Sylvester Croom: A Career of Character

Mississippi State Head Coach Sylvester Croom resigned Saturday morning after five years with the school. He left with a 21-38 overall record and many unsatisfied Mississippi State backers, asking who can solve all the problems the program has. However, it isn't uncommon for Bulldogs fans to be upset. This is the fan base who, in 1999, frequently called for Wayne Madkin to be benched. Madkin, of course, was the school's career passing leader. This is also the fan base who, over the past three years, loved to despise Jamont Gordon, despite the countless games that Gordon single handily won. Furthermore, this is the same fanbase who could never really get behind Croom at all, even when he led the team to a Liberty Bowl victory a year ago. So really, the biggest question is how Croom was even able to deal with 60,000 people calling for his head every Saturday. One word: Character. It was what Croom was always based on. He brought an unprecedented level of character to the program as ... (link)