Alabama legend inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

Former Alabama center Sylvester Croom, who later served as an assistant coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide, was selected as part of the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame class, the National Football Foundation announced Monday.

Croom was one of 18 players and three coaches to be included in the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame class. His inclusion brings the list of Alabama players to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame up to 22.

Croom, a native of Tuscaloosa, was a standout center for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1972-1974, and as a senior he was named an All-SEC and All-American honoree, while winning the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given annually to the conference’s top offensive lineman. During his storied playing career with the Crimson Tide, Croom helped lead Alabama to a 32-4 record in his time as a starter, and over that time, Alabama won the SEC conference title three consecutive years and finished in the top 10 of polls three times. He also helped Alabama win the 1973 UPI national championship.

After his Alabama career came to a close, Croom moved on briefly to the NFL. He played one year for the New Orleans Saints before his immediate return to Tuscaloosa, after which he began his coaching career as an assistant coach.

Croom was first hired by the Crimson Tide in 1976 under then-head coach Bear Bryant, and he served as a graduate assistant for Alabama. From there, he was promoted to inside linebackers coach, and he coached Alabama linebackers from 1977 until 1986. After his stint as a coach for his alma mater, Croom again moved back to the NFL, this time in a coaching capacity. His first NFL gig was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987, where he served as a running backs coach for four seasons. He coached running backs for several years in the NFL, spanning across three different teams in the Buccaneers, the Indianapolis Colts and the San Deigo Chargers, before he was hired as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator in 1997.

Croom returned to college towards the end of his career, in 2004, when he received his first head coaching job at Mississippi State. With the Bulldogs, he was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 2007, just three seasons after landing the job and becoming the SEC’s first Black head football coach.

After his five-year stint at Mississippi State came to a close, Croom went back to the NFL and coached the running backs for the Jacksonville Jaguars, then the Tennessee Titans, before retiring from coaching in 2016.

Croom was also inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2020, and an award at Alabama — the Sylvester Croom Commitment to Excellence Award — was named in his honor.