About the Race

As the world annually focuses on one of the most honored football rivalries in America, a new tradition continues. A team of ROTC cadets from both Michigan and Michigan State will come together at the University of Michigan's Diag. There, on the Friday morning before game day, they will be presented with the game ball. Together they will run that ball across 64 miles of Michigan back roads to “Sparty” Statue in East Lansing.

This new tradition defines the MSU / U-M rivalry in a new light; the next generation of minute men from both institutions, working together to bring awareness to a worthy cause that benefits both universities and addresses the fundamental reason they exist, “to make quality education accessible to all.”

Police agencies from every community along the route will ensure safe passage. A robust support system, including the services of Dean Trailways will roll behind the runners. Every eight miles, another pair will take over, one carrying the game ball, the other an American Flag.

These two Big Ten powerhouses are rightly celebrated for their storied athletic traditions and the men and women who continually write new chapters in their history. Alex’s Great State Race reminds us of another powerful dimension; that all who have the capacity to learn have access to the finest education possible.

Donations in celebration of this symbolic partnership between two elite educational institutions will help support the work of the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at MSU and the Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services at U-M.