Spartans Pose Sans Clothes in Playboy's 'Girls of the Big Ten'

September 18, 2008
by Christian Czerwinski of The Lansing State Journal


Rob Halley isn't one to miss an opportunity. Even if he has to "drag" his friends along.

But when two local girls turned Playboy models are signing autographs, there's not much dragging involved.

Halley, 20, a junior at Michigan State University, joined about 20 other folks Wednesday afternoon at a Big Ten party store in East Lansing for an autograph session featuring Lynn Wisper and Elle Stamos.

They are two of seven girls from MSU featured in Playboy's Girls of the Big Ten issue that came out last week. The other five girls couldn't make it to the session because of scheduling conflicts, but no one seemed to mind.

Kris Brooks, 20, who came to the event with Halley, arrived with the magazine in hand.

"I really wanted an autograph. You can't really pass up MSU girls," he said.

And Heather Montie, 24, showed up for an autograph so she could surprise her boyfriend and her brother.

"I'm doing it for them. When I bought it, the guy at the counter was like, 'You're a cool girlfriend,' " she said.

500 copies in stock

The store stocked about 500 copies of the issue, and manager Rick Squires said he was confident it would sell out. He said lots of them flew off the counter over the weekend with the MSU football game.

Representatives from Playboy are holding autograph sessions in every Big Ten city followed by after- parties. Although only two of the models showed up for the autograph session, as many as five were scheduled to attend the after-party at Rick's American Cafe on Wednesday night.

'Go Spartans'

Wisper - who posed in the magazine with fellow student Ryan Lovette - said she felt a little like a celebrity signing autographs. A few times, she signed her name along with "Go MSU" or "Go Spartans."

A senior majoring in hospitality business, Wisper received nothing but accolades from her family and friends.

"They loved the pictures. They said that the girls from State looked the best," she said. "Much better than U of M."

She wasn't the only one taking the intrastate rivalry to the pages of the magazine.

Halley, who said Monica Walker from MSU was his favorite model, said all the girls were better looking than the competition.

"MSU girls are definitely the hottest because U of M has been keeping ugly girls out of State since 1865," he said.