HIS HIRING WAS viewed as a breakthrough, long overdue and something college football desperately needed.
That was nearly two decades ago, and Sylvester Croom isn't convinced that much, if anything, has changed for Black head coaches in college football, particularly those in the Deep South.
"It's not like anybody is asking for any favors," said Croom, who became the SEC's first Black head football coach when he was hired by Mississippi State on Dec. 1, 2003. "What we're asking is for guys to get a legitimate chance and to be elevated to the kinds of positions that they're going to get those chances.