Amo Bessone Amo Bessone ( November 22 , 1916 – January 9 , 2010 ) was a collegiate ice hockey player and head coach . Bessone was born in Sagamore , Massachusetts , on Cape Cod , and raised in Springfield , Massachusetts , where he learned to play hockey . As a hockey coach , Bessone is best remembered for winning a national championship as a heavy underdog in 1966 with the " Cinderella Spartans . " He was one of the most colorful college coaches of his era with a trademark whistle he used to signal line changes . As intense as Bessone was behind the bench , he was warm and endearing off the ice . During his coaching days , he regularly invited fellow coaches , officials and reporters out for drinks or back to his house for spaghetti following games . Bessone had a passion for cooking as well as hockey . Playing career . Bessone played high school hockey in West Springfield and for preparatory schools in Maine . After prep school , he played college hockey at the University of Illinois under legendary coach Vic Heyliger . Following Illinois , Bessone played minor league hockey in the AHL . His career in the AHL was split by serving in World War II . Coaching career . Westfield . Bessone was head ice hockey coach for Westfield High School for three seasons following his playing career . Michigan Tech . Bessone got his first collegiate head coaching job on September 15 , 1948 , when he was hired by Michigan College of Mines and Technology ( now Michigan Technological University ) . He coached at Michigan Tech for three seasons compiling a record of 20 - 31 - 2 . Michigan State . Following the 1951 season , Bessone accepted the head coaching position at Michigan State University after Harold Paulsen resigned . Bessone would remain at MSU for the next 28 years . When Bessone arrived at Michigan State , the ice hockey program was just beginning its third season and its youth was evident with a 6 - 25 record over two seasons . The Spartans struggled with six losing seasons before Bessone turned things around in his seventh season as coach . In 1957 - 58 , Michigan State enjoyed its first winning season . The following season , Bessone guided MSU to a Big Ten championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament . The Spartans lost the 1959 national championship game in overtime to North Dakota . Following 1959 , Michigan State became a charter member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association ( WCHA ) , which was a reincarnation of the loosely affiliated Midwest Collegiate Hockey League and Western Intercollegiate Hockey League that disbanded following the 1957 - 58 season . Bessone and MSU struggled during the first five seasons of the WCHA . Again , Bessone turned things around with a winning season in 1964 - 65 . The following season , Bessone coached Michigan State to an improbable NCAA National Championship . MSU began the 1965 - 66 season 4 - 10 , but rebounded winning 12 of their last 15 games including both WCHA playoff games which earned MSU a spot in the NCAA tournament . In the national semifinals , Bessone squeaked out a 2 - 1 victory over highly - favored Boston University . In the national championship game , Bessone and the Spartans faced Len Ceglarski ' s Clarkson team that owned the national - best record of 24 - 2 . Michigan State shocked Clarkson with a dominant 6 - 1 victory sealing MSU ' s first national championship . Len Ceglarski and Bessone shared the Spencer Penrose Award as the national coach of the year in 1966 . The national title and coaching award cemented Bessone ' s legacy as a coach . To this day , Bessone ' s 1966 Michigan State team remains one of the biggest underdog stories in NCAA ice hockey history . The total number of team victories ( 16 ) and team winning percentage ( . 551 ) is the lowest of any NCAA ice hockey champion . MSU made the NCAA tournament again with a strong WCHA playoff finish in 1967 , but lost in the national semifinals . Bessone began the 1970s with six straight winning seasons . As MSU hockey was building momentum , the 7 , 000 - seat Munn Ice Arena was opened in 1974 just south of the old ice rink , Dem Hall . The peak of the momentum came in 1975 - 76 when Bessone guided MSU to its best WCHA conference finish . Michigan State was on the verge of earning an NCAA tournament berth when Minnesota knocked MSU out of the WCHA playoffs in triple overtime . Minnesota , who had finished below Michigan State in the conference , received an NCAA tournament bid instead . The loss proved devastating to Bessone and the MSU hockey program . The Spartans suffered three straight losing seasons following 1976 . Bessone announced his retirement effective at the end of the 1978 - 79 season . He finished his coaching career with a 5 - 3 victory over archrival Michigan completing the weekend series sweep of the Wolverines . His success at Michigan State helped form a loyal group of MSU hockey supporters dubbed " Amo ' s Army . " Bessone holds a 387 - 458 - 22 career record in 31 seasons . Legacy . Bessone ' s legacy extends beyond his accomplishments at Michigan State . Bessone helped establish the Greater Lansing Area Hockey Association ( GLAHA ) , the first organized youth hockey program in Mid - Michigan . He assisted the league by donating used equipment and encouraging his players to volunteer as coaches . GLAHA started with three players in 1953 and by Bessone ' s retirement from coaching in 1979 , the organization boasted 450 players . GLAHA alumni include current and former NHL players : Jeff Brubaker , Danton Cole , Kelly Miller , Kevin Miller , Kip Miller , Ryan Miller and Alfie Turcotte . For his efforts in establishing GLAHA , Bessone received the first John MacInnes Award in 1983 . The award , given out by the American Hockey Coaches Association , recognizes great concern for amateur hockey and youth programs . In 1992 , Bessone was inducted into the U . S . Hockey Hall of Fame . Bessone is also the namesake of numerous awards including : Personal . Bessone was married to the late Mary Kennedy Bessone . His older brother , Pete , played six games for the Detroit Red Wings in 1937 - 38 . Pete had a successful career as a player in the AHL and is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame . Bessone retired first to Englewood , Florida with his brother Pete Bessone , then later to Santa Fe , New Mexico , with his son John Bessone . His final visit to the Michigan State campus was October 2006 for a reunion of the 1966 and 1986 NCAA national championship teams .