Spartan memorabilia from Skandalaris Football Center to be auctioned
EAST LANSING — Spartan football fans will get the chance to bid on nearly 200 items of memorabilia from Michigan State University's Skandalaris Football Center.
With an $11 million first phase of the center's renovation underway, the MSU Surplus Store will begin auctioning off items from inside the practice complex online at 11 a.m. on Monday.
Items include game-day footballs from as far back as 1942 and as recent as the 2014 Rose Bowl win against Stanford and lockers autographed by Head Football Coach Mel Tucker, said Store Manager James Ives.
Banners, posters, murals, pictures and trophies will also be up for bid, he said.
"It's just going to be a really good opportunity for football memorabilia," Ives said. "A lot of it is history, MSU history."
What you need to know
The auction inventory represents just a portion of the decorations and memorabilia that were inside the center.
The entire inventory of items being auctioned off online will be listed on the MSU Surplus Store's website at www.msusurplusstore.com on Monday. Then separate auctions will be held for each item, Ives said, with eight auctions scheduled to be held each day.
The last auction is expected to end on Aug. 21, he said.
The starting bid for each item will be $1, Ives said.
"We’re expecting it to be pretty successful just because the MSU community runs strong and deep," he said.
The profits from the auction will go back into MSU's Athletic Department budget, Ives said.
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How to bid
Those interested in bidding on items during the auction will first have to register on the store's website where they will need to provide their name and email address, Ives said.
The highest bidder for each auction, which will close after three days, will be notified.
None of the items from the football center will be offered for purchase in-store, Ives said.
The Skandalaris Football Center will get a new lobby, an expanded locker room and equipment room and improvements to the weight room, team meeting rooms, plaza and parking around the facility during its renovation.
The work will include new lockers for players and areas for dining, nutrition, health and wellness and recovery.
MSU's Board of Trustees approved the second phase of the renovations in June, said Dan Olsen, MSU spokesperson. The second phase is expected to cost up to $56 million, he said. The total cost of the project is estimated at $67 million.
Former MSU basketball walk-on Mat Ishbia donated $20 million toward the project last year. In addition, Greg and Dawn Williams, an East Lansing couple, also gave $10 million. When the entire project is finished — no timetable for its completion has been given yet — it will be called the Tom Izzo Football Building. Donations are funding the entire project.
Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ .
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Memorabilia from Michigan State University football up for auction
