MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan athletic department is proud to announce that Tom Izzo's #10 Wildcat jersey will be retired. His jersey will be raised in Vandament Arena, joining Ted Rose and Gene Summers.

The announcement was first made in a surprise video done by Izzo's lifelong best friend Steve Mariucci (QB of NMU's 1975 football national championship team) that was played at the Breslin Center during Michigan State Madness on Friday night (October 4). 



What they are saying about Tom Izzo
"We're so proud to count Coach Izzo as a Wildcat alum. He's certainly an ambassador for this institution. All the wins, all the championships, all of that is balanced by something quintessentially Northern."
    - NMU President Brock Tessman

"We're thrilled that Tom is coming back. He's had such great success and we are thrilled with everything he's done and everything he will do."
    - Athletic Diretor Rick Comley

"Starting with being a tremendous player and continuing on to becoming one of the iconic coaches in college basketball history, he's shown former and current student-athletes what can be accomplished after leaving Northern Michigan."
    - Men's Basketball Head Coach Matt Majkrzak



Known as the best ball-handling guard in the country, Izzo was a three-year starter from 1974-76 for the Northern Michigan Wildcats. Playing under Glenn Brown, who won 300 games in 18 seasons at the helm of the program, Izzo was a two-time team captain and helped lead the Wildcats to a 57-47 record throughout his career.

The Iron Mountain, Michigan native set two career-highs during his junior year in 1976. He scored 16 points at UW-Green Bay and dished out 14 assists in a clash with Hillsdale, a mark that is currently tied for 5th best in program history.  

Izzo's senior campaign was his best donning the Green and Gold threads, as he was named a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Third Team All-American, All-GLIAC Second Team member, and team MVP. He logged over 930 minutes, a single-season NMU record that held for over 10 years.

In his career, Izzo totaled 367 points and shot 144-335 (.430) from the floor. His storied collegiate coaching career began at Northern, where he served as an assistant under Brown from 1979-83 before joining Michigan State as a part-time assistant in 1983. 

Tom was inducted into the Northern Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.