The Alabama-Mississippi State connection: Three notable ties between both schools

Ken Roberts, Tuscaloosa News
Updated ·4 min read
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The University of Alabama and Mississippi State University are the closest rivals in the SEC geographically, with less than 90 miles separating the two campuses.

The Alabama-Mississippi State game is also one of the Southeastern Conference's longest-running series, dating back to 1896. When the Tide and Bulldogs meet Saturday night in Starkville, it will be for the 108th time (Note: because of the 8 p.m. kickoff, print coverage of the game will be in Monday's edition of The Tuscaloosa News. Up-to-the-minute coverage will be available at www.tuscaloosanews.com).

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With the closeness of the campuses and the length of the series, it stands to reason that a few people have participated on both sides of the rivalry.

Here's a look at three notable people who have been affiliated with both the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide:

Sylvester Croom

Croom is a Tuscaloosa native who played center for UA from 1972-74 and became the first Black head football coach in the SEC when Mississippi State hired him in 2004.

During his college playing days at UA, Croom earned the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, along with All-America honors. Croom helped UA win three SEC championships and the 1973 national title. He was a team captain on UA's 1974 team.

Sylvester Croom answers questions during SEC Media Days on July 26, 2007, at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover. Croom played college football for the University of Alabama and went on to become head football coach at Mississippi State University for five seasons.
Sylvester Croom answers questions during SEC Media Days on July 26, 2007, at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover. Croom played college football for the University of Alabama and went on to become head football coach at Mississippi State University for five seasons.

He played a year for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL, before returning to Tuscaloosa to serve as an assistant coach under Paul W. "Bear" Bryant and then Ray Perkins for a total of 11 seasons..

Croom spent the next 25 years in the NFL as an assistant coach for nine different teams.

He spent five seasons as Mississippi State's head coach, earning SEC Coach of the Year honors in 2007. Croom returned to the NFL as an assistant coach before retiring after the 2017 season

Jackie Sherrill

Sherill is a Duncan, Oklahoma, native who played football at UA from 1962-65 and then went on to serve as Mississippi State's head football coach for 13 seasons.

At UA, he played fullback and linebacker for two national championship football teams under Bryant.

After his playing days ended, Sherrill moved into the college coaching ranks. He served as a graduate assistant at UA and Arkansas before becoming an assistant coach at Iowa State and then Pittsburgh.

Jackie Sherrill answers questions on Aug. 2, 2001, during the SEC Media Days in Birmingham. Sherrill played college football at the University of Alabama and went on to serve as head football coach at Mississippi State University for 13 seasons.
Jackie Sherrill answers questions on Aug. 2, 2001, during the SEC Media Days in Birmingham. Sherrill played college football at the University of Alabama and went on to serve as head football coach at Mississippi State University for 13 seasons.

In 1976, he was hired for his first head coaching position at Washington State. A year later, he returned to Pittsburgh as head football coach from 1977-81. In 1982, he moved on to Texas A&M where he won three consecutive Southwest Conference titles in 1985-87.

In 1991, he was hired as Mississippi State's head coach. He spent 13 seasons in Starkville, winning the SEC West Division in 1998.  He retired after the 2003 season.

He is one of only two Division I-A head football coaches to ever lead three different schools to 10 wins or more in a season.

Greg Byrne

Byrne, a Pocatello, Idaho native, has served as director of athletics at UA and Mississippi State.

After graduating from Arizona State University in 1994, he followed the career path of his father, Bill Byrne, who was an athletic director for more than 30 years.

Greg Byrne is shown inside the Mal Moore Athletic Facility on Nov. 6, 2017. Byrne has served as director of athletics at the University of Alabama and Mississippi State.
Greg Byrne is shown inside the Mal Moore Athletic Facility on Nov. 6, 2017. Byrne has served as director of athletics at the University of Alabama and Mississippi State.

In 2008, he became the youngest athletics director in the SEC and the youngest to lead an athletic program at the NCAA Division I-A level at Mississippi State. While in Starkville, he oversaw the hiring of Croom's replacement,  Dan Mullen, as the Bulldogs head football coach and he hired John Cohen as head baseball coach. Cohen now serves as director of athletics at Auburn University.

Byrne also earned his master's degree from Mississippi State in 2009.

In 2010, he left Starkville to become the University of Arizona's vice president for athletics, where he oversaw more than $140 million in construction and renovation of athletics facilities.

On Jan.17, 2017, he was named the University of Alabama's 17th director of athletics. At UA, Byrne has overseen the implementation of the Crimson Standard, a 10-year, $600 million capital initiative focused on the renovation of facilities and development of infrastructure.

Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Maroon and crimson: Three notable Alabama and Mississippi State ties