Alabama Crimson Tide football is tradition rich with a number of great coaches over the years, and has produced a number of great players that have impacted the NFL greatly, but the most well know person ever to step foot on the gridiron at Alabama is most definitely “Bear” Bryant.

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 university head coaching jobs such as Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas A& M before he finally had the opportunity to return to his alma mater, the University of Alabama. So encouraged 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 Paul Bryant took over as head coach of the Crimson Tide, and started leading it to its past Rose Bowl-style brilliance but achieved even to greater heights. Coaching celebrated players like Joe Namath, Pat Trammell, Billy Neighbors, Big John Hannah, snake Stabler,Lee Roy Jordan, Johnny Musso, Bob Baumhower, and many others.

Overall, Bear Bryant was a impressive motivator and knew how to get his football players to do what he needed them to do. 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 motivation wasn’t just on the playing field, the motivation passed into life also by the character he instilled in his players like big John Croyle, who started the faith-based Christian Big Oak Ranch for unfortunate children 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 give up coaching that he “wouldn’t last a week.” In fact, he didn’t last a lot longer than that, only 37 days. On January 26, 1983, Bryant collapsed and died of a heart attack at age 69 and many mourned his death. Officials estimated that between a half-million to a million people were lined along the 53 mile stretch from Tuscaloosa to the graveyard in Birmingham that was blocks from Legion Field.

Bear’s Legacy

Bear’s heritage lives in the players that are now growing older and the fans that remember his championship spirit. Not only that… He helped smash segregation in the South’s football world, and in doing so, helped turn the state around from racism to splendor. Not only that, he changed the world to a better place than he left left.. He ain’t never been nothing but a winner. Roll Tide!