The last time Mark Dantonio was in Dallas, his Spartans left town with a 38-0 beating from Alabama in the school's first appearance in the College Football Playoff and the Tide would eventually go on to bring home the national title.
Yesterday, Dantonio left The Lone Star state with some good news, and some hardware after being honored with the Gene Stallings Award at the Dallas Country Club. Dantonio is the fifth recipient of the award that honors those in the coaching profession who "who are also humanitarians and strive to promote healthy, vibrant communities through charitable and community service efforts," according to MLive.
In nine seasons in East Lansing, coach Dantonio has been very active in the community and he has volunteered countless hours as the honorary chairman of the Children's Miracle Network and Sparrow Children's Center and has hosted telethons for the organizations and proceeds from the Spartans annual women's clinic go to charity.
As a tribute to Stallings' late son (who had Down Syndrome), the award raises money for children with disabilities and has raised over a million dollars since being established five years ago.
Dantonio joins coaches like Mark Richt, Dabo Swinney, and Mack Brown as other guys who have received the prestigious honor.
Using coaching as a platform to do great things in the community is something that so many coaches do without asking for anything in return, but it's good to see an award named after the legendary Gene Stallings recognize FBS coaches doing honorable deeds.