Almost 1969. 12/28/1968. Eighteen days after he buried Pat Trammell. I'm surprised he gave a damn about the officials or anything else. My take on that game is he fulfilled his obligation to the Gator Bowl. He had his team there. IMO, he had a tough time mentally at that time of the year for many years. Didn't win another Bowl game until 1975.
"Because of Pat Trammell’s death, and the influence it had on Bryant and the Alabama family, nearly 800 children have now gotten stipends of up to $4,000 a year to walk in front of the Denny Chimes on their way to class and see Pat Trammell’s handprints and cleat marks cast in concrete at its base, simply because their dad also once paid the price.
A short time after Coach Bryant retired (due to advanced heart disease), legendary Birmingham News writer Clyde Bolton caught Bryant in a melancholy moment and asked him quietly, “Who was your favorite player, Coach?”
Oh course, Bryant would never pick one kid over the other, and he loved the guys who consistently tried to outwork their limited abilities every bit as much as his glittering All-Americans, but Bolton finally caught the legendary Alabama molder-of-men just right.
Coach Bryant talked about 10 or 15 “really special” players and then, pausing a moment, famously told the writer, “Now you’ll have to forgive me here for getting a little sentimental but … Pat Trammell was not just my favorite player … he was the favorite person … I’ve ever had in my life.”
That's who Pat Trammell was."