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Posted on 12/23/09 at 11:57 am
Posted on 12/23/09 at 11:57 am
This Husker fan, that I work with, told me that after Nebraska beat #1 Bama in 1977 in Lincoln, Bear Bryant said that he would never play in Nebraska again. I told him I didn't believe that but he swears it's true. Any of you ever heard this?
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Posted on 12/23/09 at 12:34 pm to tigerhawk
I never heard that, however, in either 78 or 79 when Bama played Penn State and Arkansas in those respective years' bowls, Tom Osborne wanted to play Bama and got carried away in a press conference on that topic. His direct quote referring to Coach Bryant was, "That son-of-a-buck is ducking us." Pretty tasteless comment and that caused some problems between the programs. Osborne never apologized. I never knew Bryant to duck any team - Bama had home and away series w/USC, Penn State, Notre Dame, etc. during that general time.
This post was edited on 12/23/09 at 12:36 pm
Posted on 12/23/09 at 12:51 pm to roadkill
quote:
I never knew Bryant to duck any team
This is what I told the guy. That just didn't sound like something that he would have said. At first I thought that he was saying that it was because Memorial stadium was such a tough venue. That made me laugh, but then he said it was because the Huskers had beaten their asses so bad. This actually made me laugh harder. Husker fans are a pretty decent bunch all in all, but this was rediculous.
Posted on 12/23/09 at 12:57 pm to tigerhawk
Now it has long been said that back then if you wanted to play in a bowl game against Alabama, you called Coach Bryant. It didn't matter what anybody else said or wanted. Bryant picked who he played. At the time, he really was that powerful.
Posted on 12/23/09 at 1:14 pm to tigerhawk
Wrong, we played them very next year. They came to Birmingham and Bama beat them like 35-6 to start the 1978 season.
Posted on 12/23/09 at 1:14 pm to PurpleandGold Motown
That's pretty much what I've always heard
Posted on 12/23/09 at 1:17 pm to tigerhawk
quote:
Wrong, we played them very next year. They came to Birmingham and Bama beat them like 35-6 to start the 1978 season.
Right, he acknowledges that but he says that the reason Bama never came back to Nebraska was because of the game in '77. I think the guy must have dreamed that.
Posted on 12/23/09 at 2:59 pm to roadkill
quote:
I never heard that, however, in either 78 or 79 when Bama played Penn State and Arkansas in those respective years' bowls, Tom Osborne wanted to play Bama and got carried away in a press conference on that topic. His direct quote referring to Coach Bryant was, "That son-of-a-buck is ducking us." Pretty tasteless comment and that caused some problems between the programs. Osborne never apologized. I never knew Bryant to duck any team - Bama had home and away series w/USC, Penn State, Notre Dame, etc. during that general time.
That was the '75 season, not '78 or '79, when we played Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.
Posted on 12/23/09 at 3:12 pm to tigerhawk
never heard that but would not doubt it - he did say he was not going to play bobby bowden and fla state after escaping 8-7 in the 70s he knew bowden was the real deal
Posted on 12/23/09 at 3:15 pm to WHACKtheLONGHORNS
It is not about ducking teams but in scheduling in the sec - you only want one tough ooc...
Posted on 12/23/09 at 3:21 pm to WHACKtheLONGHORNS
If memory serves, that was the 31-24 loss in which Jeff Rutledge threw 5 INT's. Bryant might've said he wouldn't take Rutledge back there as QB.
Posted on 12/23/09 at 4:44 pm to tigerhawk
Nebraska beat us 31-24 in Lincoln in '77...hardly a beatdown. We beat them in '78 in Birmingham 20-3, so I don't really understand what ol' Tom was trying to say.
Posted on 12/23/09 at 5:35 pm to tigerhawk
I hated Johnny Rogers after that game. He was awesome.
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