The 1996 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University

Michigan State University

Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...

 in the Big Ten Conference

Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season

1996 NCAA Division I-A football season

The 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Florida Gators crowned National Champions, but not as unanimously as the Bowl Alliance would have hoped....

. Head coach Nick Saban

Nick Saban

Nicholas Lou "Nick" Saban is the head coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide football team. Saban has previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins and three other NCAA universities: LSU, Michigan State and Toledo...

 was in his second season with the Spartans. Michigan State played their home games at Spartan Stadium

Spartan Stadium (East Lansing)

Spartan Stadium opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans...

 in East Lansing, Michigan

East Lansing, Michigan

East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...

. The Spartans went 6-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play during the regular season. The team played in the Sun Bowl

1996 Sun Bowl

The 1996 Norwest Sun Bowl, played on December 31, 1996, featured the and the Michigan State Spartans.Stanford scored first following a lateral from running back Josh Madsen to Leroy Pruitt. The 78 yard play went for a touchdown, and set the day for a Stanford rout. In the second quarter,...

 on December 31, 1996 and were defeated 0-38 by .

Schedule

1997 NFL Draft

The following players were selected in the 1997 NFL Draft

1997 NFL Draft

The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...

.

Player	Round	Pick	Position	NFL Team
Derrick Mason Derrick Mason Derrick James Mason is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.Mason has also played for the Baltimore Ravens where he...	4	98	Wide Receiver	Tennessee Oilers 1997 Tennessee Oilers season The 1997 season was the Tennessee Oilers 38th season and their 28th in the NFL. The Oilers finished the season with 8 wins and 8 losses, and did not qualify for the playoffs. The head coach was Jeff Fisher, and the team played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium...
Nigea Carter	6	197	Wide Receiver	Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 6-10 season from 1996. The 1997 season was notable for several reasons...