Ex-Spartan QB now doing radio

Jim Miller may have been raised in a U-M friendly home, but he was born to be a Spartan. As his siblings headed to Ann Arbor for college, Miller loved Michigan State the first time he visited the campus.

A couple of days after the Spartans' 35-21 win over the Wolverines, Miller is bursting with pride over his alma mater's success.

The game harked back to Miller's time as quarterback for Michigan State (1990-93) when the Spartans went 2-2 against their intrastate rival. Miller's stellar college career led to nine seasons in the NFL with Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Chicago and New England.

Now, Miller balances a busy professional life as owner of JMK Custom Homes in Clarkston and the Spartans' game analyst with play-by-play man George Blaha on the Spartan Radio Network.

The radio position opened a path Miller never anticipated. He also works a Chicago Bears postgame show on CSN Chicago, and is on the air four times a week on Sirius Satellite Radio's NFL channel.

"When the Lions hosted the Super Bowl, I was on WXYT down on media row," Miller said. "This guy from Sirius stopped by and asked if I wanted to hop on the air for a couple of minutes.

"Afterwards, he asked if I ever thought about doing it. So I went to New York for an interview. I show up in a suit, and he tells me let's just go on the air and see how it goes.

"Physically, I can't do it anymore, but it keeps me in the game. Now I get to talk about it, and hopefully I can keep doing it."

Coming out of high school, there was a clear choice for Miller. He was All-State and All-America at Kettering High School in Waterford, and was instantly attracted to Michigan State and the program coach George Perles was building.

"George Perles made it easy for me," Miller said. "When I went there, I knew I could do well there.

"Perles made it an easy sell. I liked the campus a lot. I didn't like the city atmosphere at U-M. I fell in love with Michigan State, and I had never been on campus before."

Miller was a freshman quarterback for the Spartans the last time Michigan State left Ann Arbor with a win in 1990. Miller took over the quarterback spot when Dan Enos, now running backs coach under head coach Mark Dantonio, graduated in 1991.

Miller added another win over the Wolverines, beating Michigan at Spartan Stadium in 1993. Saturday's win reminded him a lot of the 1993 victory.

"We pretty much dominated them, and State dominated them on Saturday," Miller said. "That was some domination by State, and they pretty much shut down their offense.

"There is an unselfish attitude among the players and great leadership in the seniors. It's a special group. They work well together. Practice is fun, and they like going to work. They take pride in what they are trying to build here."

While his siblings and other Michigan fans are nursing the loss, Miller has bragging rights for a year.

"I was pretty pumped up," he said. "I'm pretty excited for the players, the coaches and the fans. It's validation that the program is on the right track, and they have the right coach."