As one of the nation’s leading universities, MSU ranks highly in numerous academic categories. But beyond academics, the university also shows up on plenty of unexpected top-ten lists. Here are just a few fun facts that might surprise you.

1. MSU is the first D1 university to have multiple NCAA basketball, football and hockey championships

When MSU won its second NCAA basketball title in 2000, the Spartans had already claimed three national championships in football and two in hockey. No other Division I program has earned multiple titles in all three sports.

2. MSU was the second American university to appear in a ”Batman” movie

Carnegie Mellon University hosted several scenes in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. When Batman v Superman was filmed in 2014, MSU’s Broad Art Museum was used as Lex Luthor’s mansion.

3. MSU has the third most Olympic medals of any Michigan university

Trailing only the University of Michigan and Northern Michigan, MSU athletes and coaches have earned 32 Olympic medals since the school’s first appearance at the 1924 Paris Games. That total includes 18 golds awarded to Spartans competing on the world stage.

4. MSU alumni have worked on four Best Picture winners

MSU alumni have contributed to four Best Picture-winning films: The Godfather, The Deer Hunter, The Silence of the Lambs and The Hurt Locker. A former Spartan also had an acting role in Best Picture nominee Saving Private Ryan.

5. The fifth winner of ”The Bachelorette” was an MSU alumnus

IT management graduate Ed Swiderski won Season 5 of The Bachelorette in 2009, despite briefly leaving the show for two episodes. He and Jillian Harris got engaged on the season finale but split in 2010.

6. MSU has had the sixth most ”Jeopardy! College Championship” contestants in the Big Ten

Five Spartans have competed in the Jeopardy! College Championship, giving MSU the sixth-most contestants of any Big Ten school. While none have taken the top prize, three reached the quarterfinals, one made the semifinals, and Steve Bevier placed third overall in 1997.

7. The Spartan is the seventh oldest Big Ten mascot

MSU teams adopted the “Spartans” nickname in 1925, though Sparty wouldn’t appear in mascot form until 1955. Before that, Michigan Agricultural College’s teams were known as the Aggies.

8. MSU’s winningest sport has eight national titles

Between 1939 and 1959, MSU’s men’s cross country team won eight national championships — the most of any Spartan sport. Only the University of Arkansas has more men’s cross country titles at the Division I level.

9. MSU is the ninth most haunted college in the Midwest

If you’re afraid of ghosts, you may want to avoid Mayo Hall. Since its construction in 1931, students have reported sightings of Mary Mayo’s ghost — said to flicker the lights and play piano late at night.

10. MSU has the tenth largest campus in the United States

Spanning more than 5,200 acres, MSU’s campus is the tenth largest in the United States. When the university was founded in 1855, just 677 acres were cleared for its first three buildings.

While the Philadelphia area has a long history of producing top prospects on the hardwood and gridiron, the path to the NHL has been a far less charted one for hockey players.

That could soon change with Sewell’s Rocco Pelosi, a standout 16-year-old whom many hockey analysts rank among the top players in the world in his age group.

» READ MORE: Checking for Charity tournament provides another reminder of the closeness within the Philly hockey community

On Sunday, Pelosi, who isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2027, announced on Instagram that he has committed to play at Boston College under coach Greg Brown. Pelosi is expected to play the next two seasons at the United States National Team Development Program before enrolling at BC in 2027-28.

In his Instagram post announcing his future plans, Pelosi said:

“I am grateful and proud to announce my commitment to play Division 1 hockey and further my academics at Boston College. I would like to thank God, my family, friends, [coaches], teammates, and everyone else who has helped me along the way. #goeagles”

Pelosi’s post also contained pictures of local hockey legends Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Gaudreau, and Tony Voce, all of whom attended Boston College. Johnny, who is almost unanimously considered the greatest player ever from the area, and his brother Matthew, who also played professionally, grew up in Salem County and were killed last year by an alleged drunk driver while biking in Oldman’s Township. Voce, the first Philly native to sign with the Flyers, played three seasons for the Phantoms and later coached in the area. He died suddenly last year at age 43.

Katie Gaudreau, Johnny and Matthew’s sister, wished Pelosi well by commenting on the post:

“Congratulations!!!! The Gaudreau’s are so excited for you! #13#21“

The young centerman, who grew up playing out of the Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell like his idols, will follow in their footsteps by attending Boston College, where Johnny Gaudreau and Voce both won national titles with the Eagles.

Pelosi skated the last two seasons at powerhouse boarding school Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island, the alma mater of former Flyers goalies Brian Boucher and Garth Snow, and current defensive prospect Carter Amico. For Mount’s Under-15 team last year, Pelosi led the way with 65 goals and 140 points in 60 games as the program won the national championship. The year before, he put up a hard-to-fathom 87 goals and 170 points in just 64 games at the U14 level.

The pipeline from the USNTDP to Boston College to the NHL has borne significant fruit in recent years, with players like Will Smith, Cutter Gauthier, Ryan Leonard, and Gabe Perreault following that development path. James Hagens, who also spent time at Mount St. Charles and later starred for the USNTDP, was the No. 8 overall pick in this summer’s draft and figures to join this club after next season.

While the 2027 draft is still two years away, scouting experts project the 5-foot-9, 176-pound Pelosi as a top pick. Pelosi’s brother, Chris, was a third-round pick by the Boston Bruins in 2023 and will be entering his junior season at Quinnipiac. Chris Pelosi was coached and trained by Voce as a youngster.

» READ MORE: Quinnipiac’s Chris Pelosi carries his South Jersey roots and late role models wherever he goes

There could be an argument made that the younger Pelosi is the biggest hockey prospect ever from the area, as few players his age have generated this type of hype or buzz. Puck Preps regards Pelosi as the top-ranked American skater in his class.

There have been other accomplished locals, most notably Johnny Gaudreau, who defied the odds as a 5-9, 165-pound winger from South Jersey to develop into a seven-time NHL All-Star. There was also Flourtown’s Mike Richter, who backstopped the New York Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup and the United States to gold at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. But beyond that, NHLers have been relatively few and far between, with Tony DeAngelo, Eric Robinson, and Mattias Samuelsson the only three locals who were full-time NHLers last season.

With the Pelosi brothers coming down the pike, and other recent local draft picks like Sam Lipkin (Utah Mammoth), Tyler Boucher (Ottawa Senators), and Owen McLaughlin (Flyers), that number could soon grow.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester Railers Hockey Club, ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, announced that the club has signed defenseman Anthony Hora to a contract for the 2025-26 season.

Hora, 27, returns to Worcester for his first full season with the team. The Cheektowaga, New York native skated in 12 games for the Railers during the 2024-25 season, picking up two assists. He also tallied 15 points (4g-11a) in 33 games for the SPHL’s Evansville Thunderbolts.

Prior to turning pro, Hora played three seasons of college hockey with SUNY-Brockport, registering 36 points (11g-25a) in 50 career games.

Whenever a new sports season rolls around — specifically baseball, basketball or football — I start thinking about the movies that surround that sport. In the case of the current baseball season, for example, I wrote a story about “The Sandlot” through the eyes of its director David Mickey Evans, who also happens to be a Wilkes-Barre native.

Now, with professional football season just around the bend of the calendar, I’m very much in the mood to think about the quintessential football movies. Personally, I’ve always gravitated more toward the real world “NFL Films” and documentary-style football pictures, but the fictional or semi-fictional stories have a place at the table as well. Some of my favorites, mostly for nostalgia purposes, are “Gridiron Gang,” “Invincible,” and the remake of “The Longest Yard.”

Though they are among my favorites, I don’t know if any of those aforementioned films would be ones I’d recommend to people trying to understand the intensity and passion that goes into the football experience. There’s a certain heaviness to football that I think comes across in just a few films, five of which I’d like to discuss.

One thing I like about this list is that it touches on three levels of the game: high school, college and professional. I think each of those three levels represent something unique. I associate high school football with community, college with something more rowdy and spirited and the NFL with an odd balance of professionalism and bodily sacrifice. Films that strike those chords are, to me, quintessentially football.

“Brian’s Song” (1971)

We’re beginning on a down note, as “Brian’s Song,” for all of its merits, is a difficult watch on the heartstrings. Starring Billy Dee Williams and James Caan as Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo, respectively, the movie follows the Bears teammates as they work their way from training camp to NFL stardom. Sayers is a legend of the game, of course, but Piccolo’s name and story have long been remembered through this film.

“Rudy” (1993)

I’m no fan of Notre Dame football, but I can get behind “Rudy.” This is one of those ultimate underdog stories that’s very well-made and, for different reasons than “Brian’s Song,” pulls on the emotions. The passion a school and a community can have for a football team is captured perfectly, especially in the final scene. And finally, “Rudy” will always get love in this area, regardless of team allegiance, for featuring Scranton legend Jason Miller as Coach Ara Parseghian.

“Jerry Maguire” (1996)

The sole best picture nominee on our list, the core of “Jerry Maguire” is that professional undertone that exists within the world of sports. Jerry Maguire the titular sports agent, portrayed by Tom Cruise, grows to become something more meaningful than a suit to his clients. Within the football world is a deeply human tale, which is all brought together with the iconic “You complete me”/”You had me at ‘hello’” exchange. In that, “Jerry Maguire” does sports and romance well, and treats both sides of the narrative coin with respect.

“Remember the Titans” (2000)

A favorite for people in my generation, “Remember the Titans” is formulaic in its approach to football and racial politics, but it does a fine portrayal of balancing the two to form something charming. The early morning run in Gettysburg is obviously the highlight, and it does speak to the larger cultural impact sports can have. The titular team is representative of both the sacrifices made in the past, and the hope that a better future can be achieved. It’s nothing if not earnest.

“Friday Night Lights” (2004)

Before diving into the television show “Friday Night Lights,” which premiered in 2006, give some attention to this film of the same name and source material. The high school football experience was never explored so vividly until 2004. It’s a vibe that many shows and movies — sports-centric or not — have attempted and failed to emulate. Fun fact: According to executive producer Jim Whitaker in a conversation at Wilkes University, the rapper Eminem was originally eyed for a role in the “Friday Night Lights” film, as they had previously worked with each other on “8 Mile.” Let’s leave it there.