The Fighting Illini are coming to town. Surprisingly, it’s going to be a tough test. And the Spartans will have 2 first-time-Spartan_Stadium attendees who will be cheering them on. Nominations were accepted and they poured in. There were so many people I wanted to give the tickets to… if you aren’t going to use your tickets in the future, please let me know – I’ve got a few “deserving” kids who would love to use them.
I had to make a choice. And the winners of the tickets are: Angie White and her son, Dion Mite. I hope they have as enjoyable time as my son and I did against Notre Dame.
From the nomination letter that came in from Deb Dault of Chelsea:
“I know a young man who is crazy about football and has never had the chance to the inside of a college stadium. Dion lives in Chelsea with his mom. See, not everyone in Chelsea lives in a $250,000 home with a mom and a dad and two late model cars in the driveway and a family income to support such a lifestyle. But that’s probably ok with Dion, because what he does have is a mom who has dedicated herself to loving him and giving him a great childhood.
Dion and his mom live on the family farm and share expenses with Dion’s aunt and his cousins. Dion’s mom works the early shift as the Admitting Rep in the Surgery Department of Chelsea Community Hospital because she can be out of work early enough to pick him up from school. I admire her tenacity and depth of her love. She’s possibly the nicest person and best mom I have ever known, and the love between her and her son is palpable. She pays her bills on time, manages to keep the car running, drives Dion to peewee football, makes sure he eats well, and helps him with his homework every day after school.”
The original offer of 2 tickets and $25 in spending money was upped by another $25 by Holt Lutheran’s Principal Dan Burk and was upped again by Reno’s. Reno’s is giving Angie and Dion a dinner for two at Coach Dantonio’s Radio Show, as well as a t-shirt for Dion.
They are looking forward to getting there early Saturday morning, watching the band come to the Stadium and everything else that makes Spartan Saturdays so special.
From Angie’s email when she found out that they won:
“When I picked my son up from school yesterday I told him the news that we had won tickets to the MSU football game, he was so excited and happy. We stopped by to see Deb and give her lots of big hugs. I know I don’t always get the opportunity to have a memory like this with my son and trust me it won’t be forgotten! I appreciate this so much… we will surly have an awesome time!
GO SPARTANS!!!!!”
Angie and Dion will be cheering the Spartans on in a game of historical proportions. The last time the Spartans were 7-0 was over 40 years ago. This could be a special season… and it all starts Saturday in Spartan Stadium.
Coach Dantonio in his Tuesday press conference breaks down this week’s opponent and talks about his team 1/2 way through the season. Watch isportsweb’s coverage here:
My prediction: MSU 30, Illinois 20.