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Spartan fever Final Four gear flying off shelves in East Lansing, Flint
Posted: Sunday March 26, 2000 06:04 PM
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Within hours after Michigan State won a trip to the Final Four, T-shirt orders were rolling in on the Student Bookstore's Internet site. And within 12 hours, a T-shirt maker in Wisconsin had driven all night to deliver the first order of Final Four shirts, said assistant store manager Mike Wylie. "This is nice," he said Sunday, as Spartan fans snapped up merchandise. The Spartans are headed back to the Final Four for the second straight year after their 75-64 victory Saturday night over Iowa State in the NCAA Midwest Regional finals. They face Big Ten rival Wisconsin in the national semifinals on Saturday in Indianapolis. "It's the most important thing right now," said Corey Siegrist, who graduated last May. Senior Hazel Fields predicts a national title. "I think they're going to go all the way this year," she said. Siegrist said he had a chance to get tickets for the game at The Palace of Auburn Hills. "But it was more exciting here," he said. Celebrations after the game were loud -- but not raucous, students and police said. After the Spartans lost to Duke in the semifinals last year, more than 10,000 people ran through East Lansing streets, with some setting bonfires, breaking windows and smashing parking meters. Freshman Charles Bellah said the campus exploded with noise after the game -- but stayed calm. "It was nice that no one rioted," he said. Students in dormitories shouted at each other, he said, with people in one building screaming, "Go Green!" and students in another building answering, "Go White!" Police made 30 arrests, for disorderly conduct or minors being in possession of alcohol after the game, said police Sgt. Jeff Murphy. The arrests were more than on a usual Saturday night, but "no real problem. They were just celebrating," he said. Police had extra staff on duty, and will add officers during Saturday's game, he added. During last year's riot, two doors were smashed out at Gina's Hallmark across from campus, said owner Pam Coughlin. Afterward, students worked to make sure it never happens again, she said. "I don't think there'll be a riot this year," she said. Student Kristie McElhaney, 25, said the tone is different on campus this year. Last year, she heard rumors about possible rioting after the game -- and got out of town to watch the game from Ann Arbor. She's staying in town this time. "It seems to be low key around here," she said. Wylie said the mood and fan merchandise sales are similar to another winning Spartan season -- when Magic Johnson led the team to the national title in 1979. That year, commemorative T-shirts didn't even make it to the racks, at first. He said fans lined up and he tossed the shirts out at them. Fans in Flint -- the homes of Spartan stars Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and Charlie Bell -- were snapping up "Flintstone" T-shirts and basking in spotlight of the hometown heroes. The trio are bringing pride to a city recently in the national spotlight because of an elementary school shooting. Last month, 6-year-old Kayla Rolland was killed at Buell Elementary School in next-door Mount Morris Township. Mayor Woodrow Stanley said the city already is planning a "blow-out celebration" if the Spartans win the NCAA championship. Sam Porter, store manager of Campus Den in Burton, said he has sold about 300 Michigan State items in the past week, including shirts and hats featuring the word "Flintstones." Even University of Michigan fans from Flint are caught up in Flintstone mania, he said. "Michigan fans come in here and say 'I hate State,' but they'll wear Flintstone stuff," Porter said.
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