Max
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Several years ago I was chatting with the head football coach of another school and the subject of Coach Bryant came up. He asked me about the Bryant Scholarship program that had been established to provide scholarships for the children of former players, coaches, staff, managers, and trainers who had served under Paul Bryant when he was head coach at Bama, 1958-82.
He said, “That is the best legacy I have ever heard of a coach doing.”
The sad thing is that the NCAA has since outlawed the practice. The good thing is that the Bryant Scholarship was grandfathered in because it had been established before the NCAA ruled that it was an impermissible benefit for student-athletes. And the really good thing is that 35 years since Bryant’s last season, it is still going strong.
Paul Bryant (Photo: Bryant Museum, 247Sports)
Coach Bryant created the scholarship with an initial donation and the son of Pat Trammell was the first recipient. Trammell, who was the quarterback of Bryant’s first national championship team in 1961, went on to be a doctor. He died at a young age of cancer.
The scholarship has continued through the lavish donations of the Bryant family, specifically Paul Bryant, Jr., and today there are still over 75 students at Alabama on Bryant Scholarships, including 26 freshmen this year. Hundreds have benefited from this program.
Each year, Paul Bryant, Jr., hosts a banquet for the students and their parents, and he is kind enough to invite my wife and me to that banquet since I am one of the few holdovers from the Bryant staff still around.
That banquet was held this week in Bryant-Denny Stadium, and it is always a heart-warming affair. Most of those fathers are men who played after I was in the sports information department, but I covered them after I left Alabama in 1979 to start ’ BAMA magazine. It is a great time to renew old friendships.
We sat with Major Ogilvie and his wife and daughter and John Lancaster and his wife and daughter. (For those of you of an age, I learned for the first time that John’s grandfather owned the long-since-closed Jungle Club bar, where Joe Namath had spent an evening that resulted in his suspension for the final two games of the 1963 season.)
There were a couple there who were Alabama players before I went to Alabama in 1970, Bobby Johns and Ray Perkins, and I had nice chats with both.
A feature of the banquet is a former player making an address to the group about the experience of having played for Coach Bryant. John McIntosh, an offensive lineman from the last Bryant Crimson Tide team, did a masterful job.
He was followed by Nick Saban, who always attends following his post-practice press conference, and who discussed the Bryant traits that he still uses. He also thanked the former players for what they have meant to the tradition of Alabama football. And he also lamented the NCAA rule that prevents him from establishing a similar scholarship program.
Athletics Director Greg Byrne was also in attendance. He told me that he would have to leave early for another function, but he ended up staying until the end and was obviously impressed. Bill Battle, recently retired athletics director, was also there.
The list of former players and their families I was able to visit with made for a most pleasant evening. Among them were Steadman Shealy, Charles Hannah, Duffy Boles. Shon Lee, Steve Mott, Rod Nelson, Bobby Stanford, Tom Nelson, Bill Searcey, Steve Dean, Jim Bob Harris, Bobby McKinney, and Gary Bramblett.
The daughters of two deceased players, Benny Perrin and David Sadler, were among the students attending.
Paul, Jr., introduces each student and their families, thanks them for attending The University, and urges them to meet their fellow legacies. “We’ve even had two or three marriages result,” he added.
Alabama students through the years have included children of former Paul Bryant Tide players and staff
He said, “That is the best legacy I have ever heard of a coach doing.”
The sad thing is that the NCAA has since outlawed the practice. The good thing is that the Bryant Scholarship was grandfathered in because it had been established before the NCAA ruled that it was an impermissible benefit for student-athletes. And the really good thing is that 35 years since Bryant’s last season, it is still going strong.
Paul Bryant (Photo: Bryant Museum, 247Sports)
Coach Bryant created the scholarship with an initial donation and the son of Pat Trammell was the first recipient. Trammell, who was the quarterback of Bryant’s first national championship team in 1961, went on to be a doctor. He died at a young age of cancer.
The scholarship has continued through the lavish donations of the Bryant family, specifically Paul Bryant, Jr., and today there are still over 75 students at Alabama on Bryant Scholarships, including 26 freshmen this year. Hundreds have benefited from this program.
Each year, Paul Bryant, Jr., hosts a banquet for the students and their parents, and he is kind enough to invite my wife and me to that banquet since I am one of the few holdovers from the Bryant staff still around.
That banquet was held this week in Bryant-Denny Stadium, and it is always a heart-warming affair. Most of those fathers are men who played after I was in the sports information department, but I covered them after I left Alabama in 1979 to start ’ BAMA magazine. It is a great time to renew old friendships.
We sat with Major Ogilvie and his wife and daughter and John Lancaster and his wife and daughter. (For those of you of an age, I learned for the first time that John’s grandfather owned the long-since-closed Jungle Club bar, where Joe Namath had spent an evening that resulted in his suspension for the final two games of the 1963 season.)
There were a couple there who were Alabama players before I went to Alabama in 1970, Bobby Johns and Ray Perkins, and I had nice chats with both.
A feature of the banquet is a former player making an address to the group about the experience of having played for Coach Bryant. John McIntosh, an offensive lineman from the last Bryant Crimson Tide team, did a masterful job.
He was followed by Nick Saban, who always attends following his post-practice press conference, and who discussed the Bryant traits that he still uses. He also thanked the former players for what they have meant to the tradition of Alabama football. And he also lamented the NCAA rule that prevents him from establishing a similar scholarship program.
Athletics Director Greg Byrne was also in attendance. He told me that he would have to leave early for another function, but he ended up staying until the end and was obviously impressed. Bill Battle, recently retired athletics director, was also there.
The list of former players and their families I was able to visit with made for a most pleasant evening. Among them were Steadman Shealy, Charles Hannah, Duffy Boles. Shon Lee, Steve Mott, Rod Nelson, Bobby Stanford, Tom Nelson, Bill Searcey, Steve Dean, Jim Bob Harris, Bobby McKinney, and Gary Bramblett.
The daughters of two deceased players, Benny Perrin and David Sadler, were among the students attending.
Paul, Jr., introduces each student and their families, thanks them for attending The University, and urges them to meet their fellow legacies. “We’ve even had two or three marriages result,” he added.
Alabama students through the years have included children of former Paul Bryant Tide players and staff
