How would a former coach be received on the Jumbotron at MSU?

[Reason2succeed]

We?ve all seen the colossal failure of putting Pinebox Tuberville on the video board at OM. But how would you guys react if a video of Croom saying ?maroon is the only color that matters?? I know some of you wouldn?t like it but the vast majority of the fanbase understand that Croom came in and cleaned up a mess. Some wish he won more but many are glad he did enough to get out of the way for Mullen. It just points out that State has a much better relationship with their former coaches than OM.

[Tbonewannabe]

We?ve all seen the colossal failure of putting Pinebox Tuberville on the video board at OM. But how would you guys react if a video of Croom saying ?maroon is the only color that matters?? I know some of you wouldn?t like it but the vast majority of the fanbase understand that Croom came in and cleaned up a mess. Some wish he won more but many are glad he did enough to get out of the way for Mullen. It just points out that State has a much better relationship with their former coaches than OM.

Tuberville left in a bad way so it isn't really a great comparison. Probably a better comparison would be if LSU put Saban on their board, how would they react.

[Spiderman]

We?ve all seen the colossal failure of putting Pinebox Tuberville on the video board at OM. But how would you guys react if a video of Croom saying ?maroon is the only color that matters?? I know some of you wouldn?t like it but the vast majority of the fanbase understand that Croom came in and cleaned up a mess. Some wish he won more but many are glad he did enough to get out of the way for Mullen. It just points out that State has a much better relationship with their former coaches than OM.

Hell Jackie has been all over i through the years. Before he died Bellard still came around. Rocky just retired from State. As far as Croom, he is the butt hurt one. I thought he wasa bad coach, butI don't figure he would be booed out of the stadium.

We don't hate former HC's like OM does. They still hate Tubs and Nutt, with reason on those, but they still hate Cuttcliffe, a winner who never said or did a thing to them other than not be a booster lover, and O who left them a ton of talent that got them to 2 Cotton Bowls.

[BrunswickDawg]

I think it depends on the message. After 9 years, I think if Croom was put up with a message like "MSU still holds a special place in my heart and I'm proud of the way the program has grown. Congrats on XXX" - people would be receptive. Or if it was a message to Boobie D on being inducted to the MSU Hall of Fame (or something like that), it'd be fine. I don't think anyone holds any ill will toward any former coaches, but only certain ones could be used as a "cheerleader" - Jackie, Rockey, maybe Polk - and it come off as something sincere.

[MSUdawg7]

Ole Piss fans are known to just hold grudges and not let things go!!!

[msstatelp1]

Ole Piss fans are known to just hold grudges and not let things go!!!

Very true. Most of them still haven't forgiven Abraham Lincoln.

[MeridianDog]

I would cheer (and feel good) if Jackie were shown supporting MSU.

I would cheer (and feel good) if Croom were shown supporting MSU.

Rocky was such a fixture, It would be nice to see something from him on the board.

I would die from shock if Ron Polk offered up a supporting presence on the scoreboard. An absolute mass casualty situation would likely develop in the stadium as thousands had immediate cardiac arrest. I can imagine the News reports!!!!! Come to think of it, that event may be mentioned in Revelation. Is that the thirteenth plague?

[DeputyDawg94]

I'd bee good with Croom. He did a lot of good for our program.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

We?ve all seen the colossal failure of putting Pinebox Tuberville on the video board at OM. But how would you guys react if a video of Croom saying ?maroon is the only color that matters?? I know some of you wouldn?t like it but the vast majority of the fanbase understand that Croom came in and cleaned up a mess. Some wish he won more but many are glad he did enough to get out of the way for Mullen. It just points out that State has a much better relationship with their former coaches than OM.

Ron Polk was on the video board for the Dudy Noble anniversary ceremony.

[fader2103]

I will say that I was a huge Croom supporter. I still feel like he did an excellent job of cleaning up our program, getting some good pieces in here for Mullen to succeed. I wish he would have won a few more games, but it is what it is. I disagree that Croom holds a grudge against the University as a whole, due to the fact I did go to a TN Titans game and saw him on the sideline and yelled Go State, he returned a Go State to me. I think Croom knows that his tenure here was based on wins and losses, and not just his skin color and that is all he was looking for.

[bluelightstar]

Hell Jackie has been all over i through the years. Before he died Bellard still came around. Rocky just retired from State. As far as Croom, he is the butt hurt one. I thought he wasa bad coach, butI don't figure he would be booed out of the stadium.

We don't hate former HC's like OM does. They still hate Tubs and Nutt, with reason on those, but they still hate Cuttcliffe, a winner who never said or did a thing to them other than not be a booster lover, and O who left them a ton of talent that got them to 2 Cotton Bowls.

There's an article about Croom being happy for Mullen in 2014: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/10/slyvester_croom_looks_back_wit.html

In relevant part:


"Flipping the channels, he finally found what he was looking for: highlights of Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M, played earlier that day. What he saw caused him to go bug-eyed and gave him a full-body shiver of excitement: The Bulldogs, the team he coached from 2004 to '08, beat the Aggies 48-31 in a game that--at the time--was the most significant in school history. Watching his old school lay the wood to A&M left the 60-year-old overwhelmed with one feeling: pride.

"I still feel connected to Mississippi State because I feel like the things we did there helped build what is happening now," Croom says. "When I got to Starkville the program needed some major changes. We emphasized two things with our players: character and academics. That was how we were going to build. I told the players we recruited that it may take seven or eight years to get Mississippi State to a level where we could contend for an SEC championship and a national championship. We didn't it done when I was there. But it's extremely gratifying to see it is happening now. The fans in Mississippi deserve it."
...

"Now you look at what Dan Mullen has done. They have as nice of facilities as anyone in the conference. They're getting those out of state kids and they're keeping kids in state from leaving. They are physically tough on defense and they have a heck of quarterback in Dak Prescott. That's how you win in the SEC."

[Offshore Dawg]

Croom is a good man and a good position coach, just not a good head coach.

[sleepy dawg]

I thought Croom sucked and was a complete waste of time... That said, I don't think its really his fault. I think he did the best he could and I'm appreciative of his time here.

[MeridianDog]

I did go to a TN Titans game and saw him on the sideline and yelled Go State, he returned a Go State to me. I think Croom knows that his tenure here was based on wins and losses, and not just his skin color and that is all he was looking for.


Glad to hear this. I wish his time at MSU had gone better.

[was21]

State and Bob Tyler patched things up as well. Some years ago he was on the pregame radio show when they brought back Bellard and Jackie and maybe Darryl Royal as well.

[Ari Gold]

That whole thing was a job interview ... Tubs doing the game , being there all week, the Jumbotron fiasco, Tub talking about how great OM and Oxford is and was to him, and how HE handled sanctions when he was there.

OM administration wanted to see what kind of reaction ole pine box would get. Shit Tubs talked about OM and his time there more than he did the game.

There aren't going to be any big names for this shit job. No up and coming Coach is going to go there unless it's just for a bigger pay check.
It's Luke's , someone not in coaching now ( TT / Miles) or an older head coach that's looking for a big pay day over the next 3-5years that's going to be hired.

I called Tommy T there over a year ago. I stand by my prediction. TT is about one person himself. And he is about a paycheck. He gives zero ****s about OM.

So please OM hire this guy.

[LC Dawg]

I love Rockey to death but if he said much more than Hail State on the Jumbotron most people would be asleep before he finished.

[Tbonewannabe]

Very true. Most of them still haven't forgiven Abraham Lincoln.

You win the internet today. It probably really pisses them off that not only do we have a Presidential Library but it is President Grant who ended the Glorious Old South.

[Indndawg]

We?ve all seen the colossal failure of putting Pinebox Tuberville on the video board at OM. But how would you guys react if a video of Croom saying ?maroon is the only color that matters?? I know some of you wouldn?t like it but the vast majority of the fanbase understand that Croom came in and cleaned up a mess. Some wish he won more but many are glad he did enough to get out of the way for Mullen. It just points out that State has a much better relationship with their former coaches than OM.

and brought back the 07 team. Great for PR, great to mend fences w/Croom.

[Tbonewannabe]

Croom is a good man and a good position coach, just not a good head coach.

If he had turned over the offense to someone that ran a spread offense at the time then he might have had a lot better career. He was dedicated to his type of offense and it just didn't work at MSU. I appreciate the foundation of hard work and academics. Dan had a good foundation to start with. Croom didn't have that luxury. At the end of the day, he wasn't cut out to be a college head coach.

[Johnson85]

That whole thing was a job interview ... Tubs doing the game , being there all week, the Jumbotron fiasco, Tub talking about how great OM and Oxford is and was to him, and how HE handled sanctions when he was there.

OM administration wanted to see what kind of reaction ole pine box would get. Shit Tubs talked about OM and his time there more than he did the game.

There aren't going to be any big names for this shit job. No up and coming Coach is going to go there unless it's just for a bigger pay check.
It's Luke's , someone not in coaching now ( TT / Miles) or an older head coach that's looking for a big pay day over the next 3-5years that's going to be hired.

I called Tommy T there over a year ago. I stand by my prediction. TT is about one person himself. And he is about a paycheck. He gives zero ****s about OM.

So please OM hire this guy.

I don't know why you'd want them to get Tubberville. He may be past his prime but he's still likely a much better coach than they would otherwise get. I'd prefer them keep Luke, or even better, go pay $3-4M a year to get Frank Wilson.

[Dawg61]

Croom contributed to the narrative that his firing was based on race when ESPN ran that doc on him. I wouldn't cheer but I wouldn't boo. I'd be completely indifferent.

[BeardoMSU]

Croom contributed to the narrative that his firing was based on race when ESPN ran that doc on him. I wouldn't cheer but I wouldn't boo. I'd be completely indifferent.

I didn't take his statements like that at all. You're talking about the "Croom" SEC Storied feature, right? He said he "didn't feel like he had support". That's really all I can remember that may be construed to how you took it, tbh.

I remember just laughing at him for throwing us under the bus. My reaction: You didn't have support because you only had 1 lucky ass winning season in 4 years, your offenses were some of the worst in the nation, year in and year out, and you refused to make changes at the OC position (McCorvey). You made your bed, now sleep in it. Add in the fact Dan Mullen was out there for the taking.

[the59dawg]

I love Rockey to death but if he said much more than Hail State on the Jumbotron most people would be asleep before he finished.

You are way off here. I play golf with Rockey several times a year in our daily game at Old Waverly. There are not many people as good as Rockey around these days. He gave his heart and soul to MSU and MSU rewarded him for it.

[RocketDawg]

Croom, or really any of our former coaches that I can think of, would be OK with me. But I can uderstand Tubberville not going over well at OM. He really put the screws to them, and lied to them big time.

[Ari Gold]

I don't know why you'd want them to get Tubberville. He may be past his prime but he's still likely a much better coach than they would otherwise get. I'd prefer them keep Luke, or even better, go pay $3-4M a year to get Frank Wilson.

A over rated coach that barley had winning records at TT and Cincy. Walked out on his program at TT and left Cincy with shit. And is about one thing Tommy T.
Like I said please hire this guy.

[LC Dawg]

You are way off here. I play golf with Rockey several times a year in our daily game at Old Waverly. There are not many people as good as Rockey around these days. He gave his heart and soul to MSU and MSU rewarded him for it.

I agree that Rockey is a good guy, thats why I said I love him to death. I was commenting on how slow he talks. He's not a good public speaker and I think he would agree with that.

[Turfdawg67]

Hell Jackie has been all over i through the years. Before he died Bellard still came around. Rocky just retired from State. As far as Croom, he is the butt hurt one. I thought he wasa bad coach, butI don't figure he would be booed out of the stadium.

We don't hate former HC's like OM does. They still hate Tubs and Nutt, with reason on those, but they still hate Cuttcliffe, a winner who never said or did a thing to them other than not be a booster lover, and O who left them a ton of talent that got them to 2 Cotton Bowls.

Nope, Croom wouldn?t have been booed... he would be cheered! That?s the kind of people 90% of MSU fans are. And believe me, he?s banked ALL of that $5M buyout... there?s very little to no ?butt hurt? (a strange and OM term) amongst the Croom family.

[Turfdawg67]

You are way off here. I play golf with Rockey several times a year in our daily game at Old Waverly. There are not many people as good as Rockey around these days. He gave his heart and soul to MSU and MSU rewarded him for it.

.... missed the joke.

[Turfdawg67]

I didn't take his statements like that at all. You're talking about the "Croom" SEC Storied feature, right? He said he "didn't feel like he had support". That's really all I can remember that may be construed to how you took it, tbh.

I remember just laughing at him for throwing us under the bus. My reaction: You didn't have support because you only had 1 lucky ass winning season in 4 years, your offenses were some of the worst in the nation, year in and year out, and you refused to make changes at the OC position (McCorvey). You made your bed, now sleep in it. Add in the fact Dan Mullen was out there for the taking.

* deleted cause I reread Beardo’s response. :-/

[ShotgunDawg]

What if Larry Templeton was on the video board?

[Reunion Dog]

i completely agree... Administration fumbled on the chance to do that... Croom deserves better...

[Todd4State]

I supported Croom and I liked a lot of his ideas- but it just seemed like he couldn't execute a lot of his own ideas. I think he was a victim of being unrealistic, stubborn, and not knowing quite what to do. I'm glad he gave us 2007.

I think if we brought Croom back to honor him or if he just showed up to a game I think most fans would applaud. We're the total opposite of Ole Miss when it comes to former coaches. They totally burn the bridge and literally try to ruin their career. Although it seems like most of them are still good with Freeze- which says a LOT about their fans and what they want and expect in a head coach. With us, if a coach is unsuccessful for about 5-7 years or so our fans may talk about how they're glad so and so is gone or whatever- but it's rarely vicious. After that period passes, normally our fans reflect on the good years and tend to remember that more than the bad outside of maybe a few really bad instances- Felker/Auburn game debacle, punting to Derek Abney over and over, and 3-2 against Auburn among others. I don't know of any coach that I would say would be unwelcome back- maybe Sirmon might be the closest to that. And honestly if Knox left and Dan wanted to hire Croom as the running backs coach, I don't think very many fans would have a problem with it. Not very many had a problem with Jackie bringing Felker back and I know certainly didn't even though I thought it was kind of unusual. And I would say with MSU fans- if Freeze was our coach and left us in the pickle that Ole Miss is in right now- that would be a situation where a lot of our fans wouldn't want him back. You're talking about a guy that is basically ruining their program and they just don't know it yet.

As far as bringing Croom back this year- he is still coaching in the NFL and I'm not sure that the timing would have worked out or not with that.

[Todd4State]

That whole thing was a job interview ... Tubs doing the game , being there all week, the Jumbotron fiasco, Tub talking about how great OM and Oxford is and was to him, and how HE handled sanctions when he was there.

OM administration wanted to see what kind of reaction ole pine box would get. Shit Tubs talked about OM and his time there more than he did the game.

There aren't going to be any big names for this shit job. No up and coming Coach is going to go there unless it's just for a bigger pay check.
It's Luke's , someone not in coaching now ( TT / Miles) or an older head coach that's looking for a big pay day over the next 3-5years that's going to be hired.

I called Tommy T there over a year ago. I stand by my prediction. TT is about one person himself. And he is about a paycheck. He gives zero ****s about OM.

So please OM hire this guy.

I thought the same thing watching the game. It was essentially a litmus test to see how their fans would respond. And based on the response I don't think they are going to hire Tuberville.

[Reason2succeed]

Honoring Croom and that 2007 team will be a great moment. I agree that the only reason it didn’t happen is because Croom is still in the NFL which is a testament of how he is perceived as a coach.

My only concern about bringing in Croom as a RB coach would be his ability to recruit. But he did have some nice RBs when he was here and I can only imagine how good they would be in Mullen’s offense where the QB is a running threat and can actually complete a forward pass from time to time.

[Political Hack]

Agree with Ari, Tubs was absolutely testing the waters. Maybe with Ole Miss?s complicity. The fans probably killed that pretty quickly though.

Crook would be well received here. Some people may laugh, but nobody would boo. That?s not who we are as a fan base and everyone understands what he inherited.

[ShotgunDawg]

Agree with Ari, Tubs was absolutely testing the waters. Maybe with Ole Miss?s complicity. The fans probably killed that pretty quickly though.

Crook would be well received here. Some people may laugh, but nobody would boo. That?s not who we are as a fan base and everyone understands what he inherited.

Croom was basically the equivalent of Ole Miss potentially hiring Matt Luke

By hiring Luke, OM would have a good care taker for the program, that wouldn't get them in trouble, & create a clean slate for the real coach that they hire in 3-5 years.

[sandwolf]

What if Larry Templeton was on the video board?

Hopefully he would be applauded. Regardless of how good of a job you think he did, the guy is a life long Bulldog (he was literally born on campus) who worked for our athletic department for over 40 years and served as our AD for 20+ of those years......it would be a really bad look if our fans were to boo him.

[Tbonewannabe]

Agree with Ari, Tubs was absolutely testing the waters. Maybe with Ole Miss?s complicity. The fans probably killed that pretty quickly though.

Crook would be well received here. Some people may laugh, but nobody would boo. That?s not who we are as a fan base and everyone understands what he inherited.

I don't know how that was testing the waters when only had about 15 or so fans there or maybe they hoped a dozen fans clapped so they could say it was a majority of the fanbase.

[LC Dawg]

I don't know how that was testing the waters when only had about 15 or so fans there or maybe they hoped a dozen fans clapped so they could say it was a majority of the fanbase.

If leading the cheer went he was going to hang out in the grove after the game but he decided against that.*