To some football coaches Sylvester”Sly” Croom is a dangerous man. Croom played at the University of Alabama and was a protégé of the famous Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. He is, also, the first African American head coach in the Southeastern Conference. Despite this, Croom may be the most feared man in the history of Southern college football. The affable head coach at Mississippi State University has been responsible for the firing of at least three (SEC) football coaches. Croom has not reported these coaches’ infractions to the NCAA nor has he highlighted any personal indiscretions these coaches have committed. All Croom has done is to win football games against the teams coached by the “Croom Three“.

Ron Zook: Croom Victim Number One

Ron Zook is in the running for “coach of the year” this year at the University of Illinois. He has transformed a moribund Illini football program into an exciting, bowl bound team. He has been successful in recruiting outstanding players who were previously not likely to even visit Illinois. John L. Smith, the former football coach at Michigan State University has suggested that Zook has been so successful in recruiting that he must be cheating.

Zook’s signature win this season was beating the then number one, Ohio State University. Zook is two years removed from being head coach at the University of Florida. He was responsible for recruiting almost every player who was on the Florida team that beat Ohio State in the national championship game last January. It can be said that Zook’s players beat Ohio State twice in less than year. So why did Zook get fired at Florida? The simple answer is; he lost to Sylvester Croom and Mississippi State.

Mike Shula: Croom Victim Number Two

Mike Shula was the perfect fit when he was selected to be the head coach at the University of Alabama. Shula had been an outstanding player at Alabama as a collegian. He was a quarterback whose good looks made him come right out of central casting. While he had not been a head coach previously, he was after all the son of Don
Shula. The Shula name is magic in football circles because “Papa” Don Shula. before he became a spokesman for weight loss products, was one of the greatest coaches of all times. Don Shula is also known for a chain of upscale steak house restaurants named “Shulas“. When Mike Shula was hired at Alabama, a Shula’s restaurant opened in suburban Birmingham, Alabama not very far from Tuscaloosa.

Shula inherited an Alabama team that was suffering from NCAA sanctions that came from a cheating scandal. One coach, Dennis Franchione, had recently left the program abruptly to take a job at Texas A&M. Franchione’s replacement, Mike Price, had been fired before he ever coached a game after an off field incident. Mike Shula seemed to be a perfect fit for the Crimson Tide. So why did Mike Shula, despite a winning record, get fired at Alabama? The simple answer is; he lost to Sylvester Croom and Mississippi State. It also didn’t help that Croom was the other finalist for the Alabama job when Shula was hired.

Ed Orgeron: Croom Victim Number Three

Ed Orgeron is the model, Southern football Coach. He has a pronounced “Cajun” accent. He grunts a lot and seems to have boundless energy. After several successful years as an assistant coach at the University of Southern California, Orgeron was hired as the head coach at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) three years ago. Coach O, as he is called, was the architect of the successful recruiting program at Southern Cal and his recruiting classes at Ole Miss have been highly rated.

A highly regarded book, Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting, was written about him and his program. A theatrical movie is being made about one his players, Michael Oher. The movie based on the book “The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game  chronicles the life of Oher from a homeless, almost illiterate teenager, to being adopted by a wealthy family, to becoming an outstanding college football player and successful college student. Just two weeks ago the Ole Miss athletic director assured everyone that Orgeron would be the coach next season. So why did Ole Miss announce Sunday that Ed Orgeron was fired and would receive more than $1.5 million in severance pay? The simple answer is; he lost to Sylvester Croom and Mississippi State.

?: Croom Victim Number Four

Nick Saban replaced Mike Shula as the head coach at the University of Alabama this season. Saban earns more than $4 million per year and is the highest paid coach in college football. Saban and his Alabama team lost to Sylvester Croom and Mississippi State this season.