The Clarion-Ledger has on the front page (now it looks like it's been moved to the sports section) of its website a photo retrospective of him, with no story or context - title is just "Mississippi State Football Coach Sylvester Croom Photos." Just the thing to get us in the mood for this season!
Did something happen to Croom?
- Thread starter jxndawg
- Start date
Maybe they are trying to let us know it could be worse.
Yes. Yes it was.
Oh it absolutely was.
Some will always argue he was the worst coach we ever had. I’d argue he at least won 1 or 2 SEC games every year against teams they were not 0-8 in conference play. Lebby is 1-15 with a 3-pt come from behind win over 0-8 Arkansas who had something like 200 penalty yards.
Lebby has indubitably made a move on Crooms legacy as the worst of all time. I think we need just one more year of him to be utterly positive that he is indeed the WOAT. But yes, he should take the crown this year.
Haven’t lost the core base like we did with croom, but it’s happening fast and something must be done soon.
The fact that it’s a legitimate discussion says all you need to know.
It’s a weird debate to me about which era was worse. I’ve always felt Croom was. I still believe that’s true from an utter incompetence standpoint, but the current college football environment has me more hopeless in general. When Croom sucked, I felt we could definitely get a coach to turn it around. Now, I just don’t know. We can do better but not sure we can compete at a high level any time soon unless we strike lightning with some Cignetti hire
I think this is up for debate.
Croom NEVER went winless in the SEC. He was 10-30 in the SEC and is considered one of the worst coaches in SEC history.
Lebby is 1-15 in his first 16 and as someone else said, the one win was against an 0-8 Arkansas team that had over 200 yards of penalties.
Croom's SEC wins
#20 Florida that ended up 7-5 (4-4)
Kentucky 2-9 (1-7)
Ole Miss 3-8 (1-7)
Alabama 6-7 (2-6)
Auburn 9-4 (5-3) that ended up #15
#14 Kentucky 8-5 (3-5)
#21 Alabama 7-6 (4-4)
Ole Miss 3-9 (0-8)
#13 Vanderbilt 7-6 (4-4)
Again, Lebby is 1-15 in his first two seasons as an SEC coach. If he were to match Croom on SEC wins through four seasons, he would have to go 9-9 the next two seasons. That's just to match one of the worst coaches in SEC history. Does anyone believe that is going to happen? Do you think Lebby will beat four ranked teams and six bowl teams to match Croom's ineptitude?
Read this post and realize the leadership of this university is giving Lebby a third season when they fired Moorhead for going 14-12 (7-9 SEC) and Arnett MIDSEASON for going 1-6 in the SEC.
Lebby is 1-15 in his first 16 and as someone else said, the one win was against an 0-8 Arkansas team that had over 200 yards of penalties.
Croom's SEC wins
#20 Florida that ended up 7-5 (4-4)
Kentucky 2-9 (1-7)
Ole Miss 3-8 (1-7)
Alabama 6-7 (2-6)
Auburn 9-4 (5-3) that ended up #15
#14 Kentucky 8-5 (3-5)
#21 Alabama 7-6 (4-4)
Ole Miss 3-9 (0-8)
#13 Vanderbilt 7-6 (4-4)
Again, Lebby is 1-15 in his first two seasons as an SEC coach. If he were to match Croom on SEC wins through four seasons, he would have to go 9-9 the next two seasons. That's just to match one of the worst coaches in SEC history. Does anyone believe that is going to happen? Do you think Lebby will beat four ranked teams and six bowl teams to match Croom's ineptitude?
Read this post and realize the leadership of this university is giving Lebby a third season when they fired Moorhead for going 14-12 (7-9 SEC) and Arnett MIDSEASON for going 1-6 in the SEC.
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Whatever is worse than a poop sandwich, that is what Lebby inherited his first year. That may be the worst team in SEC history talent wise if you are comparing it to other SEC teams from the same year. I give him a pass for that
it is everything that has happened after year one that has me hopeless
it is everything that has happened after year one that has me hopeless
Last year's team would curb kick any Croom team including the 07 team. Go back and look at some of those box scores from the games in 2007 that we won. We had 213 yards of total offense and 45 passing against Auburn. People forget how bad Croom was.
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2009, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2026 are all times we were either picked last in the West or last in the SEC.
Croom Error was definitely worse....just flat out incompetent....Lebby's team last year would roll Croom's best team by FIDDY at least....
Funny I was thinking about that era the other day listening to talk radio.....one of those "do you remember where you were" moments....I remember exactly where I was when I got the text from a friend "He's gone".....crossing Ridgewood at Old Canton in NE Jax....
Funny I was thinking about that era the other day listening to talk radio.....one of those "do you remember where you were" moments....I remember exactly where I was when I got the text from a friend "He's gone".....crossing Ridgewood at Old Canton in NE Jax....
Dang. I almost posted this morning that Croom was worse. But he was actually unquestionably better.
Wanna take the temperature of the MSU football fanbase?
The fact this is an actual close debate, comparing both records and intangibles, should in itself send a loud and clear message to any administration flunkies assigned to lurk the boards.
The fact this is an actual close debate, comparing both records and intangibles, should in itself send a loud and clear message to any administration flunkies assigned to lurk the boards.
You left out the Home losses to:
Maine 2004 Who cares
UAB 2004 7-5
Houston 2005 6-6
Tulane 2006 4-8
AND
Road Losses:
Kentucky 2005 3-8
Arkansas 2005 4-7
Ole Miss 2006 4-8
La Tech 2008 8-5
Tennessee 2008 5-7
Depressing thread is depressing as 17.
Croom era was rough. Uniforms included.
I would say that those wins should count as Ellis Johnson's and not crooms.
Blowout loss to freaking Toledo for crying out loud. Are you seriously going there with the records comparison?
Checks record. Nope, they're credited to Croom (who is the reason Ellis Johnson was on our coaching staff to begin with).
The fact that Croom is considered the WOAT and yet was the last MFer to beat Bama some 18 years and 7 months ago has created a melancholy, angry complex in me.
Thanks, MSU football.
Thanks, MSU football.
Winsun Chuchill say ….
lebby and crxxms both suck.
lebby and crxxms both suck.
It’s shìt and shíttier. I’d argue Croom was worse because the SEC at that time was pretty mediocre and pretty top heavy.
The problem is that its not close. Croom had 4 SEC wins through his first two seasons - one over a top 20 team and another one to a Alabama team that went to a bowl game.
Lebby has ONE. It was a come from the behind miracle to an Arkansas team that went 0-8.
Chad Morris is the only SEC coach in modern history that has a worse resume than Lebby, and Arkansas fired him midseason in his second year. We're about to start Year 3 with this **** show.
Yeah, I don’t think so. Croom’s best team (2007) would be pretty equal to us last year.
Even a purely data driven rating says as much…
2025…
2007…
Massey Ratings - Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State Bulldogs scores and predictions for each game of the season's schedule
masseyratings.com
I noticed the same thing the other day with the Knoxville sentinel posting a John Chavis gallery. Both publications are Gannet.
What saved Lebby is our coaching turnover. I don't think he gets that luxury this season. He will have to win at least 6 - which isn't the best case scenario. I'd rather him win 7-8 or tank.
The difference between Croom and Lebby is that I cared during Crooms tenure ! Mississippi State Football can’t hurt me anymore.
Hard to describe the futility that we felt during the Croom Error, young guys just don't get it. Lenny has been bad but not that damn bad. What we were feeling last year against Texas and Tennessee, in 2005 it was Kentucky and Houston. 2007 proves that any coach can hit a lick once in a while.
Lenny is more in Moorhead territory, but that's just slightly above the Golf Cart.
The awful defense sucks to watch but that offense was pure torture. We scored 7 points against Maine with Jerious Norwood.
