• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

HEAD COACH HEAD COACH SYLVESTER CROOM Joined MState: December 2003 Alabama, 1975 hen Mississippi State began its search in October 2003 for the 31st head coach in its long football history, the university sought an enthu- Wsiastic teacher with the energy to rebuild the Bulldog football program and an individual with an attention to detail who demands the discipline needed to bring structure to a vast organization. On all accounts, MSU found its man when it hired Sylvester Croom on Dec. 1, 2003. “Sylvester Croom met all of the criteria we laid forth for the selection of a new head football coach at Mississippi State,” Director of Athletics Larry Templeton said. “We went after the best football coach, and we’re confi dent we found that individual in Sylvester Croom.” MSU faithful hope that State's season-ending 35-14 win over Ole Miss to cul- minate the 2005 campaign signals a turning point toward the future of Croom's program. Croom continues the daunting task of constructing the foundation upon which the Bulldog football program will be rebuilt. In the two years since being named SYLVESTER CROOM to head MSU's football fortunes, the traits that made Croom the best coach for State have come to life. His fi rst two Bulldog teams fi nished 3-8, a record he has been quick to point out Croom became an in-demand speaker at alumni and booster events because of is not acceptable at MSU. That said, the fi nal marks were still one-win improve- his forthright approach to directing the pigskin program. But his non-stop energy ments over the team he inherited. His fi rst team posted the school’s fi rst victory on the banquet circuit was only exceeded by the fervor with which he began shap- over a ranked team in four years, a 38-31 win over then-No. 20 Florida, and his ing the Bulldog football operation. He established new offensive and defensive second squad captured the Egg Bowl Trophy for the fi rst time in four years. systems, paying particular attention to an attack which mirrored what he taught Even before coaching his fi rst football contest on the Starkville campus, Croom as a National Football League assistant. And despite the fact he had been away was recognized nationally in 2004 for his impact on the college game. Dennis from the college game for 17 years as a pro coach, he has been unwavering in his Dodd ranked him #2 on CBS Sportsline’s list of the 50 most relevant people in demand for student-athlete accountability, on the fi eld and off it. college football for the 2004 season. In so doing, Dodd said: “The State program CROOM’S ARRIVAL USHERED IN A NEW ERA OF MEDIA RECOGNITION FOR THE SCHOOL AND ITS PLAYERS. 92 HEAD COACH took on a more organized look the moment he arrived.” rushing and receiving in the same season. Moore and Morton entered the 2003 Sports Illustrated rated him the 31st most infl uential minority in all of sports. “In season Nos. 7 and 21, respectively, on the NFL’s top active receivers list. Mississippi and beyond, his impact has already been profound,” SI noted. In 1998, Sanders rushed for nearly 1,500 yards, and Morton duplicated the Croom came to State from the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, where he served the feat of more than 1,000 yards receiving in a season. One year later, Morton and previous three seasons under then-Packer general manager/head coach Mike Sher- Germaine Crowell combined for nearly 2,500 yards receiving and tight end David man as the team’s running backs coach. He is a veteran of 29 years in the coaching Sloan earned a trip to the Pro Bowl with the best production by a Lion tight end profession, 17 of which have come at the professional level on the offensive side of in 20 years. the football. He spent four years as an NFL offensive coordinator. Croom helped lead Detroit to its best fi nish in three seasons during the 2000 Croom’s Packer running attack ranked third in the National Football League campaign, narrowly missing a second-straight, post-season appearance, what in 2003, averaging 160 yards per game. Under his guidance, Ahman Green blos- would have been the third in his four seasons in the Motor City. somed into one of the true stars of the NFL. He fi nished second in the league in Prior to his tenure with Detroit, Croom tutored the San Diego Charger running rushing in ‘03 and was the fourth most productive rusher in the NFL over the three backs for fi ve seasons (1992-96). During that span, the Chargers twice won Ameri- seasons in which Croom was his coach. can Football Conference Western Division titles and participated in postseason The natural by-product of Green’s stellar season in 2003 was a third-straight, 12-4 regular season and a second consecutive NFC North title. Croom, who had “CROOM’S NO-NONSENSE APPROACH HAS EARNED HIM RESPECT AMONG HIS PLAYERS . IT IS (HIS) BLUNT HONESTY AND EXCELLENT RAPPORT WITH HIS PLAYERS THAT HAS MADE HIM SUCCESSFUL...” — TOM SILVERSTEIN, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTNEL already accepted MSU’s head coaching position, helped the Packers to the second round of the NFL playoffs. In 2002, Green Bay clinched the inaugural NFC North championship with a sec- ond-straight 12-4 record. Croom’s backs contributed to a Packers’ rushing effort that posted the most yards on the ground in 17 years. His rushers helped Green Bay rank fi fth in the National Football Conference in that category. As part of that effort, Green earned his second consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl on the heels of his third-straight 1,000-yard season. He ranked fourth in the NFC in rushing. Additionally, Croom’s work with undrafted free agent Tony Fisher furthered his reputation as a successful teacher. Fisher’s rushing total was the most by a Green Bay rookie in 16 years. SYLVESTER CROOM In his fi rst season in Green Bay, Croom helped the Pack qualify for the postsea- son for the fi rst time in three years with a 12-4 record. Green Bay defeated San Francisco in the NFC Wild Card game, the Packers’ fi rst postseason win in three seasons. Green posted a second-consecutive 1,000-yard season and led the team play three times. The ‘94 Charger team not only won a Western Division champion- in receptions for a second-straight year. Green was second in the NFC in both ship, it won a pair of postseason contests and played in Super Bowl XXIX. rushing yards and total yards from scrimmage. Under Croom’s tutelage, Green Under Croom’s direction, second-year back Natrone Means set a team rushing was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and earned his fi rst of three straight record in 1994 with 1,350 yards. It was in San Diego where Croom fi rst joined the trips to Hawaii’s Pro Bowl. He was also a second-team, All-Pro selection by the staff of head coach Bobby Ross, with whom he made the move to Detroit. Associated Press. “He’s as good a coach as you could ask for on the fi eld and in the classroom,” During his three seasons in Green Bay, the Packers were the second-most suc- Ross said. “He is a great communicator with coaches and with players. I’ve had cessful NFL franchise, winning nearly 70 percent of their games over that stretch. some great coaches work for me like George O’Leary, Ralph Friedgen and Frank “Sylvester is a great football coach,” Sherman said. “He is a salt-of-the-earth Beamer. I put Sylvester Croom in the same category as those guys.” person who represents everything good.” Croom broke into the NFL as running backs coach with the Tampa Bay Buc- Sherman hired Croom on Jan. 30, 2001, and the latter arrived in Green Bay after caneers in 1987. He worked in Tampa for four years (1987-90) before joining the four seasons as offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions (1997-2000). Indianapolis Colts in the same capacity for one season (1991). Croom achieved noted success during those four years in charge of the Detroit But the Tuscaloosa, Ala., native also has a solid resume on the college coaching attack. His 1997 offense ranked second in the NFL overall, and he helped lead the level. He worked for 11 seasons at his alma mater, the University of Alabama, all on Lions to a postseason playoff berth. Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders led the defensive side of the football. Croom oversaw both the inside (1977-81, 1984- the NFL in rushing and became just the third player in league history to crack the 86) and outside (1982-83) linebackers during his tenure with the Crimson Tide. 2,000-yard barrier that year. Wide receivers Herman Moore and Johnnie Morton He helped Alabama to back-to-back national championships in 1978-79. With his both surpassed 1,000 yards receiving, with Moore leading the NFL with 104 catch- help, Alabama led the Southeastern Conference in total defense during the 1979 es. Detroit became the fi rst organization to have teammates lead the NFL in both and ‘80 seasons. 93 HEAD COACH That ‘79 team recorded fi ve shut- teammate of Croom’s at Alabama, out wins, gave up just seven touch- THE SYLVESTER CROOM FILE said.

Load more

  20

Copy Link