1. Tom Izzo has led the Spartans to eight Final Fours in the NCAA Tournament, which include the NCAA National Championship in 2000 and a Runner-Up finish in 2009.
29 Facts About Tom Izzo
1. 2.
Tom Izzo's teams have won 11 Big Ten regular season titles and six Big Ten tournament titles in his 30 years at Michigan State.
3.
Tom Izzo has the most wins in school history and has appeared in 27 consecutive NCAA tournaments, the longest streak of tournament appearances ever by a coach at one school.
4.
Tom Izzo has never had a losing season as a head coach.
5.
Tom Izzo is the longest-tenured coach in the Big Ten Conference and his teams are often recognized for their rebounding prowess and defensive tenacity.
6.
Tom Izzo has won 11 regular-season conference titles, tied with Ward Lambert and Bob Knight for the most in conference history.
7.
Tom Izzo has won the most Big Ten tourney titles in conference history.
8.
On March 8,2022, Tom Izzo surpassed Bob Knight for the most wins by a men's basketball coach at a Big Ten school with 663.
9.
On January 30,2024, Tom Izzo earned his 700th career win.
10.
On February 15,2025, Tom Izzo again passed Knight, this time for the most Big Ten conference wins in history with 354.
11.
Tom Izzo, who is of Italian and Finnish descent, was born and raised in Iron Mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, near the border of Wisconsin.
12.
At Northern Michigan University in Marquette, where they were roommates, Tom Izzo played guard for the men's basketball team from 1973 to 1977.
13.
Tom Izzo then took an assistant coaching job at Northern Michigan University from 1979 to 1983.
14.
Tom Izzo was then named a part-time assistant at Michigan State in September 1983.
15.
Tom Izzo became the coach with the most wins in school history after winning his 341st game on November 29,2009, to surpass Heathcote.
16.
In 1999, Tom Izzo won his first of six Big Ten tournament titles, and went to his first Final Four, the first of three straight Final Four appearances, joining Krzyzewski and Ben Howland as the only three coaches who have made three consecutive Final Fours since the NCAA tournament bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
17.
In 2013, Tom Izzo was voted as the fifth angriest coach in college basketball by USA Today Sports, an honor that he cherishes.
18.
On November 26,2015, Tom Izzo won his 500th career game, all with Michigan State, with a win over Boston College in the Wooden Legacy.
19.
On January 28,2016, Tom Izzo won his 513th career game moving him into second place past Gene Keady all time for wins by a coach in the Big Ten, at the time trailing only Bob Knight.
20.
On February 26,2022, with a win over the No 4-ranked Purdue, Tom Izzo tied former Indiana coach Bob Knight for the most wins all-time at a Big Ten school.
21.
The contract solidifies that Tom Izzo will be a "Spartan for life".
22.
Tom Izzo chose former Maryland head coach Gary Williams to introduce him at the Hall of Fame ceremony.
23.
Tom Izzo was inducted into the Hall of Fame on September 9,2016.
24.
Tom Izzo's teams are known for strong guard play, toughness and rebounding.
25.
Tom Izzo is famed for his "war" rebounding drill, in which the players wear football helmets and shoulder pads.
26.
One of Tom Izzo's former assistants was a head coach in the NBA:.
27.
Tom Izzo was head coach of the USA Basketball men's team that took fourth place at the 2003 Pan American Games.
28.
In 2005 and 2006, Tom Izzo participated in Operation Hardwood, in which college coaches went to Kuwait military camps to coach basketball teams of American service members.
29.
Tom Izzo has been married to his wife, Lupe Marinez Izzo, since 1992.