Paul Bryant and Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide football is tradition rich with a number of great coaches over the years, and has churned out out some of the most elite athletes that college football has ever seen, but the most well know person ever to step foot on the gridiron at Alabama is most definitely “Bear” Bryant.
Paul “Bear” Bryant
Bear Bryant started his career at Alabama as a football player in 1931. He was only 1934 national championship play end. Brian always joked that he was the “other end” that played for “mamma”. The other end was the legendary NFL Hall of Famer, Don Hudson. Even bear Bryant’s college playing days, he showed mental toughness and playing the 1935 game against Tennessee with a broken leg.
As as head coach, Paul Bryant had several college head coaching jobs such as Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas A& M before he ultimately had the break to return to his alma mater, Alabama. So stimulated was Paul Bryant, that he notably was quoted as saying, “Mama called. And when Mama calls, you just have to come runnin’.”
It was the year 1958 that Bear took over the helm of Bama, and started leading it to its previous Rose Bowl-style glory but achieved even to greater heights. Producing renowned players like Joe Namath, Pat Trammell, Billy Neighbors, Big John Hannah, snake Stabler,Lee Roy Jordan, Johnny Musso, Bob Baumhower, and many others.
No doubt, Bear Bryant was a impressive motivator and knew how to make his football players to do what he required them to accomplish. Florida A&M coach, Jake Gaither said of Bear Bryant, “He can take his’n and beat you’n, and he can take your’n and beat his’n.” The inspiration wasn’t just on the field, the motivation carried into real life as well by the character he instilled in his players like big John Croyle, who founded the faith-based Christian Big Oak Ranch for troubled kids in Springville, Alabama.
The very last year that he coached the Crimson Tide, 1982, was a down year for Alabama and Bear couldn’t see himself coaching Alabama into mediocrity. He constantly said that if he stop coaching that he “wouldn’t last a week.” In actuality, he didn’t last much longer than that, only 37 days. On January 26, 1983, Bryant died of a heart attack at age 69 and many mourned his death. Public officials estimated that between a half-million to a million individuals were lined all along the 53 mile stretch from Tuscaloosa to the memorial park in Birmingham that was mere blocks from Legion Field.
Bear’s Legacy
Bear’s legacy lives in the players that are now growing older and the fans that hark back to his championship heart. Not only that… He helped shatter segregation in the South’s football universe, and in doing so, helped turn the state around from narrow-mindedness to splendor. Not only that, he changed the world to a better place. Roll Tide!
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