Tuesday, May 15, 2018   
 
Mississippi State to begin accepting Common Application
Mississippi State University announced on Monday that it will begin accepting the Common Application from prospective undergraduate students on Sept. 1. Each year, over 1 million college applicants use the platform to apply to more than 800 universities worldwide. The admissions office aims to increase the number of applications it receives by making the process more efficient for high school and transfer students. "As a land-grant institution, Mississippi State University is committed to providing affordable higher education that is accessible to all students," Assistant Vice President for Enrollment John Dickerson said in a press release. "Joining The Common Application allows us to facilitate our process to be as simple and manageable as possible for all prospective students." Previously, Millsaps College in Jackson and the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg were the only schools in the state to accept the Common Application. Ole Miss does not accept it.
 
Mississippi State grads cover the metro area bridal market
Three Mississippi State University graduates in the metro area discovered the perfect niche market for their interests in fashion. Whether you call it a happenstance or the result of education provided by MSU's fashion design and merchandising program ranked among the nation's Top 50 by fashion-schools.org, alumnae of the program own three of the metro area's bridal boutiques. "It's a coincidence but also a testament to the program," said Charles Freeman, assistant professor of fashion design and merchandising at MSU, acknowledging the owners of the Bridal Path in Jackson, Elle James in Ridgeland and Bella Bridesmaids in Ridgeland. "We're producing business owners who contribute to the local workforce and economy."
 
Homegrown: Strange Brew Coffeehouse
Shane Reed grew up with a great familiarity in his parents' business, which included several gas stations and convenience stores. Even though he was armed with a degree in history and archeology, Reed couldn't get rid of the entrepreneurial spirit coursing through his veins. Offering an opportunity to follow his dreams was a former gas station Reed's father built years earlier on the corner of Highway 12 and Spring Street, on the edge of the campus of Mississippi State University.
 
Yokohama reports employing 650 in West Point
Yokohama Tire Corporation's West Point plant has come a long way in three years. The tire plant opened in fall 2015, and since then its workforce has grown to more than 650 employees, Senior Human Resources Manager Stacey Perusse told Starkville Rotarians Monday during their meeting at the Mill at MSU conference center. Perusse said Yokohama is "continually" hiring new employees, with about 15 hires every Monday. "About a year ago, we were right around 500 (employees)," she said. "We actually had a job fair here in Starkville last August and we had over 700 people come." She said the company is still hiring for a range of positions, including production officers, production supervisors, maintenance technicians, engineers and accountants.
 
Mississippi State, Ole Miss ready to respond to the legalization of sports gambling
Monday's U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down a long-held federal ban on sports betting served as a victory for gamblers. What it means for the SEC, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, which are still very much in the stages of processing the ramifications, remains to be seen. "It is premature at this time to speculate on the possible impacts of the Supreme Court ruling," Mississippi State and SEC president Mark Keenum said in a statement to the Clarion Ledger. "There will be some type of impact, for sure, on every school ... I don't think we clearly understand what the impact will be just yet," Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen said. "There will be a lot of discussion about where we go from here. Certainly, I think there's a lot of work to do before any of this comes to fruition."
 
Supreme Court decision on sports bets sets off scramble
Lawmakers are scrambling to come up with legislation on sports gambling after the Supreme Court on Monday opened the door for states to legalize bets on sports nationwide. The precedent-shattering decision came as little surprise after the justices hinted during oral arguments in December that they were likely to strike down the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which banned sports gambling in almost every state but Nevada. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), one of several original PASPA co-sponsors still in office, along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), said he plans to introduce new sports gambling legislation in the coming weeks. Hatch is not planning on introducing legislation that would ban sports gambling, but is focused on safeguards. Opponents of state-sanctioned sports betting fear the court's ruling will make it harder for Americans to pull themselves out of poverty.
 
When and where you'll be able to place sports bets on the Mississippi Coast
The Supreme Court decided to overturn the federal ban on sports betting Monday, but people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast ready to throw down cash should probably keep it in their wallets for now. Yes, sports betting can happen in Mississippi, but residents can't do it on their phone or go to their favorite bar to place a bet. Once sports regulations are in place, people will have to go to a casino to place a bet in Mississippi. And several things still need to happen before bets can be placed at casinos. The goal is to have sports betting open to the public at any Mississippi casino that is ready by late summer, if not sooner, said Gaming Commission Executive Director Allen Godfrey.
 
Mississippi casinos could take bets soon as court clears way
Mississippi could, at least temporarily, be the only place within the Southeastern Conference where football fans can put bets down when games begin at summer's end. Allen Godfrey, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, said the casino regulator has already been working on rules governing sports betting at the state's 28 casinos, and they are almost complete. "It's technically just another game that's being allowed to be played in a licensed casino," Godfrey told The Associated Press. A June vote means casinos could renovate areas to serve as sports books before college football season begins in late August. The first regular season NFL game is Sept. 6. "A lot has to happen over the next 90 days before football season begins," said Michael Bruffey, Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association deputy director.
 
Mississippi ready to implement sports betting after Supreme Court ruling
Mississippi is ready to implement sports betting after a United States Supreme Court ruling issued on Monday. The nation's highest court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which effectively outlawed sports betting nationwide except for Nevada. Mississippi was one of five states that officially joined New Jersey's effort to have the case heard by the Supreme Court, and the state has spent months checking off boxes to ensure sports betting could begin in Mississippi within the coming days. In a state in which revenue collections -- and particularly casino gaming revenues -- have dragged in recent months, sports betting is seen by many to be a potential economic boon.
 
Supreme Court strikes down prohibition on sports gambling
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down a law that had forbidden gambling on college and professional sports in most states, a decision that experts expect will create significant problems for the National Collegiate Athletic Association and an inconsistent patchwork of laws among the states. The NCAA had argued that allowing bets on college sports would "undermine the integrity" of athletics and "jeopardize players' welfare." The billionaire investor Mark Cuban bragged Monday that owners of top professional sports teams just saw the value of their teams double. The NCAA, however, is right to be unnerved, experts said. Already, the association has been plagued by scandal and scorn, largely related to an alleged kickback deal around men's basketball that federal officials uncovered. Adding more money to the system will only exacerbate the NCAA's issues and likely cause more corruption, they said. This would put new pressure on the NCAA, said Michael A. Olivas, the William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law at the University of Houston.
 
Chris McDaniel highlights key campaign themes
Speaking to Lee County Republicans Monday night, Chris McDaniel pitched himself as an unyielding defender of conservative principles besieged by a corrupt and self-interested political establishment. One of four candidates running in a special election to the U.S. Senate, McDaniel opened his remarks by making light of his polarizing image and the attack ads that have targeted him. "Contrary to what you've been told, there are no horns on my heads," the state senator from Jones County told a gathering of the Lee County Republican Club. His Monday night stump speech highlighted key motifs of the McDaniel message. "I believe so strongly in the message," McDaniel said in language that echoed biblical scriptures. "I am willing to lay down my political life for the message."
 
Mississippi College picks state native as new president
A Mississippi university is naming a native of the state as its 20th president. Mississippi College trustees on Monday said they had chosen Blake Thompson to lead the 5,000-student Baptist-affiliated institution. Thompson is currently vice president of government affairs at Ohio State University and secretary of the university's board of trustees. The 43-year-old Thompson is a native of Rienzi. He earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in pharmacy from the University of Mississippi. He worked on U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's staff before joining academia.
 
Mississippi College names new president
A Mississippi native serving on the Board of Trustees for Ohio State University is returning home to become the next president of Mississippi College. Trustees for Mississippi College voted Monday to install Blake Thompson as the private Christian university's 20th president. Thompson and his wife Jana, who are parents to three children, are natives of Rienzi. Both attended the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, where Thompson also earned a master's and doctoral degree in the field. Mississippi College is the country's second oldest Baptist college. During Monday's announcement, Thompson reiterated that faith would remain central to the college's mission. "A lot of colleges do well preparing the head," he said. "Perhaps even more important is preparing the heart. I believe Mississippi College does both."
 
Delta State seeks bids for golf course property
Delta State University recently made a request for proposal for commercial land development. The land up for bid is what was once the Derrall Foreman Golf Course, closed after budget cuts in 2016 and 2017. At a recent faculty forum, DSU President Bill LaForge mentioned putting housing or a conference center in the area for faculty and educational programs. However, Jamie Rutledge, VP for Finance and Administration, said, "We are asking developers to submit plans to develop the land and once the proposals have been received, the university will evaluate them. The closing of the golf course cost a great deal of turmoil as many community members disagreed with the choice. LaForge previously said this is a difficult but necessary decision in order to protect university programs and personnel.
 
Denim Day at held at Jackson State
Jackson State University's Division of Student Affairs and the Latasha Norman Center for Counseling organized Denim Day on April 25 inside the Student Center to raise awareness about the nationwide issue of campus assault, and to help the university eliminate abuse and make the campus S.A.F.E., or a sexual-assault-free environment. Denim Day began in 1998 in response to an Italian Supreme Court case in which the court overturned a rapist's previous conviction, claiming the victim wore jeans so tight that she must have helped her attacker remove the denim, thus implying consent. Women in the Italian parliament began wearing jeans and holding placards that read "Jeans: An Alibi for Rape" in protest, and women in the California senate later took up the protest. The Italian Supreme Court reversed its decision in 2008. JSU's event also coincided with National Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April and aimed to learn students' level of knowledge in regards to sexual assault and violence.
 
Third Meridian Community College's presidential search forum today
The third of Meridian Community College's presidential search forums is scheduled at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 15 at the McCain Fine Arts Theater on campus, with a presentation by James D. (Don) Burnham, vice president at Holmes Community College. MCC faculty/staff and community members will be able to hear a presentation and ask questions, according to the college. The forums are open to anyone interested in learning more about the people interested in becoming MCC's next president. Scott Alsobrooks, vice president at Pearl River Community College, is scheduled to participate in a forum on May 22 in the McCain Fine arts Theater. Thomas Huebner, president of East Mississippi Community College, is scheduled to interview for the position on Wednesday, May 30. A forum is tentatively scheduled that day, according to MCC. Huebner turned in his resignation at MCC on May 7, effective June 30.
 
Auburn President Steven Leath discusses strategic planning, growth, town-and-gown relationship
Auburn University President Steven Leath spoke about strategic planning, economic development and the relationship between the university and the city of Auburn Monday afternoon during a visit with the editorial board of the Opelika-Auburn News. "We're doing something a little bit different," said Leath, who will mark his one-year anniversary at Auburn next month. "We're having a strategic planning process that's going to be led by the faculty. I think so often, when strategic plans at universities start at the president or provost's office, they seem sort of like they're dictated. As hard as they try for input and shared governance, people feel like some of these ideas are set." The president has asked two faculty members -- Beth Guertal of the College of Agriculture, and Bruce Tatarchuk of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering -- to lead the efforts seeking input for the plan.
 
Auburn University to honor musical artist Lionel Richie, journalist Judy Woodruff
Auburn University will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the International Quality of Life Awards on Dec. 3 at the United Nations in New York by honoring legendary musical artist Lionel Richie and pioneering broadcast journalist and women's advocate Judy Woodruff. Auburn's College of Human Sciences launched the International Quality of Life Awards in 1994. Richie, a native of Tuskegee, will receive the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award, a special honor reserved for individuals whose character, professional achievements and humanitarian outreach have brought distinguished recognition to Auburn University and/or the state of Alabama and beyond. Judy Woodruff, the 2018 IQLA Laureate, is the anchor and managing editor of the "PBS NewsHour." An award-winning journalist and trailblazer for women in broadcast news, Woodruff began her career in 1970 as a reporter for CBS-affiliate WAGA-TV in Atlanta.
 
Sam Walton's heirs provide a script for small-town success
Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "Yes, we're talking about the heirs of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart -- the mega-company that assorted interest groups and media types love to hate. As it happens, the heirs are pretty good folks. Yes, they're worth more billions than they can possibly spend -- but laudably they don't use their wealth to buy politicians or make random donations. Instead, the Walton Family Foundation -- like all quality philanthropic groups -- makes investments. They expect a quality of life return in exchange for every dollar provided. The Foundation's newest report, out last week, details a study of small American towns that have prospered. Any community that collectively desires to do better can use the report as a step-by-step guide, almost like a recipe."


SPORTS
 
Road Dawgs Tour makes 'home' stop
In the midst of the yearly Mississippi State caravan around the Southeast dubbed the Road Dawgs Tour, the Bulldogs finally got a home game. For the first time, MSU held a stop on its annual spring tour right on its own front porch Monday morning. Director of athletics John Cohen and head football coach Joe Moorhead spoke to approximately 150 members of the Starkville community at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex to address the upcoming football season and the state of MSU sports as a whole. The main event of the morning was Moorhead. The man Cohen hired just last November entertained the crowd with his tales of adjusting to life in Starkville as well as his plans for the football program moving forward. Moorhead will continue sharing his vision over the coming days as the 10-stop tour rolls on, but Monday morning was particularly special to him.
 
John Cohen, Joe Moorhead open busy week on Road Dawgs Tour
John Cohen didn't want to drag on. The Mississippi State Director of Athletics knew he wasn't the star of this show. That being the case, all Cohen wanted to do was to list some of the athletic department's recent accomplishments and introduce the man in the corner of the room, new football coach Joe Moorhead. Cohen held the floor for seven minutes. That's how the MoorDawgs Tour continued Monday morning in the Leo W. Seal Jr. Football Complex, where Cohen and Moorhead spoke to a group of fans that purchased tickets. Cohen also outlined some of the improvements to MSU's athletic facilities. In addition to the renovation of Dudy Noble Field and the locker room at Davis Wade Stadium, Cohen said the entryway to the Templeton Athletic Academic Center has been "gutted " and a new entrance with a pictorial history of MSU athletics is being installed. He also said the soccer stadium is getting a video board and that the school hopes to do the same for the volleyball team, which plays at the Newell-Grissom Building.
 
Mississippi State's Joe Moorhead serious about winning SEC Championship
Joe Moorhead's message to Mississippi State fans on the annual Road Dawgs Tour is that it's okay to talk about championships. Speaking at the First United Methodist Church in Tupelo on Monday, Moorhead mentioned that his top duty as the Bulldogs' head coach is "to make sure these kids leave here with a world class degree in one hand and four championship rings on the other." That statement caused several among the 220 in attendance to chuckle. However, it was no laughing matter to Moorhead. "I'm serious -- you can laugh but I'm deadly serious," Moorhead responded. Moorhead has claimed conference championships at his previous four coaching stops at Penn State, Fordham, Connecticut and Akron and brought those same expectations along with him to Starkville.
 
Mississippi State football coach Joe Moorhead leads Road Dawgs Tour into Biloxi on Tuesday
New Mississippi State head football coach Joe Moorhead will headline the 2018 Road Dawgs Tour as it makes a stop Tuesday night at the Golden Nugget in Biloxi. The annual fan-friendly event and celebration of MSU Athletics is a collaboration by the MSU Bulldog Club, MSU Alumni Association and local alumni chapters. Moorhead, who was named MSU's 33rd head football coach, welcomes a talented roster back from a squad that finished 2017 ranked No. 19 nationally. The 2016 and 2017 National Offensive Coordinator of the Year, Moorhead played a pivot role during stops at Penn State, Fordham, Connecticut and Akron. Women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer, the 2017-18 National Coach of the Year, as well as athletic director John Cohen will be on hand to speak and meet with fans.
 
Joe Moorhead, Bulldogs embracing raised expectations
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are undergoing a program change with the hiring of Joe Moorhead, but are embracing the new expectations. Moorhead hit the road on the Road Dawg Tour with a stop in Memphis on Monday Night at the Botanic Garden. Moorhead, taking over for Dan Mullen, who left for Florida after least season, said the Bulldogs will welcome high expectation sunder his watch. "If they're keeping score, I want to be first." say Moorhead. "There are some people who say, 'we don't want to be ranked high in the preseason.' You know, I want to be first, and it's certainly with the roster that we have, the coaches, and the plan we put in place. Our goal and expectation is to compete for and win the SEC Championship. No one's going to have higher expectations than us."
 
Mississippi State's Jake Mangum one of five up for Ferriss Trophy
Jake Mangum will face tough competition as he tries to win the Ferriss Trophy for the second time. The Mississippi State junior was one of five players announced as finalists for the 15th-annual award, which is given to the best college baseball player in the state of Mississippi. Delta State's Zach Shannon, Ole Miss' Ryan Olenek and Southern Mississippi's Nick Sandlin and Luke Reynolds will join Mangum in Jackson at a banquet Monday at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. The Ferriss Trophy is named after MSU and Boston Red Sox legend David "Boo" Ferriss. "Having grown up in Mississippi, I know how much Mr. Ferriss truly means to the sport of baseball and to our state," Mangum said. "Being associated with this award, along with being named a finalist for the second time is truly an honor." Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer Jay Powell will be guest speaker.
 
MSU softball team will be No. 2 seed in Tucson
Mississippi State senior pitcher Holly Ward never takes a postseason invitation for granted. "This is what you work so hard for," Ward said. "There is still an excitement when you see your name called out. Everybody was relaxed because we felt like we were in good shape. That doesn't change that moment when you see your name, though, and you know you have a chance to keep playing." On Sunday, MSU earned its 14th berth in the NCAA tournament when it was named the No. 2 seed in the Tucson Regional. Hosted by No. 14 national seed Arizona, MSU (36-21) will face North Dakota State (33-17) at 8 p.m. Friday (ESPN2) to open the four-team, double-elimination event. Arizona (40-14) will face Saint Francis (39-17) at 10:30 p.m. Friday. "Another business trip for this team," said MSU coach Vann Stuedeman, who earned her sixth regional berth in seven seasons in Starkville.
 
Marco Arop wins silver medal to lead Mississippi State men's track and field team
Marco Arop finished second in the 800 meters Sunday to lead the Mississippi State men's track and field team at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships. Arop broke his MSU freshman record with a time of 1 minute, 47.45 seconds. Among Canadians, Arop is second only to former Bulldog and 2016 SEC champion Brandon McBride this year. "I knew (Texas A&M's) Dixon would go out fast, so I told him to stay on the gas," MSU coach Steve Dudley said. "If he'd gone any slower Ole Miss would've outkicked him. That's how we want to run it, fast early on so we don't have to worry about anyone having a kick."
 
Rhianwedd Price-Weimer leads Mississippi State women's track and field team
Rhianwedd Price-Weimer was in third place entering the final 200 meters, but she surged through the turn to win the 1,500 Sunday at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Price-Weimer, the SEC champion and NCAA leader, led the down the homestretch to win in a time of 4 minutes, 18.79 seconds. The victory helped her add a conference title to her 2015 NCAA crown in the event. "I don't really know what happened, but I think maybe it was a mental thing where I was dying," Price-Weimer said. "I knew with 150 meters to go that we've done a lot of pace change work at 150. I knew I needed to dig in and go now." Price-Weimer capped her night with a fifth-place finish and four more points in the 5,000. In her first collegiate 5000 on the oval, she clocked a 16:42.36.
 
MHSAA gets it right by moving softball finals to college campuses
Neshoba Central High School fast-pitch softball coach Trae Embry has coached in some of the state's biggest games this decade. On Friday, Neshoba Central won a sixth-straight Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A State championship with a 6-2 victory against Pearl River Central. The title was different because it was the first one won on the campus of Mississippi State. The Class 1A, 3A, and 5A State championship series were played at MSU's Nusz Park. The Class 2A, 4A, and 6A State title series were played at Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. "It's a game-changer for softball in this state," Embry said. "Playing at Mississippi State will always mean a lot to these girls," Hamilton coach Bryan Loague said.
 
SEC, NCAA, others in sports weigh in on Supreme Court's gambling ruling
The Supreme Court's landmark ruling Monday that state laws outlawing sports gambling are unconstitutional is causing widespread reaction from around the sports world. In a vote of 7-2, the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey released a short statement Monday, saying the league is "reviewing" the decision. "We are in the process of reviewing the Supreme Court's decision and its potential long-term impact on the SEC and collegiate sports in general," Sankey said. "One of our first priorities is to ensure that we have thorough and effective systems in place to educate our student-athletes, coaches and other personnel on all issues associated with sports wagering."
 
Bet legally on the Saints or LSU? You'll likely have to do it in Mississippi, not Louisiana
Get ready to bet legally on the Saints or your favorite college team this football season, now that the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down the federal law that permitted sports betting only in Nevada and a handful of other states with grandfather status. Only, don't count on doing it in Louisiana. Bills filed in the state's current legislative session to pave the way for sports betting -- which hinged on this Supreme Court ruling -- have been defeated already. For Louisiana gamblers, Mississippi seems a safer bet. Mississippi legislators already passed a law in 2017 legalizing sports betting at casinos if it is legal in the United States, which means Mississippi could be one of the first states to offer sports betting. "We're a sports-oriented culture here," Allen Godfrey, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Association, said of Mississippi. "Being the only state in the Southeast that will be offering this, it will be an exciting time for properties."
 
Arkansas entities unsure about gambling changes
Arkansas politicians and college administrators are uncertain how they will respond to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday that enabled individual states to pass their own legislation on sports gambling. For the first time since the now-repealed Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was passed in 1992, the state of Arkansas has the ability to amend its 1953 law that made it illegal "for any person, partnership, or corporation" to gamble on "any other sport of game for the purpose of gaming." Arkansas already has a gambling presence with horse racing at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs and with greyhound racing at Southland Park in West Memphis. Neighboring states such as Mississippi already have positioned themselves to earn revenue from sports gambling, said Ethan Wilson, a policy director and attorney at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Any changes to sports gambling in Arkansas would directly include the state's five NCAA Division I universities.
 
Danny Sheridan on state-sanctioned sports gambling: 'Alabama is pathetically in the dark ages'
You have to forgive Danny Sheridan's excitement. He's like a kid on Christmas. On Monday, The United States Supreme Court ruled a federal ban on state-sanctioned sports gambling is unconstitutional. That means states can now operate their own bookmaking operations. "I'm sorry I'm not 21 years old," Sheridan told AL.com. "I've been dreaming about this since I was in college. This is incredible." But what does this mean for the state of Alabama and, in general, college football? The sports analyst and handicapper pulled no punches when talking about how far Alabama is behind neighboring states. "The state is backward because of the people we have elected," he said. "They twiddle their thumbs while Mississippi has casino gambling and three states around us have a lottery and we don't."
 
Market for illegal sports betting in US is not really a $150 billion business
Ohio State economist Jay Zagorsky writes: The Supreme Court on May 14 struck down a 25-year federal ban on sports betting outside of Nevada. The big question on many minds -- particular state officials and companies like MGM Resorts and DraftKings looking to cash in -- is how much money is at stake. Many of the articles on the decision cite the same eye-popping figure: Americans wager an estimated US$150 billion in illegal sports bets every year. As a macro economist, I am used to dealing with big numbers. Still, $150 billion struck me as much too high. To put it in perspective, that's 14 times more than Americans spend going to the movies, twice as much as they put into grooming and feeding their pets and about the same as they pay for fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
 
Sylvester Croom on retirement, coaching Derrick Henry, Bryant vs. Saban
For the first time since he finished his playing career in 1975, Sylvester Croom has no plans to be coaching football this fall. Croom has decided to retire after more than four decades as a college and NFL coach, the last five years as running backs coach with the Tennessee Titans. The 63-year-Croom and wife Jeri are in the process of moving to Mobile, where daughter Jennifer Bates and her family reside. "I had some other opportunities to coach elsewhere, but I think I'm going to end my coaching career," Croom said in an interview with Mobile's WNSP-FM 105.5 on Monday. Most notable was Croom's five-year tenure as head coach at Mississippi State, where he was SEC Coach of the Year in 2007. He was also famously the first black head coach in the conference's history, a distinction he shrugged off then and now. "I was thankful for getting the opportunity to be a head coach period, especially in the SEC," Croom said. "The people at Mississippi State were very good to me, they still are."



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