| FTBL On this day in Alabama history: Bear Bryant died

[rick4bama]

On this day in Alabama history: Bear Bryant died

U.S. President John F. Kennedy, center, poses with, from left, University of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, White House Army Signal Agency John J. Cochran, All-American UA quarterback Pat Trammell, UA President Frank Rose, sportscaster Mel Allen, UA sports Hall of Famer Young Boozer Jr., Birmingham News sports writer Benny Marshall and Alabama businessman Tom Russell at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in December 1961. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)

January 26, 1983​

Paul W. “Bear” Bryant was born in 1913 in rural Cleveland County, Arkansas. He played football at nearby Fordyce High School and got his nickname for taking on a sideshow challenge to earn a dollar a minute for wrestling a bear. When the animal’s muzzle popped off during the struggle, the story goes, the hulking teenager jumped out of the ring and never collected his winnings. But there would be plenty of wins later. During his playing time at the University of Alabama, the team racked up 23 victories, three losses and two ties, and was named national champion in 1934. His college coaching career included stints at Union College, Alabama, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Texas A&M before he became head coach of the then-struggling Crimson Tide in 1958. Over 25 years in Tuscaloosa, he compiled a record of 232-46-9, with six national titles and 15 conference championships. Bryant was named College Football Coach of the Year three times. He retired in December 1982, his last game a 21-15 victory over the University of Illinois in the Liberty Bowl. He was then the winningest college football coach in history, with a record 323 victories. Just 28 days later on Jan. 26, 1983, Bryant, who had suffered from heart problems for years, was admitted to Tuscaloosa’s Druid City Hospital with chest pains. He died that afternoon after suffering a heart attack. The Navy veteran of World War II was 69. A month later, then-President Ronald Reagan posthumously awarded Bryant the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Bryant is buried at Birmingham’s Elmwood Cemetery.

 

[TUSKtimes]

The historical narrative of coach Bryant and college football reads like Gone With The Wind. There will never be another time and adventure like it in human history.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

The historical narrative of coach Bryant and college football reads like Gone With The Wind. There will never be another time and adventure like it in human history.

Amen...my friend

 

[AFF]

Like most of the older farts on this board, I remember it well. I was driving back from a wedding in Mobile on my way home to Huntsville when I heard it on the radio. It's been a while, but I do seem to remember shedding a few tears on that drive home. We, as Bama fans, all lost a great representative of the state that day. At that time it seemed that the only time the state of Alabama was ever mentioned in a positive light in the mainstream national media was when they were talking about Bear Bryant. Sad, but true. Alabama was always (maybe still is?) near the bottom of the list of states in terms of academics, poverty, whatever. Always negative. I guess maybe that was just reality. But that all disappeared whenever you heard Bryant's name mentioned. It was never about poverty or ignorance or whatever stereotype was being presented. Whenever they talked about Bryant it was always about winning - about greatness. That made you feel proud as an Alabamian. Still does.

 

[EasyTider]

Wedding on a Wednesday?

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

"I'll never forget going to the Rose Bowl. I remember everything about it. We were on the train and Coach Thomas was talking to three coaches and Red Heard, the athletic director at LSU. Coach Thomas said, Red, this is my best football player. This is the best player on my team.' Well, shoot, I could have gone right out the top. He was getting me ready. And I was, too. I would have gone out there and killed myself for Alabama that day." Coach Bryan-- Reminiscing about the 1935 Rose Bowl trip and Coach Thomas.