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wire servicesMississippi State makes the Packers assistant the conference's first black head football coach.
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State athletic director Larry Templeton didn't set out to make history Monday when he hired Sylvester Croom as the Southeastern Conference's first black head football coach.
"We went after the best football coach for our program, and we are confident that we found him in Sylvester Croom," Templeton said. "For our program and our university, he is just the perfect person at the right time. This is a nice day for us."
The hiring of Croom was officially approved Monday afternoon by Dr. Charles Lee, the Mississippi State president, and the school's board of trustees. Croom, 49, will be introduced at a news conference today.
Croom replaces Jackie Sherrill, who announced his retirement this season, and there is no ignoring the historical significance of this hire. The SEC was only the conference in Division I-A that had not hired a black head coach. Croom will become the fifth African-American coach among the 117 I-A schools.
"Dr. Lee's and Larry Templeton's commitment to hiring an outstanding football coach and the fact that Coach Croom becomes the first minority head football coach in the SEC make this a historic day for Mississippi State and the Southeastern Conference," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said.
The fact that the SEC's first black head football coach will be named in Mississippi, a state that has had its share of racial strife, also could not be ignored.
Croom was a finalist for the Alabama job when the Crimson Tide hired Mike Shula in May. At the time, Alabama was criticized by some in the civil rights community for passing over Croom, who had more experience than Shula, 37.
Now Croom, who grew up in the shadow of Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium, will be recruiting against his alma mater.
Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said Croom's hiring is a positive step for the SEC, but the league still is lagging in minority hirings at high-profile positions such as athletic director and university president.
"So while this is a breakthrough, we're really way behind our potential," Jackson said. "But I think Mississippi State, its president and its athletic director deserve congratulations, and I extend that to them."
Though Croom has never been a head coach, he brings an impressive resume. He has coached 17 years in the NFL, where he currently is the running backs coach of the Green Bay Packers. He was a three-year letterman at Alabama for Bear Bryant and played on the Crimson Tide's 1973 national championship team. He was an assistant for 11 years at Alabama.
Among those who rave about Croom is former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Ross, who had Croom on his staff when he was coach of the San Diego Chargers and the Detroit Lions.
"I've had some great coaches work for me like George O'Leary, Ralph Friedgen and Frank Beamer," Ross said. "I put Sylvester Croom in the same category as those guys."
Croom, however, has his work cut out for him.
The Bulldogs are 8-27 since 2001 with three SEC victories. They completed a 2-10 season last week, their worst since 1988.
"What will help him is he's a guy who's definitely a good disciplinarian and he's very basic in what he wants from his players," Packers running back Ahman Green said. "And if you do what he asks of his players, you do exactly what he wants, you'll be okay."
Mississippi State is awaiting the results of an NCAA investigation into possible rules violations by the football program from 1998-2002. Templeton said he has discussed the issues with Croom.
"We will give Coach Croom what he needs for us to get though that situation together," Templeton said.