EAST LANSING – Former Michigan State basketball coach Gus Ganakas died Friday morning. He was 92.

Ganakas coached the Spartans from 1969-76, going 89-84, and laid the groundwork to land Magic Johnson before he was fired and replaced by Jud Heathcote.

“You’ll learn all you need to about Gus when you look at the way he handled being replaced as head coach,” current MSU coach Tom Izzo, who kept Ganakas around the program, said in a statement. “Most of us would have wanted our replacement to fail, hoping it would make us look good. But that wasn’t who Gus was. Instead, he made sure that the local high school superstar Earvin Johnson knew that Michigan State was still the right place for him to attend and that new coach Jud Heathcote was the right guy to play for. As they say, the rest is history. But there is no doubt that Spartan Basketball wouldn’t be what it is today without Gus Ganakas.”

The Mount Morris, New York, native graduated from MSU in 1949 and earned a master’s degree in 1950 – both in physical education – after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, including seeing action in the Battle of Okinawa.

Ganakas went on to coach East Lansing High’s boys basketball team to the state championship in 1958 before joining the MSU Ralph Young Fund (Spartan Fund) in 1964. He became a men’s basketball assistant in 1966 and took over the program in 1969 when John E. Bennington died of a heart attack that September.

There were rocky moments during Ganakas’ tenure, including a walkout of 10 black players before the Spartans’ game against No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 4, 1975 over what at the time was perceived to be a racial disagreement because Ganakas was starting a local white player.

Ganakas would be fired as part of sweeping changes to the athletic department in the summer of 1976, along with then-football coach Denny Stolz, who quit. Athletic director Burt Smith was removed from his post the previous October.

However, Ganakas remained part of MSU’s athletic department as an assistant athletic director from 1976-98 and then served as an aide to Izzo from 1998-2000.

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

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“Gus would go on to play a major role in any coaching success that I’ve enjoyed,” Izzo said. “Early on, he was on my staff and provided a great sounding board for a first-time head coach. Throughout most of my career he also served as the analyst on our radio broadcasts, where he could always find the good in our performances, and tried his best to cheer me up despite how upset I might be.

“But most importantly, Gus has helped build the family atmosphere within Michigan State basketball. The connection between our past and our present is the best of any program in the nation because of Gus.”

MSU football coach Mark Dantonio also expressed his condolences and gave prayers to Ganakas’ family.

“I got to know Gus when I was an assistant here and he was still working in the athletic department,” Dantonio said in a statement. “He was always a positive person and a great representative of Michigan State. Gus was a true Spartan who stood the test of time."

After Ganakas left the bench, he remained involved with the basketball program as a color analyst on the Spartan Sports Network until health issues forced him to quit that job before the 2017-18 season.

“For 20 seasons, we were broadcast partners – a partnership that would turn into one of the greatest friendships of my life,” Will Tieman, MSU’s play-by-play announcer from 1992-96 and since 2002, said in a statement. “You couldn't help but love Gus. He was truly one of the greats of the greatest generation"

Ganakas received the Men’s Basketball Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2002, and the team MVP award was renamed in his honor in 2017.

“Gus was one of the most selfless and positive people that I’ve ever been around. … His impact on the entire Spartan family will continue to live on,” Izzo said. “And if there are ever tough times in heaven, they now have the perfect guy to make everyone feel just a little bit better.”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!