quote:
October 16, 1982: Bear Bryant brings undefeated, #2 Bama to Neyland Stadium to face a Tennessee team that would finish 6-5-1. Three hours later, Johnny Majors would be carried off the field following a 35-28 VOLS Victory. The Bear was never the same, retired at the end of the season, then died and went to Hell 6 months later.

Well, he had beat UT's arse 12 straight times. i wouldn't brag toooo much.

Everybody claims THEY got the Bear to retire. Fact is, he was very, very sick. As someone who was actually alive during this and remembers the 82 season, There was a question as to whether he would even make it through the season. As Lee Roy Jordan said, he should have died in the summer in 82, he just willed himself through that season. We lost bad to Southern Miss right before Auburn and there never was a question as to that being his last season.

The announcement of his retirement came in mid December. I was watching the Big Monday Big East game between Seton Hall and someone on ESPN and they interrupted the game and anchor Bob Ley came in with an ESPN special report saying he had retired and would announce it formally the next day. Remember it like it was yesterday. It wasn't after the UT game, not the LSU game, not even the Auburn game. It was the day Bama left to go to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl so you can all put it back in your pants. He retired because he wanted to. Not because of you.