With the Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team taking home the 2026 NCAA National Championship, the Capitol Collection gives us a peek into what may lie ahead for the team.
The Wolverines last won the title in 1989. The rival Michigan State Spartans won it all in 2000. But the state’s first taste of March Madness glory came in 1979, when the Spartans won it all and made their way to the Capitol to celebrate!
Mobbed by thousands of fans on their three-mile trek from East Lansing to Lansing down Michigan Avenue, the Parade of Champions welcomed home the victorious Spartans to the capital area on March 28, 1979.
Spartans head coach Jud Heathcote commented “there must be more than 10 million people in Michigan, ‘cause I just waded through more than that.” Attendees of that celebration recall a dense and unruly crowd. The high-profile players maneuvered their way through the packed lawn and mass of people and up the Capitol steps where Governor William Milliken was waiting.
Governor Milliken, House Speaker Bobby Crim, and a myriad of legislators and state officials greeted the Spartans on the front stairs. Milliken spoke to the crowd, saying “as long as I’ve been governor of this state, I’ve never seen so much enthusiasm as this… it’s a great day.”
Next, the team made their way inside, where Speaker Crim and Representatives David Hollister and Lynn Jondahl presented the players and coach with concurrent tribute resolutions honoring their achievement.
“With a suddenness that has been rivaled only by their swiftness on defense and their precision fast breaks, the Michigan State University Spartan Basketball team... have abruptly and dramatically redirected basketball fortunes in East Lansing...” the resolution read.
The House was in session as star players Gregory Kelser and Lansing-native Earvin “Magic” Johnson sported Capitol visitor ribbons and spoke from the House rostrum. Johnson even commented on the speculation that he would turn pro and leave MSU after two seasons – which he did. Kelser also enjoyed the comfort of a member’s desk.
Coach Heathcote addressed the House, saying “this is a great thing for our team because when we see that many people interested, we know we’ve come a long way.” The statewide appeal was confirmed with the far-reaching crowd outside, with high school boys’ and girls’ basketball semifinalist teams and bands gathered from as far as Saranac.
Upon attempting to leave, the team’s bus broke down. As the crowd was thinned out, the players awaited their new bus from inside Clerk of the House Thomas Thatcher’s Capitol office. They were ultimately shuttled away through the North Annex – mobbed by adoring fans.
Watch the madness surrounding the Parade of Champions at the MSU Archives and Historical Collections: https://onthebanks.msu.edu/Object/162-565-2376/parade-of-champions-1979/.
-Jacob McCormick, Capitol Photo Archivist
