Spartan All-American Darqueze Dennard is among the 2024 inductees of the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame.
Dennard joins Jessica (Beech) Bograkos (softball), Anson Carter (ice hockey), Beth (Rohl) Saylors (women’s track & field), Laura (Kueny) Smith (women’s golf) and Paul Terek (men’s track & field), along with the 1965-1966 football teams, who become the first teams inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Celebration will take place on Friday, Sept. 13. There will also be a special recognition of the 2024 MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class during the Michigan State-Prairie View A&M football game at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14.
The MSU Athletics Hall of Fame, located in the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center, opened on Oct. 1, 1999, and displays plaques of the 180 previous inductees. The charter class of 30 former Spartan student-athletes, coaches and administrators was inducted in 1992.
All Darqueze Dennard needed was an opportunity. His recruiting profile on various national websites did not even have a headshot of him, let alone a national, state or position ranking.
Dennard found that opportunity at Michigan State and took full advantage of the scholarship offer he received from College Football Hall of Fame Coach Mark Dantonio, ascending to heights few Spartans have ever reached.
“I’m super excited and incredibly grateful,” said Dennard. “It’s going to be a long list of people to thank (at the induction ceremony). To have my name alongside the greats (in the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame) is something that you obviously think of when you’re walking along the building as an 18-year-old, and now being able to be one of those people is definitely special.”
Growing up in the small community of Dry Branch, Georgia, and attending Twiggs County High School, Dennard did not have any scholarship offers his senior year of high school until Michigan State recruited him at the end of the season. He made the leap from a small high school to the Big Ten Conference – and never looked back.
“It means the world,” said Dennard of the opportunity that he had at Michigan State. “MSU gave me a chance when no one else was giving me a chance. I was a no-star recruit with no scholarship offers. (Former MSU offensive coordinator) Coach (Dave) Warner ended…
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