The Reverend Sylvester Croom, Sr. (June 26, 1926 – January 2, 2000) served for years after integration as chaplain for University of Alabama athletes. He was an All-American football player at Alabama A&M. He also later served as a pastor and community leader in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and has been recently recognized by the University of Alabama as one of the 40 pioneers of civil rights in the state.[1]
His son, Sylvester Croom Jr., was a successful football player at the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, later becoming head coach at Mississippi State University.