Spartans celebrate without incident
Associated Press
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State got off to a fast
start, and so did its fans.
Crowds flocked to the streets and flooded the Breslin Center
floor even before the NCAA championship game was over in
Indianapolis on Monday night, celebrating the school's first
national championship in 21 years.
"To be here and be a part of this is so great," said Amanda
Grube, a junior from Canton, Ohio.
"We won! We won! We won!" one group chanted after the
Spartans' 89-76 victory over Florida.
Police said about 15,000 people gathered to celebrate outside
the Cedar Village apartment complex, with a similar size crowd
gathering downtown. People were high-fiving, chanting the school
fight song and waving flags. Fireworks went off, drivers honked
their horns and students waved from balconies.
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Title celebration Wednesday
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EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- The national champion Michigan State basketball team will be honored Wednesday during two celebrations and a parade.
The first celebration will be held at noon on the front steps of
the state Capitol, with Gov. John Engler -- a Michigan State alumnus -- and other officials congratulating the team and coach Tom Izzo.
A second celebration will be held about 2:30 p.m. at Spartan
Stadium. It is scheduled to include video highlights of the season
and remarks from Izzo and the players.
In between the two events, a "Parade of Champions" is planned
down Michigan Avenue.
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By 3:10 a.m., 25 people were arrested on indecent exposure,
disorderly conduct or alcohol-related charges, Lt. Kevin Daley
said. The crowd in the area of Cedar Village was down to about 300,
he said.
"This moment right now, this place right here, is the best
place and the best time to be," said Mike Ansted, a financial
consultant from Toledo, Ohio, and a '96 grad.
Students body surfed through the dense crowd. One student had a
Florida Gator hanging by the neck from a pole. Three men had the
letters M-S-U painted on their stomachs. Students held up
newspapers with banner headlines proclaiming the Spartans as
national champions.
"It's pretty rowdy, but so far, so good," said Dawn Gonzales,
23, a nursing student.
Sounds of glass breaking interrupted the music and cheering.
There were reports of some injuries from thrown bottles and cans,
but no serious injuries.
"Considering the number of people we have here, the number of
problems has been very light," police Lt. Tom Johnstone said.
By 1:20 a.m., 16 people had been arrested on indecent exposure,
disorderly conduct or alcohol-related charges, Lt. Kevin Daley
said.
The crowd booed as one person was handcuffed.
Many people were heading home, with the crowd at about half the
size they were at the peak of the celebration.
After Michigan State's loss to Duke in last year's semifinals,
more than 10,000 people ran through East Lansing. Some rioters
overturned cars, set bonfires, broke windows and smashed parking
meters.
Police eventually arrested 132 people. Of the 113 later
convicted, 94 went to jail.
Daley said the celebration immediately following Monday night's
victory was large and peaceful.
"It appears to be a joyous celebration. One of our people there
said it was the largest crowd he had ever seen in the village," he
said.
The celebration following Saturday's semifinal victory over
Wisconsin also was much calmer. That crowd reached about 2,000 at
its height, East Lansing Police Sgt. Ray Hellmann said.
Eight of the 30 arrested that night were Michigan State
students, Hellmann said. The arrests were for crimes including
disorderly conduct, indecent exposure and alcohol possession.
On Monday, most of the revelers were just enjoying the moment.
Freshman Brandon Rohrbaugh of Baltimore smoked a cigar in
celebration.
"This feels good. I had my moments when I thought they might
lose but when (A.J.) Granger kept hitting those 3s, I knew we were
going to win in it," he said.
One side of Grand River, the main thoroughfare through campus,
was closed. Some people were riding on top of a moving bus.
"The game was awesome to watch. The only thing that would have
been better would have been watching it in Indianapolis," said Joe
Turnquist, a 26-year-old alumnus.
At the Breslin Center, where thousands watched the game on four
big screens, some who ran onto the Michigan State home floor tried
to pull down the nets. |
