Five years ago.......
Sylvester Croom was named head football coach at Mississippi State University. It marked the first time in the history of the Southeastern Conference, the football program was run by an African-American...........a black man.
But after a 4-8 record this season including the season ending beat down , 45-0, at the hands of arch rival, Ole Miss, Croom has resigned........effective immediately .
“Five years ago, Mississippi State gave me the unprecedented opportunity to be a head football coach in the Southeastern Conference and to build a program based upon a strong foundation,” Croom said. “I want to thank (then-president) Dr. Charles Lee and (then-athletic director) Larry Templeton for that opportunity. I also want to thank the assistant coaches and all the players who had faith and trust in me. We have tried to build a program the right way that can compete for conference championships. I believe the foundation has been set for those goals to be reached under the leadership of someone else, and it was my decision to resign.”
Mr. Croom is a good and honest man. Very sincere.......very dedicated........well respected.
But..........3-8, 3-8, 3-8, 8-5, and 4-8.......just don't keep the alumni happy. Bottom line? Croom was another nice guy with great morals who was a mediocre coach who happened to be black. One winning season in 5 years will not get you any extended contracts.
It is still sad though.......we are down to just 3 black head football coaches in division 1.......
Randy Shannon of Miami, Turner Gill of Buffalo and Kevin Sumlin of Houston are the only remaining black men in charge among the 119 teams that play at college football's highest level. Washington's Tyrone Willingham and Kansas State's Ron Prince were recently fired, with Willingham finishing up with the Huskies next Saturday.Croom's coaching record.......courtesy of Wikipedia:
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State Bulldogs (SEC) (2004–2008) | |||||||||
| 2004 | Mississippi State | 3–8 | 2-6 | 6th (West) | |||||
| 2005 | Mississippi State | 3–8 | 1-7 | T-5th (West) | |||||
| 2006 | Mississippi State | 3–9 | 1-7 | 6th (West) | |||||
| 2007 | Mississippi State | 8–5 | 4–4 | T-3rd (West) | W Liberty | ||||
| 2008 | Mississippi State | 4–8 | 2-6 | T-5th (West) | |||||
| Mississippi State: | 21–38 | 10–30 | |||||||
| Total: | 21–38 | ||||||||
| National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title | |||||||||
| †Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season. | |||||||||
