Sylvester Croom, Jr.

Sylvester Croom, Jr. was born on September 25, 1954 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide. However, he made history when he led his football team onto Scott Field welcomed by ringing cowbells and the thundering roar of 50,000 maroon and white Bulldog fans yelling “Go Dogs!” In 2004 Croom accepted the head football coach’s position at Mississippi State University becoming the first African American to be named head football coach in the Southeastern Conference.

Croom attended Tuscaloosa High School where he was a star linebacker and tight end. After graduation, he went to the University of Alabama where he earned three football varsity letters. He was the starting center on the Crimson Tide’s 1973 national championship team, and in his senior year was named to the All-SEC and Kodak All-American teams. He was also awarded the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the best offensive linemen in the conference.

Growing up in a family of schoolteachers, Croom was taught the value and importance of education. At age 20, he earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in biology and went on to earn his master’s degree in educational administration. Unfortunately, in 1960s Alabama, segregation and racism were pervasive. To escape the hatred, football became his sanctuary. His dream was to play for the University of Alabama, led by the legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. In 1971, his dream became reality and over the next 4 years, as in the classroom, he excelled on the gridiron. In his senior year, he was named team captain and, because of his dedication to the sport, the Alabama Athletic Department created the Sylvester Croom, Jr. Commitment to Excellence Award in his honor.

After graduation, Croom played one season with the New Orleans Saints and then returned to the University of Alabama to begin his coaching career. During the 11 years he coached at Alabama, the Crimson Tide played in 10 bowl games and won back-to-back national championships in 1978 and 1979. In 1987, he moved from the collegiate level to the NFL and spent 17 years developing some of the greatest players ever to play the game. He was the offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions when Barry Sanders became the third player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. In the entire history of the NFL, only seven players have accomplished this feat.

In 2003, Croom was a finalist for the head coaching position at the University of Alabama, his alma mater, but the job was given to Mike Shula. The following year, Mississippi State University selected Croom for their head football coach, making him the first African American to serve in that position in the Southeastern Conference. In a little over three years, Croom turned around this much-beleaguered program, producing MSU’s first winning season in 6 years. In 2007, MSU finished the year with a 7-5 record and received a bowl bid. Croom was also named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in 2007. He returned to the NFL in 2009 and is currently the running backs coach with the Tennessee Titans.