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Bear Bryant Question
Posted on 12/3/09 at 6:35 pm
Posted on 12/3/09 at 6:35 pm
I was born in '81 and don't know a lot about the Bear beyond standard knowledge. My question is about the end of his career, as a segment this week talked of how Bobby Bowden feared retiring as he had seen others (notably the Bear) die after stopping coaching/work.
My questions:
What was the sentiment when he retired? Was it happy/sad/just the right time?
Was the Bear still hands on and involved, or had he petered out? I'm thinking of involved as more than Bowden, who has been a glorified GM these last few years.
thanks
My questions:
What was the sentiment when he retired? Was it happy/sad/just the right time?
Was the Bear still hands on and involved, or had he petered out? I'm thinking of involved as more than Bowden, who has been a glorified GM these last few years.
thanks
5
Posted on 12/3/09 at 6:39 pm to GPrepTiger
Bryant actually predicted his own death....
from wiki-
27 days later after his retirement and his last game....he suddenly died.
from wiki-
quote:
When asked in a post-game interview what he intended to do while retired, Bryant sarcastically replied that he would "probably die in a week."
27 days later after his retirement and his last game....he suddenly died.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 6:39 pm to GPrepTiger
After an 8-4 season the gumps turned on the Bear and ran him off.He died shortly after.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 6:40 pm to toratiger
quote:
After an 8-4 season the gumps turned on the Bear and ran him off.He died shortly after.
please KYS
Posted on 12/3/09 at 6:44 pm to GPrepTiger
I was only 12 when Coach Bryant retired but it seemed to me that he was still plenty involved in coaching the team. I know Bama slipped a little in his final year, seems like they finished 8-4 but they finished undefeated and won a second consecutive NC in 1979 and had a pretty solid season in 1980. So going by this evidence, Bama was in much better shape when Coach Bryant retired than Florida State is now.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 6:52 pm to samson73103
Bama also shared the SEC championship in '81 so his teams were much more competetive than free shoes u under Bobby B. Bryant left when HE felt like he needed to hand the reins over to someone else. Too bad it wasn't Bebes.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 6:56 pm to BamaFan70
thanks for replies-
what was the fanbase sentiment like though?
was it like -- "NO dont go!" or more like, this old gentleman is the best that ever was and he goes out when he wants to?
thanks again
what was the fanbase sentiment like though?
was it like -- "NO dont go!" or more like, this old gentleman is the best that ever was and he goes out when he wants to?
thanks again
Posted on 12/3/09 at 6:57 pm to BamaFan70
Bear quit when they banned smoking in Bryant Denny stadium.... the bastards
Posted on 12/3/09 at 6:57 pm to GPrepTiger
Probably a little of both. Some folks knew it was time for a change, and some wanted him to stay the rest of his life, which he basically did. Now, when he died, the state of Alabama all but shutdown for a day or so. The rest of the country had their share of mourners also, and not just alums.
This post was edited on 12/3/09 at 6:59 pm
Posted on 12/3/09 at 7:02 pm to BamaFan70
I just made another post on Bear in the "Steve Spurrier" blog. I loved Bear! Knew him and his family. I am from Fordyce Arkansas where he is from...Bear drank and smoked too much, but he actually did make the comment that when he quit coaching ( almost prophetic) that he probably would not live a month. He died 27 days later!! There will never be another coach like him and I am very proud to share the same little home town in south Arkansas.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 7:03 pm to BamaFan70
perhaps it was the pressure from the home trailer cartel that demanded his resignation or they would take away all his son's dealerships... it's just a guess
Posted on 12/3/09 at 7:05 pm to ElysianArmsAlum
quote:
perhaps it was the pressure from the home trailer cartel that demanded his resignation or they would take away all his son's dealerships... it's just a guess
Are all of your other flames this shitty?
Posted on 12/3/09 at 7:06 pm to BamaFan70
When Coach Bryant announced his retirement we were stunned. We had no idea it was coming. We were sad. But we had enough confidence in him to know that it must be the right decision.
My Auburn friends were ecstatic. I imagine that fans of every SEC school were really happy when Coach Bryant retired.
If you look at his record you'll see that with the exception of his last year when Alabama was 8-4 he ended on a high note. His 1980 seniors were 44-4, his 1979 seniors were 43-5.
My Auburn friends were ecstatic. I imagine that fans of every SEC school were really happy when Coach Bryant retired.
If you look at his record you'll see that with the exception of his last year when Alabama was 8-4 he ended on a high note. His 1980 seniors were 44-4, his 1979 seniors were 43-5.
This post was edited on 12/3/09 at 7:08 pm
Posted on 12/3/09 at 7:08 pm to ElysianArmsAlum
quote:
Bear quit when they banned smoking in Bryant Denny stadium.... the bastards
I didn't know the Bear smoked cigarettes. Pics?
Posted on 12/3/09 at 7:11 pm to DanMullenIsOurMan
Chesterfields...
Posted on 12/3/09 at 7:15 pm to CapstoneGrad06
ole bear was old school on the smokes... made his voice that more interesting...he personally drove the code change to have smoke detectors in mobile homes
Posted on 12/3/09 at 7:20 pm to ElysianArmsAlum
Bryant was a rich man. I assure you he had a nice house in Tuscaloosa. You do realize both Alabama and Louisiana are both in the top fifteen in mobile homes per capita?
Posted on 12/3/09 at 7:25 pm to CapstoneGrad06
Bear saved many lives through his drive to have smoke detectors in mobile homes. I'm not sure but I believe he was recognized by the NAFTAOMH for his efforts.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 7:57 pm to ElysianArmsAlum
Coach Bryant was tired and ready to retire even though he feared it. Many of his close friends said he was ready.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:04 pm to GPrepTiger
Gpreptiger
This is a good question, I like it when younger college football fans pay attention and want to learn about the history of the game's great figures. Coach Bryant was the greatest of them all. When he left there was a lot of mixed emotion, just as you would suspect. Looking back in hindsight there is no comparison to how Coach Bowden, who has stayed on far too long for his own selfish interests, has handled his retirement. Coach Bryant felt that his players deserved more than he was able to give, there was no shame for him to admit that, which he did as the reason for his stepping down. When he died people all over the country, including right here in Louisiana mourned his passing.
There are many good books on Bryant if you want to learn more. Probably the easiest read is 'The Legend of Bear Bryant' by Mickey Herskowitz.
This is a good question, I like it when younger college football fans pay attention and want to learn about the history of the game's great figures. Coach Bryant was the greatest of them all. When he left there was a lot of mixed emotion, just as you would suspect. Looking back in hindsight there is no comparison to how Coach Bowden, who has stayed on far too long for his own selfish interests, has handled his retirement. Coach Bryant felt that his players deserved more than he was able to give, there was no shame for him to admit that, which he did as the reason for his stepping down. When he died people all over the country, including right here in Louisiana mourned his passing.
There are many good books on Bryant if you want to learn more. Probably the easiest read is 'The Legend of Bear Bryant' by Mickey Herskowitz.
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