Michigan State Coach suffers Heart Attack
Coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State suffered a mild heart attack Sunday morning and was hospitalized after a fake field goal was called beating Notre Dame in overtime.
Dantonio, 54, is expected to stay in the hospital for a few more days after a critical heart surgery. Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell is expected to lead the team while Dantonio is recuperating.
Dr. Chris D’ Haem, the heart surgeon who performed the operation said that he’s very optimistic that the coach will be out of the hospital soon, ”Fortunately, his heart damage is very minimal. He’s going to do very well and we’re very optimistic he’ll have a full recovery”, he said.
The victory over Notre Dame placed Michigan State in the Associated Press poll at No. 25 and is considered to be one the football seasons signature moments.
D’ Haem further added that though Dantonio lead a healthy lifestyle and was generally in good shape, he said that genes is a big contributor especially in heart problems. Studies conducted by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Canada concluded that some gene variants doubles the risk of heart attack in people under 60. ”Everybody that knows coach Dantonio knows he keeps pretty fit,” the doctor said.
The Michigan State coach has been leading the team for four seasons now. The coach gave the team a record of 25-17 as well as three bowl appearances. Dantonio’s greatest feat so far are his calls in the game versus Notre Dame. ”Like we said all along, we needed one big momentum play. We just didn’t know when it would come,” Dantonio said after beating Notre Dame.
Coordinator Treadwell further said that the team is handling this situation the best they can. “They’re handling it as well as they can. They love their head coach.” Treadwell’s main job now is to make sure that the team doesn’t lose focus on their upcoming games.
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Sandy Aaron
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