When Sylvester Croom walks into a room his presence captures bystanders. The pace of his walk, the crispness of his talk, the glances he gives and the stares he bestows send chills running through your spine. He’s been described as a man of pure character, a quality that fans hope outsiders will see in the Mississippi State football program.
Croom has already stressed discipline and a diligent work ethic to a once unruly football team. He also guides the players on the path to success on and off the field.
Running back Jerious Norwood said Croom is more of a father figure and a counselor leading him to greatness in life. Norwood admitted that this team needed the discipline and control that Croom has given it. “Coach Croom came in and laid the law down,” Norwood said.
Tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens described Croom with the words “integrity” and “professionalism.” Running backs coach Stan Drayton said that his decision to come to State was “solely on Coach Croom.” Croom’s ability to teach and coach is profound. This is a man who, as a player and coach, has won three national championships and been to 13 bowl games, including Super Bowl XXIX.
I visited Croom’s office, which has been vastly changed from the last head coach who resided there. From the interview with Croom I got the feeling that he has a lot more changes in mind, including changing the way people on campus and around the nation look at Mississippi State football.
Croom will pour his heart and soul into this football program to get State of the Dawg house.
Reflector: What persons in your life influenced you to be a coach?
Croom: Well, it all started with my dad. He was a high school coach. He was a huge influence on me. My high school coaches, Bill Henderson and Herald Redlutts over at Tuscaloosa High School back in the ’70s when I played there, and then of course Coach Bryant, was one of the greatest influences on me.
But it all started with the idea of wanting to teach. My dad was a history teacher, and I majored in history as well. And then it dissolved into, “Okay, you can’t play anymore,” and I still wanted to be involved in the game. That willingness, that desire to teach and to still be in the game led me to coaching.
Reflector: Talking about Bear Bryant, what kind of methods and characteristics did you get from him that you now use to coach this team?
Croom: A lot of my philosophy on how to win games comes directly form coach Bryant. I’m not flashy. We won’t be a flashy football team. We will be a fundamental football team.
I mean we all like to see-fans like to see the flashiness and explosiveness of the game-but I know one sure way to win games and I know that because I have experienced it. You don’t beat yourself.
More games are lost than games are won, especially now with the competition level and the limited reduction of scholarships and the competition being pretty much equal throughout the conference and the country.
You have to find a way not to lose first. That was coach Bryant’s philosophy, and that’s the way we will go about things. The other thing is the team is still more important than the individual-not that the individual’s goals are not important within the context of the team first.
That goes for me, that goes for the coaches and that goes for all the players. I’m no bigger than the rest of this team. The success of this program and the success of this football team are number one. But I also believe, and I learned this from Coach Bryant-by doing what’s best for those players and the individuals, by making sure they learn to do the right things in a classy way, by insisting on them getting their education and being respectful to authority and preparing them to be the best people they can be when they leave here-that in itself will be best for our football team.
Reflector: How was it to work with Brett Favre?
Croom: Working with Brett Favre was unbelievable. He is a great player and a great competitor. One of the greatest competitors I have ever been around and I’ll say this, if I had one football player to start a football team with, it would be Brett Favre.
Reflector: I’m sure you want everyone on your football team to take his role and be like him.
Croom: I wish. If I could get one like that I would be happy. I won’t be greedy; I’ll just take one.
Reflector: Talking about quarterbacks a little, is it safe to say that Omarr Conner has the upper hand in the quarterback position?
Croom: At this point-and that’s not etched in stone by any stretch of the imagination-he does leave spring practice our number one quarterback.
Reflector: How many players will be staying up here over the summer to workout?
Croom: We’ll have a lot here in summer school. I normally don’t like keeping guys around the entire summer, but I expect all of them to be here the second semester. Some have already expressed interest in being here the first term.
Reflector: How have the players taken to the pro-style plays and play-calling that you have brought in?
Croom: I think they like it. I’ve challenged them on that. The volume of what we ask them to learn and the details which we ask them to execute will be very much like it’s done in the NFL. I think, for the most part, they have taken to it pretty well.
Reflector: Were you expecting the team to be where they are right now?
Croom: I didn’t go in with any preconceived notions. It was just, we’ll take it one day at a time and we’ll see where it goes. This is my first year so I just expected us to work hard every day and we did that. We worked hard every day. We’re very fortunate we didn’t get anybody seriously hurt, and I thought our effort for the most part, except for one or two days, was good as a team.
I’m not worried about the X’s and O’s part of it. I’m not worried about the learning of the assignments. The biggest thing we’re trying to get done this year is establish an identity as a team and as a program: what’s acceptable, what’s not acceptable?
And create an attitude where we will not settle for anything less than trying to be our best. I think once we get that firmly engraved in their minds, this is Bulldog football. This is the way we do things. All of our players expect that, our fans expect that, the prospects we recruit know that coming in. And knowing that this is what’s going to be expected of them and by agreeing to come to State-that’s the challenge they are going to have to uphold.
Reflector: Have you enjoyed coaching college athletes?
Croom: Yes, coaching is coaching. When you are coaching good people, its fun. When you’re coaching bad people, it’s not that fun. I coach the same in the pros as I did in college. I really never coached any different.
I probably started out trying to treat it different, then I realized that I was miserable and I went to coaching the same way I did in college.
It’s not a big transition for me, particularly now since there was a time when it would have been different because college players were smaller. But they’re just as big as the guys in the pros now-the difference is they’re not as fast. They’re not as quick. The speed of the game is not the same.
I thought the egos wouldn’t be the same, but in some cases they’re the same as they are in the pros. Some of these guys already think they are headed to the NFL Hall of Fame and they haven’t even played any games yet.
But that’s the result of us being in an ESPN culture. Not knocking ESPN. I like them. But the fact is that young people watch pro ball on TV and they watch how pro athletes handle themselves in different situations and they tend to want to emulate them. They haven’t quite reached that status yet, and I have to remind them of that.
Reflector: How do you remind them of that?
Croom: (Chuckling) With a quiet word in the ear.
Part two of the Sylvester Croom interview will appear in Tuesday’s paper.