D: The MISDIRECTION & the BOUNTY

D    The MISDIRECTION, and the BOUNTY

MSU’s next game was at Wisconsin. The Michigan Men placed an advertisement in the “Lost & Found” section of the “STATE NEWS”, the MSU student newspaper, with the phone number of the University of Wisconsin. 

“FOUND: ONE UGLY green and white head. 

Answers to the name of SPARTY. 

Call (603) 262-1254.”

When Sparty did not appear in Wisconsin, all eyes turned toward Ann Arbor, the site of MSU’s next game.

The Kidnappers continued to “tease” Spartan fans and the media. Ted called the “Ann Arbor News” asking if they could verify Sparty’s disappearance. Ted’s tease resulted in the following news article:

“MSU’s Sparty in Ann Arbor?”

“A young male voice called The News yesterday and  asked:

“Is there any truth to the rumor that “Sparty is   missing?”

He was told: 

“Yes. Do you have him or aren’t you going to  tell anybody yet?”

“Well,  maybe next week . . . the young voice (Ted)  blurted before abruptly going silent.”

The University of Michigan newspaper, “THE MICHIGAN DAILY”  

wrote in its “GRID SELECTIONS.’

“Dirk DeLange has lost his head.

 Dirk is the guy from Michigan State who used to walk  around in that great big plastic green and white head …  contends that an evil person from the University of  Michigan is keeping Sparty against its will. 

 He suspects that it may appear painted Maize & Blue  sometime during Saturday’s game in Ann Arbor.” 

The  PONTIAC  PRESS  reported:

“Sparty’s Mystery Solved, Or Is It?”

“Sparty, the stolen mascot of Michigan State University  football fans, has changed its colors and popped up  in enemy territory.

“The youngsters say they’ve changed the ugliness to  the U-M version of beauty with their water paint job.

THE DETROIT  NEWS reported:

“Students lack Spartan spirit”

“Michigan and MSU will be going at each other  Saturday for the 60th time since the first game in 1898.  It’s U-M’s 150th anniversary. But most of the hoopla  that usually occurs in the week before the game has

been strangely absent during the past week, 

AT LEAST FROM MSU.

Speculation has been that ‘Sparty’ has been captured  by some U-M students and will show up colored maize  and blue at the game.

The  BOUNTY: Detroit radio stations WJR and CKLW were discussing the kidnapping many times each day. WJR reported that a  bounty had 

“been placed on the heads of the “kidnappers.”