A year after leaving radio, Gus Ganakas is missed by Tom Izzo and Michigan State community

EAST LANSING – At first, the 91-year-old former Michigan State basketball coach laughed when asked what Tom Izzo means to him.

Seconds later, Gus Ganakas is overcome with emotion.

"He brought me out of some doldrums," Ganakas said softly, fighting back tears.

What Ganakas may not realize is what people like Izzo have gained from his humble presence and encyclopedic knowledge.

Now a year removed from radio broadcasting, ending a more than 30-year career, Ganakas is still adjusting to life without a headset.

He says he's content. Izzo and others with ties to MSU still struggle with Ganakas' decision to walk away. It's been about a year since he's seen a game live.

The Spartan family wants Gus back.

"He could've gone to some games (this season)," Izzo said of Ganakas. "He knows enough that he's not where he was (health-wise), and didn't want people to see him (this season) or know him that way."

Is there a way to eventually bring Ganakas back for at least one game?

Izzo and others will certainly try.

For now, Ganakas says he's content watching the games on TV in his East Lansing home and listening to the Spartan Sports Network's broadcasts.

“I just sort of retired," Ganakas said smiling, while sitting in a chair last week at his home. "I got tired of hearing myself."

Ganakas' decision to leave broadcasting as a color commentator was based on input from his family.

Health played a big factor.

Ganakas is at a stage of life where he's learning how to live with loss. Ruth Ganakas, his wife of 67 years, passed away in 2014.

Now Ganakas, known for his love of golf and exercise, struggles physically to do what he used to.

He hasn't driven a car in at least six months.

He relies on a walker or wheelchair to get around.

He's had two heart surgeries the past couple months.

His short-term memory fails him; he started forgetting the names of Izzo's players last season.

RELATED:

Tropf returns to MSU 40 years after player walkout

Unbeaten East Lansing eyes first state title in 59 years

Heathcote's defining Michigan State moments

However, Ganakas, a former Marine, said there's no fear.

"Scared?" Ganakas said loudly with a grin. "I've been in World War II for chrissakes! The Battle of Okinawa, the occupation of China!"

What's still present is Ganakas' basketball archive of a mind.

He can rattle off names of the best Spartan players over the past 100 years.

He also recalls some of broadcasting's forgettable moments.

There was that time when he said, "For Gus Ganakas, I'm Tom Izzo!"

"How did you remember that?" Ganakas asked a reporter chuckling.

Last month, Bob Chapman, one of Ganakas' former players, caught up with the old coach at his East Lansing home.

It was long overdue, Chapman, who played at MSU from 1974-78, said.

He describes Ganakas as a master motivator who "instilled beliefs in me that I didn't think even existed."

Ganakas was fired as MSU coach in 1976 and reassigned to an administrative position in the athletic department.

Chapman left Ganakas' house last month thinking the former coach is "content with where he's at" and that it's time for MSU to organize something to honor him.

One idea Chapman has is to hoist a banner at Breslin Center with Ganakas' name on it.

“We’re great at acknowledging people when they’re deceased," Chapman said. "Something should be done to honor him while he’s still here.”

Ganakas' legacy goes beyond numbers.

Over seven seasons as MSU coach, he compiled a record of 89-84.

His most successful seasons were in 1973-74 with a fourth-place Big Ten finish and the following season when the Spartans posted a 17-9 overall record. It was the program's second-highest victory total at that time.

What's more meaningful to those around him are the accomplishments that can't be tracked on paper.

Ganakas was one of the first MSU coaches to compile a roster of predominantly black players.

It was considered a move ahead of its time in the early 1970s, said Chapman, who is black.

Three years after Ganakas was fired from his job in 1976, Jud Heathcote won a national title with several key black players the former coach recruited.

That included Greg Kelser, still the only player in program history to score more than 2,000 points with more than 1,000 rebounds. He played from 1975-79.

Ganakas also served as a listening ear for Heathcote and Izzo.

Reflecting on the challenging journey to the Spartans current 29-4 record and Big Ten title, Izzo said last week he misses Ganakas' "life skill lessons."

Izzo said Ganakas, at his best, would've helped him handle plenty of highs and lows.

Izzo has seen his place of employment since 1983 struggle to recover from the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal.

And an ESPN report that alleged Izzo and football coach Mark Dantonio failed to properly discipline players who were accused of assault put the sports teams in the spotlight. Both Izzo and Dantonio deny the allegations, although hours before the report surfaced, Mark Hollis, Izzo's friend for over 30 years, stepped down as athletic director.

(Gus Ganakas gets emotional when asked about Tom Izzo. Story continues below.)

"I could've used Gus this year," Izzo said. "I swear to God he would've helped me through this. He really would have.

"Jud would have told me the brash way to go and Gus would've had the 'I understand this, I understand that' kind of approach. (Ganakas) would've just been valuable. He was valuable to me; I was just blessed."

No matter what adversity Ganakas has faced, he's expressed unwavering gratitude for those willing to lend a hand.

As he said last week, "I've lived quite a life."

After Ganakas was fired from coaching in 1976, or as he put it "reassigned," he was encouraged by Heathcote to pursue broadcasting.

Izzo took over the program in 1995 and made it clear he didn't want Ganakas going anywhere.

"I’ve said, 'As long as I'm here he's got a job,'" Izzo said.

The dedication and love Izzo has shown Ganakas touches his family.

His son, Gary Ganakas, said Izzo has probably added "at least another 10 years" to his father's life.

"How many broadcasters are out there in their 80s?" Gary Ganakas said. "Forget the 70s, he blew by those.

"Can you think of anybody else in college basketball who would allow somebody to do that?"

Izzo said he never felt pressure from MSU's administration, donors or athletics sponsors to encourage Ganakas to stop working.

Will Tieman, Ganakas' former broadcast partner, hasn't either.

Tieman choked up last week when asked what it's been like this season to call games without one of his best friends.

"There's not a day I don't think about him," Tieman said.

There are no longer those moments when Ganakas would ask Izzo questions at games that usually had a positive spin.

That upbeat style of interviewing encouraged Izzo to try and look on the bright side, especially after forgettable first halves and devastating losses.

"I'd be like, 'No, I'm asking you, Gus,'" Izzo said laughing. "'What silver lining can you find?"

After more than two decades on the air with Ganakas, Tieman said he's got too many "Gus stories" to declare one his favorite.

Tieman's laughs during a phone conversation last week changed quickly to a somber moment of reflection.

He wants Ganakas to reconsider Izzo's standing offer to return for a game.

“You find such a fabulous individual, and you watch them struggle," Tieman said, "and you get almost selfish because you want them to be with you.”

If Ganakas doesn't want to be part of a broadcast he can still sit courtside, or anywhere else, and just watch.

Izzo has offered to have team managers take him to a game, drive him to the loading dock area of an arena so he doesn't have to travel far and drive him back home.

Tieman hopes Ganakas eventually takes Izzo up on the deal.

Gus needs to know how much he's loved, Tieman said.

"The door is open," Tieman said. "The welcome mat has never gone away.”

Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact Eric Lacy at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.

Getting to know Gus

Gus Ganakas, 91, is considered the elder statesmen of Michigan State's men's basketball program. Below are some facts about his life.