Sylvester Croom
Tuscaloosa | |
| College: | Alabama (1972–1974) |
|---|---|
| Undrafted: | 1975 |
| Career history | |
| As a player: | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NFL statistics | |
| Head coaching record | |
| Postseason: | 1–0 (college) |
| Career: | 21–38 (college) |
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |
| Coaching stats at PFR | |
Sylvester Croom Jr. (born September 25, 1954) is a former
Playing career
Croom, a native of
He played one season in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints before returning to the University of Alabama to begin his coaching career.
Coaching career
Before coaching at Mississippi State, Croom was an assistant at Alabama for 11 seasons under Bryant and
He then spent 17 years in the professional ranks as
He was a finalist for the head coach position at the University of Alabama in 2003, but the job ultimately went to Mike Shula. In March 2004, Alabama's Sylvester Croom Commitment to Excellence Award, given annually for 16 years to outstanding players, was changed to the Bart Starr, supposedly because Shula did not want an award named for a rival coach. After complaints by alumni and fans, the award was changed back to its original name.[citation needed]
When Croom was hired at
After the 2007 season, during which his team won eight games, including the Liberty Bowl, Croom garnered Coach of the Year awards from three organizations. On December 4, 2007, Croom was named coach of the year by the
After a 4–8 record in 2008, culminating with a 45–0 loss to rival Mississippi, Croom was asked by school officials to resign as the coach of the Bulldogs.[7]
On February 2, 2009, St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo announced that he hired Croom to his coaching staff to be the team's running backs coach.[8] Croom and the entire coaching staff were fired following the 2011 season in which the team posted a 2–14 record.
Croom was hired onto Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak's staff as running backs coach in 2013. Croom was not retained by new Head Coach Mike Vrabel in 2018, and decided to retire after more than 40 years of coaching.[9]
Education
Croom earned a
First black head football coach in the SEC
Responses
Croom has consistently downplayed the personal significance of his status as the first black head coach of an SEC football team. A characteristic response has been that while he is proud of his African-American heritage, the most important part for him is "the head coach part" and the ability to pursue a dream he has held for all of his adult life, stating notably at a press conference upon his acceptance of the position "I am the first African-American coach in the SEC, but there ain't but one color that matters here, and that color is maroon." Elsewhere, in an interview shortly before his first season as a head coach, when asked if as the first African-American coach in the SEC he considered himself "a trailblazer," Croom responded "I'm just a guy trying to do the best job he can. It just happens that the timing of my hiring puts me in that position. I don't see myself that way. If other people perceive that, so be it. I'm just trying to do the best I can here."[10]
However, the initial response to his hiring was lauded by many as a moment of relative cultural significance. An article published in
On February 12, 2007, in observance of
In February 2008 Croom was featured in a half-hour segment of "Say it Loud," ESPN's documentary celebration of Black History Month. In it are featured interviews with Croom along with coaches and players, among others. Relevant to the topic he speaks generally in this documentary on his decision to accept Mississippi State's offer for the head coaching position and on his race and the history of race relations in the region being major contributing factors.
Likewise, in a 2009 interview focusing on his work with the St. Louis Rams, Croom spoke to his relevance to racial and cultural integration, saying "It's just worked out in my career where I've had that opportunity to be the first African-American in a lot of situations." He continued to say that "...it was never anything that was planned. It's just the way this life has gone for me, and the opportunities that I've been blessed with. In retrospect, I do take some pride in it, and some sacrifices that I've had to make along this way. But so does everybody else."
Position at Alabama
Croom's own position on African-American coaches in college football has not always been so apolitical, however. In an interview with Black Athlete Sports Network in July 2003, after losing out to
Legacy of segregation
Elsewhere, Croom has treated his status as the first African-American head football coach in the SEC with the complexity he sees befitting the situation of a person so deeply connected to the
In a 2003 article for the New York Daily News, Croom recalled his experiences of integration as a middle schooler in Tuscaloosa, the near-lynching of his father years before in a case of mistaken identity, and segregated restrooms, an institution which he said “bothered me [then], and it still does to this day." His younger brother Kelvin Croom, a pastor and high school administrator, added: "We chose not to be intimidated. We chose to be motivated and hoped that one day we would make a difference. And we have made a difference, because the crosses have been taken down and the ropes have been put away."[14]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State Bulldogs (Southeastern Conference) (2004–2008) | |||||||||
| 2004 | Mississippi State | 3–8 | 2–6 | 6th (Western) | |||||
| 2005 | Mississippi State | 3–8 | 1–7 | T–5th (Western) | |||||
| 2006 | Mississippi State | 3–9 | 1–7 | 6th (Western) | |||||
| 2007 | Mississippi State | 8–5 | 4–4 | T–3rd (Western) | W Liberty | ||||
| 2008 | Mississippi State | 4–8 | 2–6 | T–4th (Western) | |||||
| Mississippi State: | 21–38 | 10–30 | |||||||
| Total: | 21–38 | ||||||||
References
- ^ Pioneers University of Alabama
- ^ Nickel, Lori. "Green Bay's Croom an educator after all". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 2, 2003. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^ "Sylvester Croom". HailState.com. Mississippi State University Athletics. 2008. Retrieved April 20, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ ”Croom, Sylvester Jr.”’’Current Biography Yearbook’’. The H.W. Wilson Company. 2004. P.100
- ^ "Croom receives AFCA regional award". The ClarionLedger. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ "Croom named SEC's best; Coach honored by conference, media". The ClarionLedger. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ "ESPN film examines Croom s legacy as MSU head coach". djournal.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ Rams hire Croom, four other coaches ESPN. Retrieved on February 2, 2009
- ^ "Croom on retirement, Derrick Henry, Bryant vs. Saban". May 15, 2018.
- ^ "Business information, news, and reports". Goliath.ecnext.com. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ Whiteside, Kelly (December 1, 2003). "Croom's hiring cheered beyond football". Usatoday.Com. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ "President Bush Celebrates African American History Month". Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. February 12, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ "Croom Redraws The Color Line". washingtonpost.com. November 5, 2004. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ Coffey, Wayne. "Croom's class, coaching open doors at Miss. St". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
External links
- Sylvester Croom at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference