He's been cutting down nets and hanging up banners for 21 seasons as Head Coach for Michigan State.
And Monday, Tom Izzo got one more win, the election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
"To truly honor him on a national stage, is very appropriate. He's definitely earned the right and I'm proud for him. I'm happy for him, congrats!" said Andre Hutson who played under Coach Izzo from 1997 to 2000.
He was on the 2000 team that won the National Championship, what he considers the best four years of his life.
"Coach pushed us to levels that we never thought we could do. Things we got challenged in ways that we hadn't been challenged to up until that point," Hutson said. "He's just a great coach. He's very into what he does."
But, he said Coach Izzo cared about more than just the game.
"A lot of my basic, core principles, I learned from Coach and that's just really working if you want to achieve something. You've gotta put the time in and you have to work at it until it happens and it can happen if you truly believe and work at it," he explained.
Which was making it to the Hall of Fame for Coach Izzo, but he said he's not done.
"I got work to do now to live up to the standards of being in the Hall of Fame. Going out in the first round is not one of those standards," he said.
And, while Izzo has been down because of that loss, long-time fans are over it.
They told FOX 47 News because of Coach Izzo's countless accomplishments and the person he is, this honor was long overdue.
"He knows where he comes from, he knows his roots and he's just a genuinely hard working, sincere individual," said Dave Armstrong of the Class of 1981.
Dave Wyrick of the Class of 1976 added, "He's been such a strong advocate and spokesman for our great University. We're just thrilled that he's being able to get that recognition finally."
The MSU Alumni Association considers Coach Izzo part of the University's brand because everyone knows his name.
A spokesman said he helps draw donations to the University, but more importantly he influences great students to attend MSU.
Take a look at Tom Izzo's career by the numbers:
- He's led his teams to 7 Big Ten Regular Season Championships. He's one of only 5 coaches to win that many.
- He's also taken the Spartans to the Final Four 7 times. That ties him for 4th place all time.
- Michigan State's 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances is the 3rd longest active streak and the 4th longest in history.
- And, off the court, MSU says 84% of Coach Izzo's players have graduated.
