Jim Michalczik now experiencing Spartan community he grew up hearing about

Spartan blood coursed through Jim Michalczik long before he set foot in East Lansing as Michigan State football’s new offensive line coach and run game coordinator.

Fate and opportunity presented a uniquely sentimental moment for the 34-year coaching veteran when he decided to follow newly-hired Michigan State head football coach Jonathan Smith from Oregon State to MSU in December of 2023.

“The chance to come here is pretty cool for me," Michalczik said last week. "My mom’s an alumni, so I grew up hearing about the Spartans, and even though I was a west coast kid, she was always talking about the Spartans and the Big Ten. So, that was a bonus for me."

At the age of 57, Michalczik's football career began playing guard at Washington State in 1984. After a four-year collegiate career, he briefly spent time in the NFL in 1989 with the Arizona Cardinals.

Since breaking into the coaching ranks in 1990, Michalczik's stops include Miami (FL), Montana State, Oregon State (twice), California (twice), the NFL's Oakland Raiders, Arizona, and now, of course, Michigan State.

Michalczik’s coaching career notably includes the 1999 through 2001 seasons, his first stint in Corvallis, where he worked with an undersized quarterback who led Oregon State as a four-year starter... Jonathan Smith.

“He was not the tallest quarterback,” Michalczik said about Smith. "But very level-headed, very competitive — I think some people don't realize the competitiveness in him.”

When deciding to follow Smith to Michigan State, a few attributes stood out for Michalczik.

“Jonathan does a great job, he's a great coach to work for," Michalczik said about Smith. "He lets us coach, but then he's also there to help us. He'll come and say something, and usually he's right on. The man he is -- the program he runs -- for me, is a no-brainer. I just want to be with good people and have a chance to work, and, being with (Smith), being here, I think it's both those things.”