedented success.

 

He and his incredible wife Nancy not only gave with countless long hours, but from their checkbook. The Hollis family gave $1,000,000 to Michigan State. How much more can he do? If Hollis had a President and a Board of Trustees that left him alone with the mandate of win, don’t cheat, and keep MSU athletics in the black, the possibilities would be endless.

 

How valuable is Hollis? Let me share a story that the Spartan Nation doesn’t know. I was in Arizona for the bowl game. I was sitting and enjoying a nice meal. I know that’s a shocker.  A gentleman at the table next to us saw my Spartan Nation shirt. He asked me about it and we struck up a conversation.

 

As we talked I learned that he was a Nike executive in the area for the Christmas and New Year season. As I broached the subject of Hollis doing a tournament to honor Phil Knight the conversation turned into a lengthy diatribe on how great Hollis is.

 

The man then proceeded to tell me this. “He turned us down once. We offered Mark (Hollis) a job. Phil (Knight the founder of Nike) loves him and the next offer will be for even more money and a lot more responsibility. Next time Phil won’t accept a no. With all that he does for that school compared to what you all are paying him, look around the country, you’re stealing his services. He is the best AD in the country, and that is a fact.” Spartan Nation confirmed both the man, his role with the company and the offer.

 

Hollis is nationally respected. In fact, of all the people at MSU right now, Hollis carries more weight (yes even more than Izzo) nationally in the athletics and business world. He always has Michigan State at the top of that constantly working brain and for all that he has done and will do, he is our 2012 Spartan Nation Spartan of the Year.

 

 

Male Athlete of the Year:Â Torey Krug, Hockey Defenseman

Most people would automatically think that this was Draymond Green and that is a great choice. 99 out of 100 years he would win it, but not this year. Tom Anastos inherited a devastated Spartan hockey program. It was in terrible shape.

 

They had no right even getting to .500 last year, let alone the NCAA tournament. A great new coach and staff came in and they had a group of players that had been through some tough times. One player, the leader and the motivator, stepped up and bought in. Had Krug not bought into Anastos, there was ZERO chance the team did.

 

Torey Krug didn’t win the Hobey Baker (think Heisman on Ice) but he should have. Michigan State’s undersized, but bigger than life leader bought into Anastos from day one and his teammates followed his lead. In the classroom, on the ice, and off the ice, Krug became another coach, a role model, a friendly big brother, and a butt kicker and along with the incredible new staff led this team to an improbable NCAA birth and one of the single greatest team seasons in MSU history.

 

MSU hockey is struggling this year, like they should have last year. Because hockey recruiting is so far ahead, I predicted this for three years. No one should be dismayed with the current hockey season. Anastos and his amazing staff will fix Spartan hockey, but for one year the gutsy Krug led the way.

 

He is now in the NHL, but among Spartan greats, Krug’s name should rest firmly. Draymond was amazing, but in a sport that gets far less attention, his star burned even brighter.

 

Female Athlete of the Year:Â Lauren Wicinski, Outside Hitter VolleyballÂ

This star transfer came in and flourished at MSU. She has more awards to show off than a third world dictator, but you would never know it. See her off the court with her gentle smile and calm demeanor and you would never even get the hint that she plays volleyball like Ray Lewis plays football.

 

Wicinski attacks the volleyball and does things to it that would send her to prison for life if it was alive. The volleyball team had an amazing year under Coach Cathy George, but Wicinski was the straw that stirred the drink. The Spartans made a great NCAA run that she led.

 

Wicinski came in and it is tough when you are a transfer. Not only are you adjusting to new people, but when you are as good as Wicinski, there can be a lot of jealousy. Her single mindedness and focus on the court and warm demeanor off of it helped the Spartans have a great season.

Coach of the Year:Â Damon Rensing, Soccer

Destroyed with injuries, the MSU soccer team had no shot at the NCAA tournament or a Big Ten title. Frankly, a last place finish would have been understandable with all of the adversity they faced. Well, don’t tell that to Rensing.

 

He kept coaching, prodding, and at times he was a counselor, a jailer, a motivational speaker, and mostly a teacher. Then he took them down to the last game in a battle for the B1G crown and an NCAA berth. He willed the Spartans to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

 

The Spartans not only made the dance, but somehow advanced to the second round. Behind a true freshman Texan goalie, Rensing through duct tape, super glue, tough love, and an amazing will led his team where they had no business going.

 

Certainly, Anastos was worthy of this award, but unlike Anastos, Rensing had no Torey Krug. A great group of guys, but not the assistance of a leader like Krug. It was an amazing ride for the coach and Spartan alum.Â

 

Sometimes great seasons don’t end with a national championship; a fact lost on many fans. This soccer coach had an amazing campaign and although he won’t take the credit, without him there is no way it happens.

 

Interview of the Year:Â Alan Harris, Father of MSU LB/RB Darien Harris

In our history we have never given this award to a non-athlete, coach, or significant athletic figure. I am not saying being a father is insignificant, and Harris did play football at Virginia Tech.  I think you understand what I am saying however in context.

 

This was a bad year for MSU football. There are many reasons. Every team has proverbial problem parents and football is the same. With bigger numbers you can see it manifest itself more, but even though toxic parents are FAR from the majority, this year they seemed to show themselves more. Not Harris.

 

He came on Spartan Nation Radio and proceeded to take over the airways in a way I have never seen or allowed. He went on a 35 minute teaching session that would have made Barbara Walters cry. He spoke from a place of experience as a former player, with the heart of a loving father and directly took to school toxic parents, false expectations, and the role of being a parent and trusting the coach.

 

In all of our mediums, radio, TV, print and internet, I have NEVER heard anything like it. It was so good that a friend of mine who is a head coach at another BCS school, starting this fall is going to play it each year for his incoming freshman parents.

 

If it had been a rock concert he just won a Grammy, a movie he won the Emmy, a football game he won the Super Bowl. It was funny, it was sad, it was direct, and it was amazing. Years from now when we select the winners of this award, they will be judged by that interview. It was the best of my career and I did almost nothing.

 

Alan Harris is a successful businessman, a great athlete, and good guy. The titles he is more proud of are husband and dad. That humility, mixed with his common sense and intellect, win him the 2012 Spartan Nation interview of the year.

 

We will be replaying the Alan Harris interview tonight on Spartan Nation Radio in the 7 PM EST time hour. CLICK HERE to listen live on the Internet from anywhere in the world.