A veteran of 17 seasons as an NFL assistant, Sylvester Croom is in his first season as running backs coach with the Rams. Croom comes to the Rams after five seasons as head coach at Mississippi State University.

Croom was named the first African- American head coach in Southeastern Football Conference history when he took the job at Mississippi State in 2004. Croom took over a Bulldog program that had suffered three straight losing seasons and was under NCAA probation and helped lead Mississippi State to a 7-5 record, including a victory in the Liberty Bowl, in 2007. That season, Croom was named SEC Coach of the Year.

Croom spent three seasons (2001-03) as running backs coach with the Green Bay Packers. Under Croom’s tutelage, Ahman Green made three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl (2001-03) and recorded three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Croom served as offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 1997-2000. In 1997, Croom’s offense ranked second in the NFL and Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders led the league in rushing and became the third player in NFL history to surpass 2,000 yards rushing. Wide receivers Herman Moore and Johnnie Morton each had 1,000-yard receiving seasons and Moore’s 104 receptions led the NFL. The Lions were the first team in NFL history to have teammates lead the league in rushing and receiving in the same season.

In 1998, Sanders ran for almost 1,500 yards and Morton recorded his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. In 1999, Morton and Germain Crowell combined for almost 2,500 receiving yards and tight end David Sloan was named to the Pro Bowl.

Croom coached running backs for the San Diego Chargers from 1992-96, a run of success in which the Charges won two AFC West titles and made the playoffs three times. The Chargers were the AFC representatives in Super Bowl XXIX in 1994. Croom-coached Natrone Means set a team rushing record with 1,350 yards in 1994.

Croom came to the NFL for a four-year tenure as running backs coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987. He held the same position with the Indianapolis Colts in 1991.

Croom’s career impact goes far beyond the NFL. His historic appointment at Mississippi State was preceded by another important step at the University of Alabama. Croom joined the Crimson Tide in 1971, the year after Wilbur Jackson and John Mitchell integrated the football team. A native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., Croom earned three letters, became the starting center for legendary coach Paul (Bear) Bryant’s 1973 National Champions, and was the hub of teams that posted a 22-2 record in Croom’s last two seasons.

Croom was a Kodak All-American in 1974, played for the New Orleans Saints in 1975, and then spent the next 11 seasons coaching at his alma mater. Croom was a graduate assistant in 1976, working with centers. He also coached inside linebackers (1977-81, 1984-86) and outside linebackers (1982-83). Alabama went to 10 postseason bowl games and Croom-coached E.J. Junior (1981), Mike Pitts (1983), Cornelius Bennett (1987), and Derrick Thomas (1989) became NFL first-round draft choices.

The “Sylvester Croom Commitment to Excellence Award” annually is given to an Alabama player at the end of spring practice.

Croom is married to Jeri and the couple has a daughter, Jennifer.