Sylvester Croom

Sylvester Croom
Croom at Tennessee Titans training camp in 2014
No. 51
PositionCenter
Personal information
Born (1954-09-25) September 25, 1954
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolTuscaloosa
CollegeAlabama (1972–1974)
NFL draft1975: undrafted
Career history
Playing
Coaching
Awards and highlights
Head coaching record
Postseason1–0 (college)
Career21–38 (college)
Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Sylvester Croom Jr. (born September 25, 1954) is an American former football player and coach. He was the head coach at Mississippi State University from 2004 to 2008, and the first African American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference. His father, Sylvester Croom Sr., was himself an All-American football player at Alabama A&M, later the team chaplain at the University of Alabama, and has been recognized by that school as one of the state's 40 pioneers of civil rights. After his time at Mississippi State, Croom Jr. served as running backs coach for three teams in the National Football League (NFL).