Without Sylvester Croom

[Drip]

Is it big news in your area that there are only 3 African American head coaches out of 119 major college football programs?

 

[prezclinton]

I thought it was two because Tyrone Willingham is out too.

I know Turner Gill is one of them. Who are the other two?

 

[Pancamo]

Shannon at UM is one.

 

[OJ1414]

Kevin Sumlin of Houston is the other

 

[slappy4428]

Is it is a concern that there are so few African-American coaches? Yes.
Should coaches like Croom or Willingham be treated differently when their teams suck? Hell no.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Is it is a concern that there are so few African-American coaches? Yes.
Should coaches like Croom or Willingham be treated differently when their teams suck? Hell no.

Croom made it easy on MSU by resigning.

 

[Blitz]

Croom is a good man and had big plans for State.
His teams did not win consistently, though, there at State, so he had to go.
Especially after the final 2008 game, when the players didn't even show up for the rival clash.
That indicates that 09 10 and 2011 wouldn't be consistently better.
Sylvester Croom will land on his feet, and he will compensated properly and he will find inner happiness.
It's the nature of the business.
Whether you are black, white or other ethnicity ... if you can't win consistently, you will not find work as a head coach.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

There will likely be a few more added to that list soon to fill some vacancies.

 

[sportshack06]

This struck me as odd yesterday.

CBS touched on this at halftime of their games and Tim Brando basically let Spencer Tillman have his say. Tillman said that it was a travesty and that recent openings like the Tennessee job shouldnt have been filled with someone "unqualified" like Lane Kiffin, but instead Charlie Strong.

I think Strong is a good coach (but certainly could not have put together the staff that Kiffin is), however - the head coach of a program is a CEO and the face of the university, and perhaps the state. How many people know the governor of Arkansas and then how many people know who the head coach of Arkansas is?

Strong - much like Norm Chow - has been a viable candidate for several jobs; but can't get one and its likely due to the inability to be that CEO. Charlie is a good coach, but his media relations would be a horrendous move for a major university. (It wasn't even good enough for Vanderbilt to take a chance on, IIRC).

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Croom is a good man and had big plans for State.
His teams did not win consistently, though, there at State, so he had to go.
Especially after the final 2008 game, when the players didn't even show up for the rival clash.
That indicates that 09 10 and 2011 wouldn't be consistently better.
Sylvester Croom will land on his feet, and he will compensated properly and he will find inner happiness.
It's the nature of the business.
Whether you are black, white or other ethnicity ... if you can't win consistently, you will not find work as a head coach.

Once you get the job, this is true.
Unfortunately, the sample size isn't big enough yet...in 2008.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

You can add Joker Phillips to the list, at least when Rich Brooks steps down at Kentucky.

 

[DanOregon]

Croom stepping down is unfortunate, don't know if he was bought out or what, but I think it's part of a disturbing trend in college football where some programs have such short memories. I don't have a problem getting rid of a coach with a losing record after three or four years who hasn't shown progress (Mr Weis?), but when you have a coach like Croom who got MissState to a winning record a year ago, a bowl game and was the SEC coach of the year, - it kind of makes you wonder. There are a few other coaches, white and black, who get bounced with winning records at schools that shouldn't have such high expectations.
But I think the final judgement on whether a coach should have been sacked or not shouldn't be made until you see the replacement.
I still think there were more qualified and better choices for Tenn. than Kiffin, white and black.

 

[Blitz]

Croom's hard-headedness didn't sit well with the short-memory crowd at Starkville.
His West Coast spread whatever wasn't working, and his offensive coordinator was not too innovative.
An Alabama fan told me once, "When we heard yall'd hired Woody McCorvey we all shouted for joy!"

State, it says, has hired "Neinas Consulting - an NCAA powerbroker" to lead its search.
I hate hearing this.
I want State to go out and find someone on their own.
To me, "NCAA powerbroker = In cahoots with NCAA"

 

[dixiehack]

Croom's hard-headedness didn't sit well with the short-memory crowd at Starkville.
His West Coast spread whatever wasn't working, and his offensive coordinator was not too innovative.
An Alabama fan told me once, "When we heard yall'd hired Woody McCorvey we all shouted for joy!"

State, it says, has hired "Neinas Consulting - an NCAA powerbroker" to lead its search.
I hate hearing this.
I want State to go out and find someone on their own.
To me, "NCAA powerbroker = In cahoots with NCAA"

Have you heard any rumors about a certain calorie-challenged ex (as of this morning) SEC coach swapping orange for maroon?

 

[KYSportsWriter]

Croom's hard-headedness didn't sit well with the short-memory crowd at Starkville.
His West Coast spread whatever wasn't working, and his offensive coordinator was not too innovative.
An Alabama fan told me once, "When we heard yall'd hired Woody McCorvey we all shouted for joy!"

State, it says, has hired "Neinas Consulting - an NCAA powerbroker" to lead its search.
I hate hearing this.
I want State to go out and find someone on their own.
To me, "NCAA powerbroker = In cahoots with NCAA"

Have you heard any rumors about a certain calorie-challenged ex (as of this morning) SEC coach swapping orange for maroon?

Those rumors have been circulating on some websites, but no solid information just yet.

 

[Batman]

Croom stepping down is unfortunate, don't know if he was bought out or what, but I think it's part of a disturbing trend in college football where some programs have such short memories. I don't have a problem getting rid of a coach with a losing record after three or four years who hasn't shown progress (Mr Weis?), but when you have a coach like Croom who got MissState to a winning record a year ago, a bowl game and was the SEC coach of the year, - it kind of makes you wonder. There are a few other coaches, white and black, who get bounced with winning records at schools that shouldn't have such high expectations.
But I think the final judgement on whether a coach should have been sacked or not shouldn't be made until you see the replacement.
I still think there were more qualified and better choices for Tenn. than Kiffin, white and black.

As a reporter, I liked dealing with Croom. He seemed honest and straightforward, and didn't sugarcoat it when his team wasn't playing up to snuff. That might have been part of the reason he's gone.
Now, as a football fan, I have to say there wasn't much progress being made in Starkville. Last year's success was an aberration. They won a bunch of close games, often with defensive touchdowns. When they lost a few key players on defense this season, those weren't coming and the team got embarrassed. It wasn't even like his first couple years, where you could see incremental progress. They definitely took a step backward this year, and for a team that was already in the bottom third of the SEC to begin with, you've got to do something.

 

[DanOregon]

It's funnny, I remember when a national title pretty much guaranteed a lifetime contract, but Carr and now Fulmer, it seems it might give you a 10-year exemption.

 

[PopeDirkBenedict]

Part of me fears that Willingham and Croom are pigeon-holed. I'll admit it is an awfully small sample size, but at ND, UW and MSU, it followed the same script. Program is hit with ethical scandal, Ty/Sy come in and restore pride/dignity. But since the rebuilding situation is so tough, they don't make progress on the football field (and 75% of coaches, regardless of skin color would fail in that situation) and the AD has no choice but to sack them. I don't think that pattern is very healthy for the chances of black coaches.

 

[buckweaver]

It's funnny, I remember when a national title pretty much guaranteed a lifetime contract, but Carr and now Fulmer, it seems it might give you a 10-year exemption.

Carr retiring had nothing to do with his national championship "exemption" expiring. He went to the Rose Bowl three of his last five seasons. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Blitz]

Is Boise's coach said to be "happy for life" in Boise?
I think he deserves at least to be "felt-out" by the State crowd to see if he'd be interested in even talking.
9 bowls in 10 years? Sheesh.