When Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom paces the sidelines on gameday, every step he takes adds to the legacy Croom has created during his four-plus seasons with the Bulldogs.Croom’s record at Mississippi State is 18-33 — sub-par compared to the records of fellow Southeastern Conference coaches like Les Miles (37-6 since joining the SEC in 2005) and Tommy Tuberville (83-34 during his 10-year career in the conference).Croom has had one winning season and one bowl appearance as Bulldogs’ coach. Both of which came in 2007.But Croom’s on-field achievements have been overshadowed by the milestone he set when he became the first black head coach in SEC football history in 2004. That accomplishment is one supporters and opponents feel meant more than any touchdown or bowl victory.”I was here when Sylvester Croom first got the job,” said LSU senior defensive end Kirston Pittman. “It was a big step in collegiate football as a whole, and definitely in the SEC. It is a great thing to see a black head coach in the collegiate ranks.”  Four years after Croom’s hiring, he’s still a member of a small fraternity. Of the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision schools, only five have black head coaches. LSU women’s tennis coach Tony Minnis, who is black, said Mississippi State’s hiring of Croom was a sign of change. “It sent a definite message that they’ve come a long way,” Minnis said. “It says a lot about where they are looking and trying to go forward in the 21st century.”Some LSU football players said they feel a sense of pride knowing there is a black coach in the SEC. “It’s about time,” said senior defensive end Rahim Alem. “It was a progressive move and a long time coming.”Croom’s hiring was based on experience — not race. He was an assistant coach for his alma mater, Alabama, and for five NFL teams before arriving at Mississippi State.Croom told The Clarion Ledger in 2007 that he learned as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator from 1997-2000 that thinking of himself as a black coach was distracting. Croom said having that mindset, added pressure to an already demanding job.”That ate me up because we felt like we were trying to prove things,” Croom said. “I was obsessed with it. I lost 25 pounds because I wasn’t eating. I was almost in a state of depression. “When I took [the Mississippi State] job, I would not allow anybody to put that on my shoulders again. I won’t allow it. Because I came to this conclusion that people who think that way, no matter what I do, it’s not going to change my mind anyway.”LSU running backs coach Larry Porter, one of three black assistant coaches for the Tigers, said a competitive spirit helps him keep his race from being a distraction when he’s on the sidelines.”If your a competitor — no matter who you are  — you strive to be the best at everything you do,” Porter said. “He’s a great role model and is striving to do everything in his ability to be the best coach that he can be and get that program up to national prominence.”LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson became LSU’s first black permanent head coach of a men’s sport when he was hired in April.”Understand that competition has no race, has no color, and I would like to be known and respected as a basketball coach, “Johnson said shortly after being hired.But Croom’s race has played a factor in his career ever since he was an offensive lineman at Alabama in the early ’70s. Then-coach Paul “Bear” Bryant recruited Croom to be one of the first five black players at Alabama.Croom told The Meridian Star in 2007 that his father told Bryant, “Don’t give him nothing because he is black, don’t take nothing from him because he is black.””That was his belief because in his mind his whole idea about integration was simply this: All I want you to do is open the door and let me walk in. I’ll do the rest,” Croom said. “Just don’t say I can’t. Just give me a chance.”Croom said he had initial reservations about accepting the Mississippi State job because the team was in a rebuilding situation. Before Croom’s arrival, the Bulldogs posted three straight losing seasons.”Did I really wanna go on that journey?” Croom said. ” Was everybody was going to be on board for going through the processes we had to go through?”Croom said it was and still is a difficult task to turn that team around. The Bulldogs finished 8-5 last season, their first winning season since 2000.  The Bulldogs also won their first bowl game since 2000, beating Central Florida in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.    Last season’s success has not yet carried over into 2008, as the Bulldogs are 1-3 through four games. But Croom said his goal for Mississippi State has already been accomplished.”If my tenure here were to end today, this program is a lot better off than when I came,” Croom said. “That was the No. 1 thing I wanted.” —-Contact Amos Morale at [email protected]