On this day in 1945, Michigan State unveiled the original Sparty statue, symbolizing decades of Spartan athletic spirit and achievement.
TRANSCRIPT
Standing at post in front of Michigan State’s athletic establishment, is a huge statue that symbolizes the university’s athletic achievements. The Spartan was originally dedicated on this day in 1945. Sparty was first envisioned by Ralph Young, Michigan State College’s then athletic director in 1932. Inspired when he saw the bronze Trojan on campus of the University of Southern California. With the help of Assistant Art Professor Leonard D. Jungwirth, the Sparty statue began to take shape. He was sculpted and cast in 3 sections out of terracotta clay. Fired, fused, and filled with concrete with help from the Grand Ledge Clay Products company. In all, weighing in at 3 tons and standing ten and a half feet tall, it was one of the largest freestanding ceramic figures in the world. But Michigan’s harsh winters took a toll on the terra cotta, the sculpture eventually had to be relocated indoors. However, in 2005, a new Sparty went up where the original one stood. An exact bronze casting of the original, this new Sparty should withstand the test of time.