Michigan State’s next Zeke the Wonderdog has arrived

For something that started as a halftime act, Zeke the Wonderdog has a way of feeling much bigger than that.

Zeke has outlasted coaches, teams, eras, even gaps in the tradition itself. It has shown up in different forms across nearly 50 years at Michigan State, but the core of it has stayed the same – a dog, a handler, a crowd, and a moment where the entire stadium just watches.

Zeke IV’s recent passing hit harder than people expected. Around Michigan State, Zeke is part of the experience, and when one goes, the natural question isn’t just what’s next – it’s whether it will still feel like Zeke.

The answer, at least this time, was already in place.

Zeke V – whose given name is Cindy Lou – is stepping into the role, becoming the first female Zeke the Wonderdog. But she’s not new to any of this. Not the field, not the crowds, not the expectations.

“I’ve been planning this for a while,” handler Jim Foley said. “In case anything ever were to happen.”

That planning didn’t make losing Zeke IV any easier. Foley didn’t pretend otherwise. But it did mean the tradition didn’t have to stop while everyone figured out what came next.

Cindy Lou was born June 2, 2019. She’ll turn seven this summer. More importantly, she’s been working on her craft for most of that time.

Foley said she’s been performing for years – not just in training, but in real environments. NFL games. Travel. Live crowds. The kind of settings that expose whether a dog can actually do this or not.

“She’s been doing it six years,” he said.

That includes time alongside Zeke IV. They worked together. Shared reps. Shared environments. She learned the job while the job was still being done.

She’s been in Spartan Stadium once before. She’s been in Breslin Center more times than fans probably realize, part of the “Zeke and friends” group performances. Around the program, she’s been a known quantity for a while.

So while this feels like a new chapter publicly, internally, it’s more of a continuation.

That’s actually been the pattern with Zeke for a long time.

The original Zeke – a golden Labrador named Ezekiel, handled by Gary Eisenberg – showed up in the late 1970s and quickly became something Michigan State didn’t really have a category for.

He wasn’t just a halftime act. He was part of the program. Darryl Rogers gave him a varsity letter after the 1977 season, which still stands as one of the more unique footnotes in school history.

Courtesy photo.

Zeke ended up on game programs, made appearances well beyond football Saturdays, and even popped up later on stage in a local production of Annie.

In the early 1980s, a chocolate Lab named Keze briefly carried the tradition forward after being selected through a Lansing State Journal naming contest that drew more than 12,000 entries.

She performed at Michigan State events with the same energy and agility that had defined the original Zeke, quickly winning over crowds despite her short time in the role. That chapter ended tragically in 1982 when Keze was struck and killed by a car, and in the aftermath, the tradition went quiet, as Michigan State football games proceeded for nearly two decades without an official Zeke II.

The tradition came roaring back in the early 2000s with Jim Foley and Zeke II, a black lab originally named Dexter.

He helped restart the act for a new generation of fans.

Zeke III followed in 2007 and carried the role for nearly a decade. Zeke IV then took over in December 2016 after Zeke III’s death, stepping from the performing troupe into the lead role and becoming the latest standard-bearer for one of the school’s most unusual and enduring customs.

Each one has been a little different. The role hasn't. That’s where Zeke V fits in - but she’s not just another dog stepping into the name. There’s a connection there.

Zeke V, with Jim and Terri Foley, on the steps of the Capitol Building in Lansing. April 8, 2026. Photo credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated

According to Foley, Zeke V is related to Zeke IV. Mississippi Red, one of the top field Labradors in the country, was Zeke IV’s grandfather.

Remington, from that same litter, later became the father of Zeke V; that makes Zeke V the niece of Zeke IV through that bloodline.

Zeke V (Cindy Lou). April 8, 2026, in Lansing, Michigan. Photo credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated

There’s also agility in her background – her mother was tied to a championship line out of the United Kingdom. Foley doesn’t spend much time on pedigree, but when he describes her, it shows up.

“I’d compare her speed to Zeke II,” he said. “And her trainability to Zeke IV.”

Then he pauses for a second and simplifies it.

“She flies.”

That’s the part he keeps coming back to. The way she moves. The way she gets off the ground. He describes it as floating, almost like she hangs in the air longer than she should.

“Like a ballerina,” he said.

Her vault, he said, is already right there with Zeke IV’s. Maybe better. She doesn’t flip quite the same way, but she’s quicker, sharper, more agile getting in and out of space.

Zeke V soars over Jim Foley on the Capitol lawn. April 8, 2026. Photo credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated

Different style. Same job. And there’s still more to build. Foley said he’s got about ten tricks in place right now and expects to have closer to twenty by the time football season rolls around. So even with all the experience, this version of Zeke is still developing.

That’s normal. Every one of them has.

What matters more, in his mind, is the temperament. The stuff you can’t teach.

“She’s got the right personality,” Foley said. “Good with kids. Good with people. Quiet in crowds. But when it’s time, she turns it on.”

Zeke V poses on the steps of the Capitol in Lansing on April 8, 2026. Photo credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated

That last part is really the job.

Because what fans see for a few minutes on a Saturday is only a piece of it. Zeke isn’t just a halftime act. There are appearances, events, basketball games, alumni functions.

It’s constant. Foley described it as a full-time commitment, not a side gig.

“This isn’t just Saturdays,” he said.

He would know. He’s been doing this since the late 1990s, brought the act back to Michigan State in 2001, and has built the modern version of Zeke from there. Now 72, he’s still out there, still throwing, still running the show. He knows he can't do it forever, but for now, the focus is just getting Zeke V out there and letting people see her.

Her first appearances will come this month – Admitted Student Day at Breslin Center, then the Spartan football showcase. That’s when most fans will get their first real look.

Foley doesn’t expect some big moment of adjustment.

“I think people are just going to be happy the tradition’s still going,” he said.

The newly crowned Zeke the Wonderdog - Zeke V aka Cindy Lou - leaps and catches a frisbee on the Capitol lawn. April 8, 2026. Photo credit: Marvin Hall/Spartans Illustrated

He’s probably right. Because that’s really what this comes down to. Not whether she looks exactly like Zeke IV. Not whether every trick hits the same way right away.

It’s that the run is still happening. The disc is still going up. And there’s still a dog chasing it down in front of a Michigan State crowd.

Only now, for the first time, Zeke the Wonderdog is a she.