Standing watch over Sparty has been a long-standing tradition for members of the marching band during the week before the Michigan game. Best said the tradition is one of the driving forces behind his idea.

“It just hit me one afternoon when I was watching the band guarding the statue that there’s a connection here that can be expanded,” he said.

Best graduated from MSU in 1969 and played clarinet in the marching band.

The replicas are individually numbered and produced at the same foundry as the real Sparty, he said.

They’re priced at $2,495, which Best said is consistent with other pieces of bronze.

MSU marching band director John T. Madden said he is pleased with the arrangement.

“It greatly benefits the band, and we couldn’t be more grateful,” Madden said.

The money will go toward funding the band’s traveling expenses, scholarship program and equipment costs, Madden said.

However, he said the donations don’t signal any kind of financial deficit. The band only puts forth a handful of named scholarships each year, so the money could be used to fund those and perhaps generate new ones, Madden said.

Ian McNabb, a packaging senior and drum major with the Spartan Marching Band, said the donations will help throughout the season.

“I love getting to go to two away games each year. The extra money should help cover those traveling costs,” McNabb said.