We always compare Croom and Rick Ray

[hailstate19]

But was Croom as much of an uninspiring hire as Rick Ray was? Or did Croom have some expectations from the fanbase? Inform me because I was 8 years old when Croom was hired.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

Neither had any business being anywhere near the HC job, but Croom was a ten times more exciting hire. He had NFL experience and played and coached under the Bear. Rick Ray was a career assistant at a middle of the road program.

 

[ronpolk]

Neither had any business being anywhere near the HC job, but Croom was a ten times more exciting hire. He had NFL experience and played and coached under the Bear. Rick Ray was a career assistant at a middle of the road program.

This pretty much sums it up.

 

[Bud.sixpack]

My Daddy called and said whistle britches hired Rick Ray, I said who, and he said exactly

 

[MSUDC11]

I don’t think any of our fans had heard of Rick Ray until he was announced.

I remember Jimbo being the preferred option by our fans, but most were fine with Croom at the time.

 

[Msubulldogfan1]

I thought Croom would do well, I thought being the first black HC in the SEC, more players would want to come play for him. I was wrong.

 

[was21]

Maybe he shouldn't have said that maroon is all that matters and so the black players felt they didn't fit the bill

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Rick Ray was more uninspiring and was pretty much a WTF hire. Croom brought some excitement and a little clout from his playing days and coaching in the NFL. Both coaches inherited **** show situations.

 

[kired]

Our spring game was on ESPN (maybe the U) after we hired Croom, and that was before showing spring games on tv was common. That hire gained us a lot of attention.

All the Ray hire did was have people making fun of us for firing stans to hire a guy on nobody’s radar

 

[Msubulldogfan1]

There just aren’t many all around bad hires as bad as Rick Ray.

 

[was21]

Just curious about excitement that croom brought

 

[eckie1]

Because of all the NCAA funny business with Jackie....

But was Croom as much of an uninspiring hire as Rick Ray was? Or did Croom have some expectations from the fanbase? Inform me because I was 8 years old when Croom was hired.

.....Croom was hired by LT to be a bit of an olive branch against the NCAA/SEC clown show they pulled. We could have (most likely) hired Spurrier. And, if you can win at scar in football, you can win BIG at MSU. It’s a damn shame. Even so, Croom took us to a bowl game one year..... and he’s a terrible football coach.

With that said, Rick Ray was easily the worst hire between the two. Our junior AD decided to play hardball with our best coach of the modern era and it backfired on him. And it was all due to Stans taking a gamble on Renardo Sidney.

Sidney and Dontae Walker (football) are probably the two single biggest cancers we have ever signed. Both led the charge to destroy previously successful programs.

 

[campshelbydog842003]

Just curious about excitement that croom brought

I was excited about the Croom hire. Like someone else said I thought he would recruit very well. He didn’t want to play the recruiting game and wanted to be self righteous about boosters paying players so we ended up kicking off half the team and then not replacing them with anyone worth a ****. Among many other things, that is the biggest difference I see between him and Leach. Leach doesn’t take BS from his players and will kick a **** load off but he isn’t stupid enough to think he can win without replacing them with top 25 classes and transfers.

 

[thatsbaseball]

He may not have known it but some his best recruiting was still "aided" by boosters.

 

[campshelbydog842003]

He may not have known it but some his best recruiting was still "aided" by boosters.

He didn’t sign very many at all that required it. Especially his first few years on campus.

 

[memphisbulldog]

I don’t think any of our fans had heard of Rick Ray until he was announced.

I remember Jimbo being the preferred option by our fans, but most were fine with Croom at the time.

We were ready to hire Jimbo. Saban would not let us talk to him until their bowl game was played. We couldn't wait without a plan B and kept interviewing. Word got out we were hiring Croom (not true) and Jimbo pulled his name even though he wanted our job. We hired Croom. That's the story. For a fact.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

But was Croom as much of an uninspiring hire as Rick Ray was? Or did Croom have some expectations from the fanbase? Inform me because I was 8 years old when Croom was hired.

Croom inherited a 1984 Ford Pinto and turned it in to a 1980 Chevy Citation. Ray's 1984 Pinto and was still a 1984 Pinto when he left.

Croom did a better job that SloMo, Croom took over an absolute dumpster fire and set up the program for Merlinz to be very successful.

 

[memphisbulldog]

.....Croom was hired by LT to be a bit of an olive branch against the NCAA/SEC clown show they pulled. We could have (most likely) hired Spurrier. And, if you can win at scar in football, you can win BIG at MSU. It’s a damn shame. Even so, Croom took us to a bowl game one year..... and he’s a terrible football coach.

With that said, Rick Ray was easily the worst hire between the two. Our junior AD decided to play hardball with our best coach of the modern era and it backfired on him. And it was all due to Stans taking a gamble on Renardo Sidney.

Sidney and Dontae Walker (football) are probably the two single biggest cancers we have ever signed. Both led the charge to destroy previously successful programs.

MSU did talk to Spurrier. Spurrier declined. Not public record but true.

 

[memphisbulldog]

Croom inherited a 1984 Ford Pinto and turned it in to a 1980 Chevy Citation. Ray's 1984 Pinto and was still a 1984 Pinto when he left.

Croom did a better job that SloMo, Croom took over an absolute dumpster fire and set up the program for Merlinz to be very successful.

Let's stop with the car analogies. I'm not sure whether a 1980 Chevy Citation is better or worse than a 1984 Pinto so not sure what to think.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I thought it was exciting at the time of the hire. That’s what the question is. It quickly became apparent during his first season it would be horrendous.

 

[Bill Shankly]

.....Croom was hired by LT to be a bit of an olive branch against the NCAA/SEC clown show they pulled. We could have (most likely) hired Spurrier. And, if you can win at scar in football, you can win BIG at MSU. It’s a damn shame. Even so, Croom took us to a bowl game one year..... and he’s a terrible football coach.

With that said, Rick Ray was easily the worst hire between the two. Our junior AD decided to play hardball with our best coach of the modern era and it backfired on him. And it was all due to Stans taking a gamble on Renardo Sidney.

Sidney and Dontae Walker (football) are probably the two single biggest cancers we have ever signed. Both led the charge to destroy previously successful programs.

Sidney wasn't even the worst on that team.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

Yes, he was. Anybody fooled by the Croom Charade got what they deserved. The guy was NOT qualified in any way, shape or form. When Alabama passed on him after 2002, I absolutely KNEW we were going to hire that clown the next year. Everyone knew Jackie was on his way out, and really should have been gone after 2002 himself (we'd have probably erected a statue had he done that). But, Templetoes let the program crater and made the PC hire, to appease the SEC and Alabama.

And do not be fooled by the race stuff either, if we had wanted a black coach, there were many other good ones to be found at the time (Charlie Strong). It wouldn't have gotten the same notoriety because Croom was the chosen one by the SEC and Alabama.

 

[johnson86-1]

Yes, he was. Anybody fooled by the Croom Charade got what they deserved. The guy was NOT qualified in any way, shape or form.

He wasn't qualified and had been pretty poor as an OC, but Ellis Johnson was a good hire and Woody McCorvey didn't look horrible and probably would have been mediocre if he had just gotten to run the offense the way he wanted. A mediocre offense with Ellis Johnson's defenses would have probably consistently gone 6-6 or 7-5.

When Alabama passed on him after 2002, I absolutely KNEW we were going to hire that clown the next year. Everyone knew Jackie was on his way out, and really should have been gone after 2002 himself (we'd have probably erected a statue had he done that). But, Templetoes let the program crater and made the PC hire, to appease the SEC and Alabama.

And do not be fooled by the race stuff either, if we had wanted a black coach, there were many other good ones to be found at the time (Charlie Strong). It wouldn't have gotten the same notoriety because Croom was the chosen one by the SEC and Alabama.

Yes, there were more qualified coaches, but Croom wasn't chosen by the SEC and Alabama, except indirectly. Templeton did his normal lazy **** and just zeroed in on the guy alabama had passed on.

 

[Dawgg]

I also remember Croom’s hiring being one of the few times the national media was “rooting” for Mississippi State.

 

[Dawgg]

Woody McCorvey didn't look horrible and probably would have been mediocre if he had just gotten to run the offense the way he wanted

For what it’s worth, Dabo credits a lot of Clemson’s success to Woody’s mentorship.

 

[Dawg_4_lifes]

I was living in Vol country when we hired Croom. I remember a lot of their fans asking me who this guy was, what did I expect, what were we thinking etc..... I thought that he would be a disciplinarian and would tighten up things around the program. Well, I did get one of my ideas right. I thought that he would also be a much better recruiter then he turned out to be. I also thought that he would use his NFL connections to try and bring in young or new coaches to really scheme and come up with creative things to do offensively.
Well unlike the old Meatloaf song. 1 out of 3 is bad.

Rick Ray. I'm not even gonna go there. I had at least heard of Sly.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

I also remember Croom’s hiring being one of the few times the national media was “rooting” for Mississippi State.

You're the type of guy who is impressed by such things. I'm more impressed by reality.

When the national media is praising Mississippi State, chances are we are doing it wrong.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

I was living in Vol country when we hired Croom. I remember a lot of their fans asking me who this guy was, what did I expect, what were we thinking etc..... I thought that he would be a disciplinarian and would tighten up things around the program. Well, I did get one of my ideas right. I thought that he would also be a much better recruiter then he turned out to be. I also thought that he would use his NFL connections to try and bring in young or new coaches to really scheme and come up with creative things to do offensively.
Well unlike the old Meatloaf song. 1 out of 3 is bad.

Rick Ray. I'm not even gonna go there. I had at least heard of Sly.

No you didn't. He was NOT a good disciplinarian and he didn't tighten up squat. We had way more players get in trouble under his watch, and Mullen came in and put that crap to bed quickly. The team also can collectively faster and stronger over the first offseason with Mullen.

Croom had ONE shot to be successful, and that would have been taking the Dabo/Orgeron route, and just focusing on recruiting/public relations, while letting competent coaches handle the rest of the entire program. He got defense right, but he just would not let go of offense, S&C, special teams, etc.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

Just curious about excitement that croom brought

He was a great speaker, I'll give him that. But he never leaned into that as his true talent. He was bound and determined to be an offensive savant (sound familiar?).