Bear bryant6/25/2023 Although Bryant had his ear bitten, the carnival never paid him.īryant's football career began as an eighth-grader playing for Fordyce High School. He earned the nickname that would stick with him for life by accepting a challenge to wrestle a bear at a carnival for $1. Paul "Bear" Bryant coached Texas A&M to a 25-14-2 record from 1954-57.īy 13, Paul already stood 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds. Chores were plentiful for all the children. Monroe became ill when Paul was a toddler, forcing his wife to run the farm. Bryant's father, Monroe, was a farmer and his mother, Ida Mae, tended to the family. Paul was the 11th of 12 children, three of whom died as infants. ![]() 11, 1913 in the community of Moro Bottom, outside Fordyce, Ark. "I want people who are willing to sacrifice and do without a lot of those things ordinary students get to do. "I don't want ordinary people," Bryant said. As a player at Alabama, Bryant demonstrated his toughness by playing against Tennessee with a broken leg.īryant's first training camp as Texas A&M coach did much to write his legacy as a disciplinarian: Bryant took his "Junction Boys" to a small Texas town and ran a boot camp in which more than two-thirds of his players quit. "He was simply the best there ever was," former Nebraska coach Bob Devaney said.ĭistinguished by the houndstooth hat he wore on the sidelines, Bryant molded teams in his image, focusing on aggressive defense and execution on special teams. In the 1960s and 1970s, no school won more games than Alabama (193-32-5). He took 29 teams to bowl games and led 15 to conference championships. ![]() He was just a giant figure."īryant's record in 38 years at Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Alabama was 323-85-17 (.780). "Even his peers in the coaching business felt in awe of him," Paterno said. Bryant became an icon, a symbol of strength and moral righteousness as much as success. No college coach in the second half of the 20th century commanded a bigger presence. While Bryant's 323 major-college victories have been eclipsed by Penn State's Joe Paterno and Florida State's Bobby Bowden, Bryant left a legacy that encompassed more than 37 winning seasons overall and five Associated Press national championships at Alabama. He died 28 days after coaching his last game. When Bryant finally retired, he didn't receive an opportunity to enjoy life away from the game, if that were possible for him. Now imagine a guy that can carry the nicknameīear," says Joe Namath on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series.īryant's first, and only, priority was winning.Īfter breaking the record for career victories by a college football head coach, Paul (Bear) Bryant called himself a tired old man who never got tired of football. Never quit.Goal-line stand propels Bryant's Tide to titleīear Bryant 'simply the best there ever was' When you do attain it, set another goal, and don't quit until you reach it. Set a goal and don't quit until you attain it. “If there is one thing that has helped me as a coach, it's my ability to recognize winners, or good people who can become winners by paying the price.” - Bear Bryant Then you've got yourself a team.” - Bear Bryant You must lift some men up, calm others down, until finally they've got one heartbeat. “You must learn how to hold a team together. You are going to win the national championship for Alabama.” - Bear Bryant There are going to be days when you think you've got no more to give and then you're going to give plenty more. You can learn a lot on the football field that isn't taught in the home, the church, or the classroom. I don't want my players to be like other students. If you are not here to win a national championship, you're in the wrong place. ![]() ![]() “What are you doing here? Tell me why you are here.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |