Celebrating Homecoming history

MSU has celebrated Homecoming since 1914, when one football game each year would be designated as the “alumni game”. Tickets to the game were $2 and included a reserved seat and an alumni dinner. The name “home-coming” was first used in 1916, and more activities, like this parade held in 1921, soon followed as the event grew in popularity.

No game day would be complete without a halftime show featuring the Spartan Marching Band, seen here doing a classic “block S” formation during the 1953 homecoming game against Indiana. 

Spartans never shy away from a chance to flex their creative muscles, and Homecoming parades were a popular opportunity for students to make floats, sculptures, signs and most importantly, the very first Sparty costume. Though the iconic mascot was depicted in many forms since MSU took up the Spartan name in 1925, Theta Xi fraternity brothers Donald Pais, Kenneth Roberts and Don Bauer were the first to create a wearable iteration. Consisting of a papier-mâché head that weighed nearly 60 pounds, the Sparty costume was an instant hit.

Spartan spirit has always been an essential ingredient in MSU’s football strategy, and MSU cheerleaders are experts at energizing the crowd, whether in 1972 or 2022. During the ’72 homecoming game against the University of Wisconsin, the MSU cheer team certainly helped the Spartans along to victory.

One special element of homecoming is the grand marshal, a graduate or member of the MSU community who leads the parade and inspires past, present and future Spartans. Last year welcomed Barbara Ross-Lee, class of ’73, the first African-American female to serve as dean of a U.S. medical school. This year’s grand marshal is coach James Bibbs, the first African-American head coach at MSU and first African-American head track coach in the Big Ten. Photo by Derrick L. Turner.

We can hardly wait for this weekend, when the streets of East Lansing will be filled with Spartans young and old. Let’s cheer for the football team and enjoy the festivities — and be proud we get to call MSU our home. GO GREEN and happy Homecoming! Photo by Nick Schrader.