Dick Tamburo, a former Michigan State All-American center who was part of a pair of national championship teams, died on Monday at age 90.
Tamburo, played for the Spartans from 1950-52 under coach Biggie Munn. They posted a combine record of 26-1 in those three seasons and won national titles in 1951 and 1952. He was named a first team All-American as a senior and selected as the team’s MVP when Michigan State posted a 9-0 record for the second straight year.
A native of New Kensington, Pa., Tamburo was part of an offensive line that helped the Spartans average 272.4 rushing yards per game in 1952 – the third highest single-season total in program history. He was also a standout linebacker for a defense that finished the 1952 season No. 1 in the nation against the run at 83.9 yards per game and he recovered three fumbles in the third quarter of a 21-3 win against No. 6 Notre Dame.
Tamburo was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl and was picked by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 1953 NFL draft. He played briefly in the CFL.
After his playing career ended, Tamburo was in the Army from 1955-56, then was an assistant coach at Arizona State and Iowa. He went on to a career as an administrator and was the athletic director at Texas Tech, Arizona State and Missouri. He was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
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