Dear Coach Croom,
The first Mississippi State game I can remember attending was an Egg Bowl when I was 9 years old. The fans that packed Memorial Stadium in Jackson must have been the largest gathering of people I had ever seen. This prompted my then 5-year-old brother to ask, “Mama, does everybody in the whole world pull for Mississippi State?”
I realized then that there were fans pulling for the other team. I realized then that we had an enemy.
The enemy, Mississippi (we call them that because they hate it), beat us that day. It was Coach Rocky Felker’s last game, and I can still remember the Rebel chant, “We want Rocky five more years!”
The last MSU game I attended wasn’t much different. We played the enemy. They beat us. And as the clock wound, Rebel fans began to sing Happy Birthday to our departing coach.
President J. Charles Lee and Athletic Director Larry Templeton told you that there were four criteria MSU was seeking in a head coach. Sure those criteria are important factors, but one criterion was notably missing. So I thought I’d write you this letter in case you didn’t know it.
Criterion #5: Beat Mississippi.
You might not ever hate them as much as I do. Nor might you ever understand why it is that I hate them so. Then again, maybe you can. You played against them your senior year at Alabama.
No hard feelings about being from Alabama, by the way. Our last coach was a former Alabama boy, and he caught on quickly. After all, what is crimson but a lighter shade of maroon?
So it’s been 10 years since you’ve been to Starkville. That’s OK. It doesn’t take long to develop a dislike for the Rebels.
Some don’t feel as strongly as I do about this. You may hear some heretical statements like, “I pull for any Mississippi team,” or, “I pull for the Rebels as long as they aren’t playing the Bulldogs.”
Shame on them, Coach. Maroon and White shouldn’t mix with red and blue.
Now you wore a blue suit and red tie to your press conference. I hope it was a first-day-on-the-job mistake. Just get a Maroon sport coat and all will be forgiven.
I think you’ll be fine, though. You made up for it by referring to our Oxford neighbors as one of the “other schools” in Mississippi.
Coach, you don’t have to post a winning record every year here. One of the best seasons I can remember is 1996. We only went 5-6 that year. We lost to Kentucky. We lost to Louisiana Tech at home, for crying out loud. But we shut out Mississippi 17-0 in Oxford.
What a great season.
You don’t even need an overall winning record when you leave here. Coach Sherrill is leaving with a mark of .500. But there’s a factor for him that tips the scales. He has a winning record against Mississippi. For that reason, he’ll always be a winner around here.
If you watched our last game maybe you’ll understand why I’m writing you this letter. While most of my family were watching the game back home, comfortably propped in front of the television, finishing off Thanksgiving leftovers, I stood in the cold rain at Scott Field.
I rang my cowbell while my boots filled with water. I stayed all four quarters despite the fact that our score resembled the trophy for which we played.
I can stand the cold and the rain. But I can’t stand the 364 days of knowing that the Golden Egg is in Oxford.
I hate to watch us lose, Coach. But above all, I hate to watch us lose to them. I hope you do well here, but if you only win one game, please, let it be against them.
Michael Stewart is a senior philosophy and religion major. He can be reached at [email protected].