Tom Izzo has shown unparalleled loyalty to Michigan State as the school's head basketball coach. Izzo initially joined the program as an assistant coach in 1983, a position he held for 12 years before becoming the head coach in 1995. Over his entire career, Izzo has only coached at two colleges, previously working as an assistant for his alma mater Northern Michigan before coming to Michigan State.
Izzo's strong loyalty to his basketball team does not necessarily translate extend outside of college basketball. In the NFL, Izzo unusually roots for both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, despite the two teams being NFC North foes, with a rivalry that stretches back nearly a century.
Though Izzo was born in Michigan, he grew up near the Wisconsin border and initially rooted for the Packers. When he began coaching at Michigan State, he started to pull for the Lions, especially when his longtime friend since childhood, Steve Mariucci, became the coach of Detroit in 2003.
"I still like the Packers ... I still pull for them," Izzo told Kay Adams on the Up & Adams Show.
"I still have my cheesehead."
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 20, 2025
Tom Izzo explains his NFL allegiance to the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.@heykayadams | @packers | @Lions pic.twitter.com/uA5HrIku1v
"I'm trying to stay in the times," Izzo explained. "I gotta adjust a little bit. I gotta tweak it a little bit. Doesn't mean that I've lost all my loyalty. When in Rome, do like the Romans and I'm in Michigan. I still got my cheesehead, but I just keep it on bait."
There is typically little love lost between Packers and Lions fans, but Izzo has proven to be an exception.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo Oddly Roots for Both Packers and Lions in NFL.
