| Wins against Kentucky - 1 | Losses against Kentucky - 1 |
Alma Mater: Michigan State [1949]
Hometown: Mount Morris, NY
Date Born: July 3, 1926
Date Died: January 11, 2019
Overall Record: 89-84 [7 Seasons]

Obituary - Detroit Free Press (January 12, 2019)

Ex-MSU Coach Ganakas Dies at 92

Laid groundwork for Magic Johnson era

by Chris Solari

EAST LANSING - Former Michigan State basketball coach Gus Ganakas died Friday morning. He was 92.

Ganakas coached he Spartans from 1969-76, going 89-84, and laid the groundwork to land Magic Johnson before he was fired and replaced by Jud Heathcote.

"You'll learn all you need to about Gus when you look at the way he handled being replaced as head coach," said current MSU coach Tom Izzo, who kept Ganakas around the program, in a statement. "Most of us would have wanted our replacement to fail, hoping it would make us look good. But that wasn't who Gus was. Instead, he made sure that the local high school superstar Earvin Johnson knew that Michigan State was still the right place for him to attend and that new coach Jud Heathcote was the right guy to play for. As they say, the rest is history. But there is no doubt that Spartan Basketball wouldn't be what it is today without Gus Ganakas."

The Mount Morris, N.Y., native graduated from MSU in 1949 and earned a master's degree in 1950 - both in physical education - after serving in the Marine Corps during World War II, including seeing action in the Battle of Okinawa.

Ganakas went on to coach East Lansing High's boy basketball team to the state championship in 1958 before joining the MSU Ralph Young Fund (Spartan Fund) in 1964. He became a men's basketball assistant coach in 1966 and took over the program in 1969 when John E. Bennington died of a heart attack that September.

There were rocky moments during Ganakas' tenure, including a walkout of 10 black players before the Spartans' game against No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 4, 1975, over what at the time was perceived to be a racial disagreement because Ganakas was starting a local white player.

Ganakas would be fired as part of sweeping changes to the athletic department in the summer of 1976, along with then-football coach Denny Stolz, who quit. Athletic director Burt Smith was removed from his post the previous October.

However, Ganakas remained part of MSU's athletic department as an assistant athletic director from 1976-98 and then served as an aide to Izzo from 1998-2000.

"Gus would go on to play a major role in any coaching success that I've enjoyed," Izzo said. "Early on, when he was on my staff and provided a great sounding board for a first-time head coach. Throughout most of my career he also served as the analyst on our radio broadcasts, where he could always find the good in our performances, and tried his best to cheer me up despite how upset I might be."

"But most importantly, Gus has helped build the family atmosphere within Michigan State basketball. The connection between our past and our present is the best of any program in the nation because of Gus."

After Ganakas left the bench, he remained involved with the basketball program as a color analyst on the Spartan Sports Network until health issues forced him to quit that job before the 2017-18 season.

"For 20 seasons, we were broadcast partners - a partnership that would turn into one of the greatest friendships of my life," Will Tieman, MSU's play-by-play announcer from 1992-96 and since 2002, said in a statement. "You couldn't help but love Gus. He was truly one of the greats of the greatest generation."

Ganakas received the Men's Basketball Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2002, and the team MVP award was renamed in his honor in 2017.

"Gus was one of the most selfless and positive people that I've ever been around. ... His impact on the entire Spartan family will continue to live on," Izzo said. "And if there are ever tough times in heaven, they now have the perfect guy to make everyone feel just a little bit better."

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