Mark Dantonio | April 21, 2021

From April 21, 2021: On the 33rd episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by Michigan State legend Mark Dantonio. But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll), where the guys talk about the dramatic story that led to Morten choosing Michigan State as his college over Purdue way back in 1978. We then move to our interview with Mark, where he discusses a wide array of topics: why it was so important to get successful NFL alumni back in the fold with the Michigan State program; playing his college ball at South Carolina, and the long path Mark took to becoming a head coach at the Division 1 level; what it was like playing with Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers; why working under Jim Tressel at Ohio State was so important for him in his development as a football coach; which coaching jobs helped shape his coaching philosophy; winning a BCS National Championship as defensive coordinator at Ohio State; why working for Nick Saban at Michigan State was like working in a lab; how difficult it was to leave Cincinnati to become head coach at Michigan State; Michigan State’s unbelievable streak of 80-straight years of having a player selected in the NFL Draft; how he was able to use iPhone videos to motivate his team in two of their most successful seasons; his special relationship with Tom Izzo and Mark Hollis; why his biggest regret might be his decision to retire when he did; his interest in the coaching vacancy at South Carolina this offseason; and a birthday message from Morten to his friend Mark. Then, TommyFreezePops is joined by Thom Cunningham for his weekly check-in with the experts from VegasInsider.com. This week is a special expert-segment, as Thom breaks down the 93rd Academy Awards from a gambling perspective. How will the impact of the pandemic over the past year have an impact on this year’s awards show? What does Thom think is the safest bet ahead of this year’s Oscars? What category does he think is the most up-for-grabs? Finally, we close things out with Morten’s “Game Winner” – a weekly segment where Morten monologues his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, he talks about his friend Mark Dantonio, and why if you give him a place to stand, he’ll move the world.