Croom Resigns -- Early Thoughts
by cocknfire on Nov 29, 2008 2:06 PM EST
in SEC Football
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PrintOver the last five years, the fans in the SEC have had a lot of fun at Sylvester Croom's expense. After all, his teams were usually awful: 3-8 in 2004, 3-8 in 2005, 3-9 in 2006.
Then came the 8-win, luck-fueled season of 2007, and it seemed that Croom might be able to get enough time to get something started.
No such luck.
The windows of Starkville are safe with Croom's voice gone.
To be fair, there were problems at Mississippi State before Croom arrived. Jackie Sherrill went 3-8 in 2001, 3-9 in 2002 and 2-10 in 2003. But save last year's fluke, Croom did nothing to remedy those issues. Yes, he was saddled with NCAA sanctions from the Sherrill Era, but no one who's watched this team over the last few years can see any tangible signs of progress.
Probably not even Croom, were he honest.
| Sylvester | Croom |
| 2004 | 3-8 |
| 2005 | 3-8 |
| 2006 | 3-9 |
| 2007 | 8-5 |
| 2008 | 4-8 |
| Total | 21-38 |
It's not a surprise that Croom resigned; there was no one Mississippi State could fire the first black coach in the SEC. But expect that to still be an aspect of the coverage. Fair or not, this is the Deep South we're talking about, and Croom was the SEC Coach of the Year last season and just had that 8-win season. It wil come up.
For that reason, I wonder if the Mississippi State administration tried to avoid this. There was a good deal of talk about the possibility of Croom being asked to fire offensive coordinator Woody McCorvey and the likelihood Croom would resist getting rid of his most loyal and trusted assistant. Perhaps Mississippi State gave Croom that ultimatum and he declined, leading to a request for the head coach's resignation. All of that, though, is likely to come out over the next few days.
As to who might appear in Starkville for next season -- who knows? Bobby Johnson is a possibility, I suppose, though a long shot. Any Bulldog fan who thinks the school can draw a "name" coach is probably in for a rude awakening, unless Tommy or Terry Bowden qualifies as a name coach. Both could be considered here, though Terry's name will likely be quickly removed from the list. Then there's always Bobby Petrino ...
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Bobby Johnson?!
I realize no one ever thinks their coach is leaving, but that’s just flaky. He might leave for Clemson, but what on earth would Miss State offer besides the ability to struggle in the SEC as much as he already does, but for a less patient administration and less psychic satisfaction of feeling like he’s part of the educational process?
(That’s not just blowing smoke, either. The guy came from Furman. Not many I-A coaches give a diddly damn whether they’re part of the education process, but clearly Bobby Johnson does. Not intended as a slam at State, either, except to say that I don’t think their fans have the same expectations of the football coach or their student-athletes.)
Now, my UTK fan dad says rumors are going around about Phil Fulmer, but even that one strikes me as hard to imagine. It would put another NC winner and another SEC migrant in the West, though!
I said Johnson was a stretch
I’m trying to think of logical candidates, and I’m having trouble coming up with any. State isn’t a high-profile job that can draw one of the sought-after coaches.
Team Speed Kills. All SEC, all the time.
OK, OK, you did say that. :)
MStateSportsBlog has a list of candidates.
I did not know that Chris Petersen and Greg Byrne are friends. To be blunt, with Petersen’s stock as high as it is, I find it pretty stunning that he would seriously consider the Miss State job. But I’ve been preaching for ages that one coach’s hell is another coach’s heaven so maybe he likes what he has there.
haha. tommy bowden is on the list?
I don’t think he’d want to have to go up against Alabama again.
And speaking of that, I think that Swinney (sp?) will most likely be Clemson’s coach. I think Johnson stays at Vandy.
Oh, but y'all would have to love it
You would never have to worry about Mississippi State winning the West (as if that’s ever a problem…). Bowden avoids championships at all costs.
Team Speed Kills. All SEC, all the time.
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