MSU's Tom Izzo, Mel Tucker surprise Henry Ford doctor Scott Kaatz on video May 15, 2020. Kaatz survived a close call with coronavirus. Detroit Free Press
Michigan State University has a unique leadership coinciding with this year's major crises taking hold of the country.
President Samuel Stanley had spent much of his career studying infectious diseases as a medical doctor and researcher. Mel Tucker will be one of just 14 black head coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision when the season resumes.
Two leaders, two different positions, one common thread: the immediate challenges in their first year of their new jobs at MSU — dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and strained race relations — fall directly within their skill sets.