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re: Bear Bryant story for us old guys:
Posted on 8/22/23 at 4:32 pm to Tideroller
Posted on 8/22/23 at 4:32 pm to Tideroller
quote:
hence Tideroller
Never knew that.
0
Posted on 8/22/23 at 4:50 pm to Tideroller
quote:
I had a car wreck at age 16 leaving me paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair (hence Tideroller). It happened right before the 1971 season, I had to con the nurses into letting me listen to the late kick from LA when he unveiled the wishbone against USC. Later that season I received a Manilla envelope with signed pix of all the players and one of Coach saying best wishes to me. To this day I don't know how he knew about me but he was the best IMO no matter what detractors say.
Longtime Alabama fans know the story. In October 1974, TCU visited Legion Field. While running a sweep play, the junior running back got caught up in a wall of players and fell awkwardly on the artificial surface. He suffered a broken neck, leaving him paralyzed.
The injury deeply affected coach Bryant, who didn't go back to Tuscaloosa with the team after the game, a 41-3 Alabama victory. Bryant went straight to the hospital for the first of many visits with Waldrep.
"At least once every three or four months, I'd pick up the phone and it'd be Coach Bryant," Waldrep recalled. "He'd say, `What's going on, Kent? How's therapy coming? Are you working hard every day?"'
Waldrep figured that last call from Bryant was his final connection to the Capstone. It wasn't.
In April, the 52-year-old Dallas resident got a call from athletic director Mal Moore, who told him that Waldrep's son Trey was going to receive a Bryant Scholarship to attend Alabama. Coach Bryant never forgot, long after he was gone.
LINK /
Posted on 8/22/23 at 5:05 pm to stephendomalley
He was replying to that Trans, Willie.
Posted on 8/22/23 at 6:17 pm to bamameister
This is too touching for this cesspool. 
Posted on 8/22/23 at 6:50 pm to Tornado Alley
Bear Bryant never beat Robert General Neyland ad a Head Coach.
Bear was 0-5-2 as a Head Coach when facing Neyland as HC.
Bear was 0-5-2 as a Head Coach when facing Neyland as HC.
Posted on 8/22/23 at 6:55 pm to Dawgpile
quote:
Bear Bryant story for us old guys:
I loved some of his famous quotes about Tennessee and Neyalnd. Even the Beat was gracious enough to admit that General Neyland was the better coach.
Quote 1- “People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world," said the great Bear Bryant, "but Neyland taught me everything I know."
Quote 2- Everybody thought Neyland had a jinx on us. It was no jinx. He was a better coach, and he had better football players - and I couldn't stand it," Dunnavant quotes Bryant as saying in the biography.
Posted on 8/22/23 at 8:13 pm to Gunga Din
quote:I played against a guy from east Mississippi that was a man amongst us boys playing running back. Bear recruited him and he was a 4 year starter at D tackle at 175 lbs.
There was nothing in the water elevating a bunch of plain 'ole Alabama kids to the top of the heap...'cept Bear.
ETA - I missed on a couple points. Freshmen didn't play varsity back then so he was a 3 year letterman. He wasn't 175 but was 185. Wasn't DT but was nose guard. Found his obit. He died in 2019 while on vacation. Terry Rowell
This post was edited on 8/22/23 at 8:46 pm
Posted on 8/22/23 at 8:46 pm to Hot_in_the_box
quote:
Bear Bryant never beat Robert General Neyland ad a Head Coach.
Bear was 0-5-2 as a Head Coach when facing Neyland as HC.
Neyland never faced coach Bryant at Alabama. Neyland was long gone when he got the BAMA job. But you knew that, right?
Posted on 8/22/23 at 10:19 pm to bamameister
quote:
But you knew that, right?
Of course! Even Bear Bryant admitted Neyland was the better coach. I was just making sure you knew this.
Posted on 8/23/23 at 6:52 am to Hot_in_the_box
quote:
The guy that never beat General Robert Neyland.
Read what you posted in the context of this thread and you might begin to understand why everyone thinks that Tenn fans are so awful and why everyone can't stand them!
Posted on 8/23/23 at 7:16 am to JCinBAMA
quote:
He was replying to that Trans, Willie.
All Willie did was provide a color restored photo of the Bear.
This post was edited on 8/23/23 at 7:17 am
Posted on 8/23/23 at 10:18 pm to paperwasp
quote:
I miss the days of true beat writers and don't think we'll ever get back there,
You’d like Loran Smith, who writes infrequently for the Athens Banner-Herald. Was the sideline analyst for Larry Munson
Posted on 8/24/23 at 12:31 am to BamaMamaof2
quote:
Read what you posted in the context of this thread and you might begin to understand why everyone thinks that Tenn fans are so awful and why everyone can't stand them!
1) He's an alt, not a Tennessee fan
2) This might surprise you, but Alabama fans are worse than Tennessee fans. You don't hear about us murdering friends or family after a loss.
Posted on 8/24/23 at 12:48 am to Dawgpile
quote:
Some folks in Alabama claimed Bryant could walk on water. I was not so sure he couldn’t.
That's because he actually could walk on water.
This post was edited on 8/24/23 at 1:42 am
Posted on 8/24/23 at 12:57 am to Hot_in_the_box
quote:
Quote 1- “People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world," said the great Bear Bryant, "but Neyland taught me everything I know."
This is not a real quote, only one that is thrown around on Tenner boards as fact. There is no and never has been any conclusive attribution except Billies saying it is so.
Bryant never coached under Kneeland and was not part of his coaching tree in any way whatsoever.
This, on the other hand, is a verifiable and real quote:
"Tennessee sophomores don't deserve citizenship
papers until they have survived an Alabama game."
Bobby "Twinkletoes" Kneeland
This post was edited on 8/24/23 at 1:18 am
Posted on 8/24/23 at 6:53 am to Dawgpile
Great story and thanks for sharing.
I may be reading this wrong but confused about the writer's age and when he started in the business.
Again I may be reading this wrong but to me it sounds like he started his career as a beat writer at 13.
I may be reading this wrong but confused about the writer's age and when he started in the business.
quote:
This was back in September of 1971. I was an 18-year-old sports reporter, who could easily have passed for 13, for my hometown newspaper The Hattiesburg American.
quote:
Five years into my sports writing career, I was finally making just enough money to purchase a new car — just not much of one. My 1971 Ford Pinto sounded like a sewing machine and maneuvered only slightly better.
Again I may be reading this wrong but to me it sounds like he started his career as a beat writer at 13.
Posted on 8/24/23 at 8:11 am to paperwasp
I have my dad’s copy of that book, too.
Posted on 8/24/23 at 9:11 am to TideWarrior
quote:His dad was SID at Southern Miss. I am sure that had something to do with it. I don't recall it being 13 but I know he was in his teens. His brother (Bobby) also did sports but his was more about outdoors, especially fishing. He was killed in a car wreck a couple of years ago.
Again I may be reading this wrong but to me it sounds like he started his career as a beat writer at 13.
Posted on 8/24/23 at 9:17 am to SECWizard
quote:Shug Jordan was asked if the Bear could walk on water. His answer, "I don't know if he can walk on water but surely knows where the stumps are".
That's because he actually could walk on water.
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