He was a beacon of light to his peers, his players and in the coaching profession.
After 41 years of mentoring young men at the collegiate and professional level, Sylvester Croom will get a hero’s honor in his home state.
A native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., Croom will be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame on next week — per an announcement from the ASHOF. He was a star linebacker and tight end at Tuscaloosa County High School and though John Mitchell Jr. and Wilbur Jackson broke the color barrier, Croom was next in line at the University of Alabama under Paul Bryant.
Tuscaloosa native, University of Alabama All-American, and former Head Coach of Mississippi State…Sylvester Croom will be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame one week from today!#ASHOF2020 | @AlabamaFTBL | @HailStateFB pic.twitter.com/a3mlKEAgpJ
— Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (@ASHOF) July 25, 2020
He started his career with the Crimson Tide at linebacker and tight end, until he found his calling on the offensive line at the center position.
Not only was Croom the first African American to play the position, but he was also a senior captain, Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner and an All-American in 1974. He was on three Southeastern Conference title teams (1972-74) and a national championship team in 1973.
Croom spent one season in the National Football League with the New Orleans Saints in 1975, but then he returned to his Alma mater as a coach.
For 11 years (1976-86), he served under Bryant as a graduate assistant, inside linebackers’ coach and outside linebackers’ coach.
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Croom mentored legendary players such as E.J. Junior, Cornelis Bennett, Derrick Thomas and Don McNeal. As an assistant, he witnessed four SEC titles (1977-79, 1981) and two national championships (1978-79) with Bryant.
During his 25 years in the NFL (1987-16), Croom was primarily a running backs’ coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis/L.A. Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.
He was an offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 1997 to 2000.
In terms of being a head coach, Croom broke the color barrier as the first black man at the helm of an SEC program. Regardless of a rough start at Mississippi State University (2004-08), he led the Bulldogs to an 8-win season in 2007 as he got everyone in the institution to buy in.
For his efforts, Croom was awarded SEC Coach of the Year. It was not an easy journey for him, but he found a way to flourish.
People did not understand him at first; however, he spoke the language of getting young men to be more than athletes and those players took it to heart. Croom even got the opportunity to coach former Tide running back and 2015 Heisman winner, Derrick Henry in 2016 with the Titans.
The lone year of wisdom he got from Croom went a long way into Henry becoming the league’s rushing champion in 2019 — totaling 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns on 303 carries.
He propelled the franchise into the playoffs and guided it to the AFC Championship Game.
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At the end of the day, Croom is a pioneer. He did well for the sport of football, the character of young men and most importantly, the state of Alabama. He will have his crowning moment on next week and it will be awesome to watch.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
