Croom first black football coach in SEC

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, December 2, 2003

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State athletic director Larry Templeton hired Sylvester Croom because he believes the longtime NFL assistant can lead the troubled Bulldogs out of the Southeastern Conference cellar.

In the process, Mississippi State made SEC history.

Croom became the first black head football coach in the Southeastern Conference on Monday when he accepted an offer to take over the Bulldogs.

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''The issue of opportunities for minority coaches to become head football coaches is an issue for everybody, all the conferences in the country,'' SEC commissioner Mike Slive said. ''The fact that the SEC has now provided that opportunity makes it a historic day for the conference and for Mississippi State.''

Croom informed Templeton that he would take the job less than 24 hours after Templeton said he had offered it.

''We went after the best football coach and we're confident we found that individual in Sylvester Croom,'' Templeton said.

Croom, 49, has never been a head coach, but has been an NFL assistant with five teams since 1987 and worked for Bear Bryant and Ray Perkins at Alabama from 1977-86. He has been running backs coach with the Green Bay Packers since 2001.

The SEC's hiring history came under increased scrutiny earlier this year when Croom was passed over for the top job at his alma mater, Alabama, in favor of Mike Shula, another former Crimson Tide player, who is white.

Every other BCS conference has had at least one black head coach, but a lack of diversity among major college football head coaches is not exclusive to the SEC.

There were only four black head football coaches among 117 Division I-A football schools this season.

Alabama was criticized by some, including civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, for not hiring Croom, who had more experience than Shula.

Jackson said Croom's hiring is a positive step for the SEC, but the league still lags 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.''

Templeton said he hoped Croom would be cleared by the Packers to assume his new position immediately.

''What we know - and we don't know everything - but what we do know, he's going to be juggling both, which is not going to be easy,'' Packers fullback Nick Luchey said.

Croom replaces retiring coach Jackie Sherrill and inherits a program that has been in a free fall for three years.

The Bulldogs are 8-27 since 2001 with just three SEC victories. They completed a 2-10 season last week, the school's 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 OK.''

Mississippi State is awaiting the results of an NCAA investigation into possible rules violations by the football program from 1998-2002.

Templeton said Croom will be given a four-year contract, but didn't disclose financial terms. Sherrill made about $750,000 annually with perks and incentives.

Croom played offensive line at Alabama in the early '70s. He still has family in his native Tuscaloosa and a daughter and granddaughter living in Mobile, Ala.

Messages left at Croom's home and office were not immediately returned.

Templeton did his best to keep Mississippi State's six-week search a secret.

Most of the early speculation focused on LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, but he withdrew from consideration last week before he was interviewed.

By that time, word of Mississippi State's interest in Croom leaked through various media reports, though Templeton remained tightlipped.

Templeton and university president Charles Lee flew to Green Bay last Friday to interview Croom and two days later Croom visited Starkville.

Only after Croom boarded a university plane back to Wisconsin on Sunday did Templeton acknowledge that Croom was a candidate and had been offered the job.

By then, Templeton seemed to know he had his next coach.

''There's an excitement for us right now,'' Templeton said. ''I think he is the right man at the right time for our university.''