Taste of $uccess can’t diminish Croom’s passion
HOOVER, Ala. – There were indeed times of financial concern.
Living paycheck to paycheck, there was constant worry and anxiety when it came time to pay the seemingly mounting bills.
It even got to the point of raiding his daughter’s college fund.
For Sylvester Croom, those vivid memories will never fade.
“Yes. I definitely remember the days when I was broke,” said the fifth-year Mississippi State coach, shaking his head as if those days were yesterday. “I know what it’s like to be worried where your paycheck is coming from. A lot of people in our country are in that situation now.”
Today, his financial statements tell a completely different story.
Croom, who turns 54 in September, was rewarded back in June with a new contract that pays him $1.7 million annually for the next four years. A far cry from the $14,000 he made in his first job as an assistant at Alabama.
Yet, while his bank account has changed drastically over the decades, he says the money hasn’t changed who he is as a person or the passion he possesses for coaching football.
And if that passion should deteriorate, he’s quick to point it will be time for him to exit stage right.
“Well, I’m very thankful for all I’ve been blessed with,” he said. “Very thankful.
djournal.com
7/24/08
Magnolia Tribune
