Young Drachma
04-07-2004, 06:58 PM
Shula reverses decision after angering Tide faithful (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1777365)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Sylvester Croom's legacy at Alabama remains strong even though he now coaches Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi State.
Coach Mike Shula reinstated Croom's name to a spring award Monday, reversing a decision that angered some former players and Crimson Tide fans.
Shula, away on a fund-raising cruise last week, apologized for renaming the Sylvester Croom Commitment to Excellence Award after former Alabama quarterback Bart Starr.
"Our original intention was to not have an award named after another head coach in the SEC," Shula said in a statement.
"However, we need to fully recognize and value the deep feelings of all our players about their years and contributions to our great university."
Croom, a finalist for Alabama's coaching job last May, was hired at Mississippi State after the season. He's the SEC's first black head football coach.
Here's the original story about what Shula did - changing the award from Croom's name to Bart Starr's name (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1774048)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Sylvester Croom's legacy at Alabama remains strong even though he now coaches Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi State.
Coach Mike Shula reinstated Croom's name to a spring award Monday, reversing a decision that angered some former players and Crimson Tide fans.
Shula, away on a fund-raising cruise last week, apologized for renaming the Sylvester Croom Commitment to Excellence Award after former Alabama quarterback Bart Starr.
"Our original intention was to not have an award named after another head coach in the SEC," Shula said in a statement.
"However, we need to fully recognize and value the deep feelings of all our players about their years and contributions to our great university."
Croom, a finalist for Alabama's coaching job last May, was hired at Mississippi State after the season. He's the SEC's first black head football coach.
Here's the original story about what Shula did - changing the award from Croom's name to Bart Starr's name (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1774048)