400
The Michigan Staters
In 1925, Michigan Agricultural College became known as Michigan State College. With the new name, the school wanted a fresh nickname to replace the "Aggies" moniker with this name ______but George S. Alderton, who was the sports editor of the Lansing Journal, thought the name was too lengthy and took it upon him to shorten the nickname. Alderton contacted the college to see if the other suggestions were kept on file. When he found out that they were, he poured through the entries and found "Spartans" to his liking. Ironically, Alderton forgot to note the individuals name that submitted the entry, so the "winner" of the contest will always remain a mystery. As a side note, Alderton misspelled Spartan (Sparton) the first two days he used the name in the headlines. It wasnt until a friend of his told Alderton of the correct spelling did he make the necessary adjustment.