Tom-Izzo
Tom Izzo | Biography

Quick Wiki

  • Full Name Tom Izzo
  • Occupation Basketball Head Coach
  • Nationality American
  • Birthplace Michigan, USA
  • Birth Date Jan 30, 1955
  • Age 69 Years, 1 Months
Basketball Head Coach

Tom Izzo | Biography

Tom Izzo is the longest-tenured basketball coach at Michigan State, working since 1995

Izzo is the 91st coach to date to have a record of 500 career victories with just 10 seasons in Division I. He was also named one of the best 10 coaches in the modern college basketball era following his victories by Jay Bilas of ESPN. 


Tom Izzo is the basketball head coach for Michigan State University.

Who is Tom Izzo?

Tom Izzo is a National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) coach, who works for Michigan State University. He has been working with the University since 1995.

How old is Tom Izzo? 

Tom Izzo was born on 30 January 1955 in Iron Mountain, Michigan. He is 66 as of 2021. 

He grew up playing football and basketball with his best friend and former NFL head coach, Steve Mariucci. They were roommates at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Izzo played for the men’s basketball team as a guard from 1973 to 1977. He was named a Division II All-American for setting a school record for minutes played.

Career

Izzo started his coaching career after graduating from The University of Northern Michigan. He was hired as a head coach for one season at Ishpeming High School. Between 1979 and 1983, he worked as an assistant coach for Northern Michigan University. 

He then briefly worked as an assistant coach at the University of Tulsa for a period of 2 months in 1986 and returned to Michigan State to become head coach at Siena College. Izzo was appointed as associate head coach by Jud Heathcote in 1990. After Jud’s retirement in 1995, and with the recommendation from Jud and Michigan State Athletic Director, Izzo was promoted to the head coach of men’s basketball at Michigan State University.

Today, Tom Izzo is the longest-tenured basketball coach at Michigan State. He has also bagged most of the wins for the University. He surpassed the record set by Heathcote on 29 November 2009, with 341 wins. 

Izzo won his first of six Big Ten Championship in 1998 with MSU. The same year, he led MSU to 22 NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1999, he became one of the three coaches to make three consecutive Final Fours since 1985, when the NCAA tournament bracket expanded to 64 teams. 

In 2000, Izzo won the first NCAA national championships with MSU with an 89-76 win over Florida. He also led MSU to the finals of the national championship in 2009 but ended up losing to North Carolina with 89-72. 

Izzo was approached by many clubs such as the Atlanta Hawks, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Cleveland Cavaliers for the head coach position throughout his career. In 2010 he briefly worked for Cleveland but returned to Michigan within a few months.

Izzo is the 91st coach to date to have a record of 500 career victories with just 10 seasons in Division I. He was also named one of the best 10 coaches in the modern college basketball era following his victories by Jay Bilas of ESPN. 

With eight Final Four appearances and a national championship, Tom Izzo was honored with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on 4 April 2016. 

Wife

Tom has been married to Lupe Marinez Izzo since 1992. The couple has two children, a daughter, Raquel, and a son, Steven. 

Steven is an adopted son of Izzo. He is set to walk on his father’s step. He joined the MSU program in 2019 as a walk-on player. 

Height

No information is available about Izzo’s height.

Net Worth

The head coach has garnered a net worth of $13 million in his career. His annual salary is $3 million. 

Izzo owns an 8000-square-foot home in East Lansing, near Michigan State University. He also has a lakefront property worth $1.6 million on Spring Lake, Michigan.

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