Former Michigan State football great Henry 'Hank' Bullough dies at age 85

Henry "Hank" Bullough, a three-year starter who helped the Michigan State football team win national championships as a player and a coach, died Sunday, the university announced Monday.

Bullough was 85.

Bullough lettered at Michigan State from 1952-54, and was a member of the coaching staff from 1959-69, and 1994. He played both on the offensive and defensive lines for the Spartans, helping them win a national title in 1952, and also in 1965-66 as an assistant coach.

“Michigan State has lost a great Spartan and the game of football has lost a coaching legend,” MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio said in a statement. “I met Hank the first day I came to Michigan State as an assistant coach in 1995, when he was leaving as the defensive coordinator under Coach Perles. He made an immediate impact on me."

" ... Hank was a tremendous defensive coach and widely respected across the country. He would actively come up to the offices and talk with our defensive coaches, and shared many ideas and philosophies over the years with our staff.

"Hank lived and breathed green and white. He was extremely active in the Michigan State Football Players Association and led the organization for a number of years. He was also instrumental in helping create the George Webster Scholarship Program, which is a huge benefit for our program."

The Bullough name has been a constant in the Michigan State football program. His grandsons Max, Riley and Byron all played under Dantonio, and his son Chuck is the Spartans' defensive ends coach.

Bullough was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection at guard as a junior and senior. As a sophomore, he played on the offensive and defensive lines, as the Spartans finished second in the country in total offense, and first in run defense.

Bullough was the defensive coordinator on MSU's national title teams in 1965 and 1966, and was a longtime NFL assistant coach, including stints with Baltimore (1970-73), New England (1973-79), Cincinnati (1980-83), Buffalo (1985-86), Green Bay (1988-92) and Detroit (1993). He won a Super Bowl ring on the Colts staff in 1970.