“I was pretty taken aback,” Dantonio said of his first reaction when stepping into the building. “I have not been in a facility like this and I’ve coached for 30 years. I’ve never been in a facility with all the natural light and this layout. The people who worked on this have done an outstanding job.”

The Demmer Family Hall of History, which is open to the public, proudly displays MSU’s six national championships and six Big Ten championships. The importance of remembering the past while focusing on the future fits with what Dantonio has preached since he came to East Lansing in November 2006. While the hall of history allows visitors to look back, the futuristic-looking building leaves all those connected with the MSU football program bright-eyed for what’s ahead.

“The recruiting this building will allow us to do is already starting — you can already see that with the 15 (verbal) commitments for next year’s squad,” Dantonio said of a recruiting class that ranks in the top 10 nationally, according to recruiting Web site Rivals.com. “It makes a difference when they can walk in and see the environment they’re going to work in and be a part of.”

When Athletics Director Mark Hollis looks at the new football facility, he sees three things: celebrating the past, the past’s impact on the present and the possibility of great things in the future. Hollis said that last concept is key.

“Most importantly, I think it provides hope,” Hollis said. “Hope in our quest for excellence, hope in our quest for championships and hope in our quest for roses.”

The last MSU football coach to secure a Rose Bowl berth for the Spartans was current MSU Trustee George Perles, who brought roses back to East Lansing after a Rose Bowl victory in 1988.

He too is excited about the impact the new facility will have on recruiting.

“This is going to help a lot,” Perles said. “We’re in the early stages of football with (Dantonio) — he’s only in his second year I think there’s going to be a lot more success to come.”

Although the new facility will help attract more top-notch athletes to the football program, Dantonio reiterated that the play on the field is still the most important thing while rebuilding a program.

Even with the new features in the Skandalaris Football Center, Dantonio is still staying close to one of his newfound mantras — it’s not where you work, it’s the work you do.

“I think we have to remember that we have to work and train where ever you’re at — whether it’s here or in the trailers (where the team met last season due to construction) or in any of the meeting rooms,” Dantonio said. “It’s important for our players to understand it’s still about your attention to detail and what goes on on that football field. This certainly makes our teaching more functional, but it still comes down to what we do in preparation and on the field.”