Out of 200 Division One schools, there are now four African Americans that are now head coaches. The Bay Area's Fitz Hall, at San Jose State University, Tony Samuel, at New Mexico State University, and another former Bay Area coaching star, Tyrone Willingham, formerly of Stanford, guiding them to six straight winning seasons before moving on to historic University of Notre Dame. Things are getting better ,but it cannot stop here or can it stop at Starksville, Mississippi?

Last week another African American head coach of a Division One football program was received into the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association.). The Mississippi State University athletic board hired Sylvester Croom for their football program. He becomes the fourth African American head coach in a Division One school.

Coach Crooms will also be the first African American head football coach in the Southeast Conference to lead any football program. This is the one conference that resisted change for long. Mr. Crooms replaces the legendary coach and player Jackie Sherrill. This (SEC) Southeast Conference is the conference that did not allow African Americans to play any sport. It is also the conference that resisted change for a very long time. The sixties Civil Rights Movement did not affect the SEC.

Coach Crooms thought that he had broken the color barrier in the SEC; a year earlier The University of Alabama interviewed Mr. Crooms for the job in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He did not receive the job but another Crimson Tide Alumni did. Mike Shula son of Don Shula, considered the most famous head coach of the NFL's National Football League's Miami Dolphins was award with that job. After the Shula hiring , the Southeast Conference received a lot of complaints from Americans all over. Their compliant was that the younger Shula did not have the coaching experience needed to head a major football program. All eyes were focused on the Southeast Conference as Jackie Sherrill retired from the head-coaching job at Mississippi State University.

Coach Crooms graduated from The University of Alabama, where he played under Coach Bear Bryant. Yes, the same Bear Bryant that refused to have African American players on his team. With the talent of Crooms who played center and offensive guard coupled with the talent of other Black players leaving the state of Alabama making other programs better. Coach Bear Bryant could see the writing on the wall. Alabama had three straight losing seasons. Enter color. The Crimson Tide football team had color with Crooms as the first player of color on the field. Before Bear Bryant left the Crimson Tide there would be a black quarterback at Alabama.

After graduation, Crooms stayed with the program to become the offensive assistant with Bama's offensive coach Ray Perkins. He learned how to work with players and how to get the offensive line to operate as a unit and work as one. Crooms worked with the backs and ends before moving on to the NFL (National Football League).

Ray Perkins wanted Crooms to be his backfield coach in Tampa Bay. From 1977-1986 Coach Crooms restructured the Bucs playbook and Tampa Bay received immediate benefits by enabling them to become a playoff team for the first time.

Coach Crooms had a cup of coffee (a year stay) 1991 with the Indianapolis Colts. He then moved to the San Diego Chargers 1992-1996.During his tenure he guided the Charger offense to their only Super Bowl appearance.

Then Coach Crooms moved on to the new pit of the NFL The Detroit Lions in 1996-2000. At that time they were the worst offensive team in the NFL. Within two years no one wanted to play in Pontiac stadium. Other teams had to devise schemes to defend themselves against this new potent offense. The Lions were a force to be dealt with and went to the playoffs twice under Crooms careful offensive leadership. After the departure of Coach, the Crooms Detroit has not been in any playoffs nor have they been in the top ten in scoring.

/ Crooms last three years have been with the Green Bay Packers as offensive coordinator. His charm has worked again. The Packers have been in the top five in scoring the past three years. It seems that wherever Coach Crooms goes teams seem to put points on the board. In Green Bay it was easy because of the talented quarterback Bret Farve. Mississippi State Fans will be thrilled at the new Bulldog West Coast offense that Coach Crooms will bring to Starkville, Miss. I can guarantee that there will not be any boring games on Saturday afternoons.

But Coach Crooms has his work cut out for him at MSU because they are still waiting for the NCAA probation rulings on the recent violations by the football team. Last year The Bulldogs went 2-10 and for the last three years their record is 8-27… needless to say they are in last place.

I think we all wish Coach Crooms the best at Mississippi State University.

THAT IS THE GRAYLINE []