Dorothy Izzo, the mother of Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo, died this month after living to be 100 years old.According to an obituary from Erickson-Rochon & Nash Funeral Home of Iron Mountain, the Izzo family matriarch died May 19 at a nursing home in Appleton, Wisconsin, just six days after her 100th birthday.
For Tom Izzo, 71, his mother Dorothy was and is a source of inspiration during his Hall of Fame basketball career. He involved her in his program frequently over the years. As recently as March 2025, she was on the sidelines as Michigan State hung its Big Ten championship banner with a win over Michigan. That same season he became the Big Ten’s all-time wins leader.In 2026, she became an internet sensation for an off-the-cuff remark from Tom that his shooting guard Kur Teng was so bad defensively that he couldn’t guard her. Memes abounded, including a graphic of her dunking that she hung up in her nursing home.Dorothy Izzo, born May 13, 1926, in Norway, Michigan, was the valedictorian of her high school class and became a registered nurse at Iron Mountain’s Veterans Memorial Hospital. She and her husband Carl met in Iron Mountain and raised three children. She was frequently involved in her church, including the choir.In addition to three children, Dorothy is survived by six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.cearegood@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State coach Tom Izzo’s mother Dorothy dies at 100
Reporting by Connor Earegood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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