He was a beacon of light to his peers, his players and in the coaching profession.
After 41 years of mentoring young men at the collegiate and professional level, Sylvester Croom will return home to Alabama to a hero’s honor. As a Tuscaloosa native, Croom will be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame on next week — per an announcement from the ASHOF. He was a star linebacker and tight end at Tuscaloosa County High School and though John Mitchell and Wilbur Jackson broke the color barrier, Croom was next in line at the University of Alabama under Paul Bryant.