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Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:09 pm to NOLATide
I was in a band called The Cartoons, back in the day. We were scheduled to play some frat the weekend Bryant died.
We didn't play. Tuscaloosa, as a city, was completely depressed.
We didn't play. Tuscaloosa, as a city, was completely depressed.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:22 pm to DanMullenIsOurMan
quote:
I didn't know the Bear smoked cigarettes. Pics?
Smokes wif cigarettes, Smokes wif cigarettes, Smo Smo Smo Smokes wif cigarettes I wanna whip his behind
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:32 pm to Sao
He died the day that I turned 10. Never will forget my dad telling me that.
My dad met him many times.
My dad met him many times.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:33 pm to NOLATide
quote:
Coach Bowden, who has stayed on far too long for his own selfish interests, has handled his retirement.
not a knock on Bryant.. but for you to demean Bobby Bowden in any way is a joke.. Bryant was a great coach and good man.. Bowden was a great coach and a better man..
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:36 pm to Xenophon
A "better" man? fricking frick you.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:38 pm to Sao
Rumor has it that Gpreptiger's grandfather played head up against the Bear in an Army football game pre WWII. Ole grandad ended up playing at Delta State before shipping out as a marine to the pacific,
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:39 pm to ElysianArmsAlum
This post has been marked unreadable!
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:41 pm to Xenophon
quote:You are entitled to your opinion. It's obvious to me, however, that the game passed Bowden by about ten seasons ago; right about the same time that he started doing sideline interviews during the game, not knowing the names of his players, and focusing only on his legacy instead of coaching kids. That's my opinion.
Bryant was a great coach and good man.. Bowden was a great coach and a better man..
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:43 pm to BamaInHsv
I am familiar with most of the books about Bear but the one I like the best is "The Last Coach" by Allen Barra. Very good.......One of the most interesting stories about Bear is scheduling the USC team to come to Alabama in 1970 when USC had a black QB, black players, etc and Alabama was still all white. Bear scheduled this game on purpose with the thought that he for sure would lose the game and use it as a convincing factor that if Alabama was going to continue to be a force in CF that they must integrate. Bear was "crazy like a fox" to schedule this game. THere has been a recent documentary on HBO about the integration on college football, mainly on the SEC. Bear was once quoted as saying that " I may not be the first to integrate in the SEC, but I won't be third"!!
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:50 pm to LSUburfordeaux
I don't know if any one coach can ever be the true icon that Bear was. Although he smoked our asses, and everyone else's in the SEC every year for that matter, the majority of fans in the conference held him in the highest regard. I remember in 1979, I think it was, that LSU and Bama were playing in Baton Rouge in the pouring rain. Marcus Quinn, an LSU safety tackled a Bama RB out of bounds and knocked the Bear to the ground. The entire stadium went silent. People were actually relieved when Bear got up. When Bear and the Tide played Notre Dame, Nebraska etc in bowl games, we pulled hard for them because we felt he represented us all. He was a true man of the south.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:51 pm to Dinkle
His momma wanted him to be a preacher. He told her coaching football was the closest thing to being a preacher there was.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:57 pm to Dinkle
Great post Dink.. Coach Bryant help bring some respect to the entire south, especially in the 60's. He was a great coach. I could take you to the exact spot that I was standing in the 7th grade gym class when it was announced that he had died. Quietest bus ride home I ever experienced that afternoon.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 8:58 pm to BamaInHsv
I love to see these posts about Bear. Makes me realize more and more how lucky I am to have known him, from his same hometown. Growing up, I was a Razorback fan and Crimson Tide and not necessarily in that order!
Posted on 12/3/09 at 9:01 pm to BamaFan70
Yeah, I was at a buddy's house and we were shocked. In fact, we bought a couple of Bear Bryant coke bottles a few days later. They had the record breaking # of wins on the side. My buddy who himself has become a multiple state championship coach in La still has his bottle.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 9:13 pm to Dinkle
My dad was/is a huge Coach Bryant fan, though he never went to a single Bama game. He used to go absolutely nuts back then watching Bama football. I wish I had been old enough then to go to the games myself and buy Bama souveniers (sp).
Posted on 12/3/09 at 9:16 pm to Dinkle
Bear Bryant coke bottles - Still have one.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 9:18 pm to NOLATide
quote:
Bear Bryant coke bottles - Still have one.
Got one on the bookshelf behind me.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 9:31 pm to BamaInHsv
One thing that is different that no one has really mentioned was the decline in Coach Bryant's health at that time. He began to really look and feel old in the late 70's because of deteriorating health.
His health was one of the major factors in making that decision. He just didn't feel like he could do it well anymore because of fatigue and medication.
His health was one of the major factors in making that decision. He just didn't feel like he could do it well anymore because of fatigue and medication.
Posted on 12/3/09 at 9:46 pm to BamaInHsv
In January 1983, I was a sophmore linebacker at Jefferson Davis HS in Montgomery, AL. We were in the middle of off-season weight lifting when our coach came into the weight room and told us to put the weights down and huddle around him. We did so, and he told us that Coach Bryant had died a few minutes ago at Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa.
We were all stunned silent. Our coach said a few words about what a great molder of men he was, not just a football coach and that we would NEVER forget where we were the day we heard he had died. We held hands and said the Lord's prayer, then dismissed and went home.
For those interested, I highly recommend the book "Coach" by Keith Dunnavant. Probabaly the best book about Coach Bryant that I have read.
Oh yeah...I have 4 Bear Bryant Coke bottles on the credenza behind me.
We were all stunned silent. Our coach said a few words about what a great molder of men he was, not just a football coach and that we would NEVER forget where we were the day we heard he had died. We held hands and said the Lord's prayer, then dismissed and went home.
For those interested, I highly recommend the book "Coach" by Keith Dunnavant. Probabaly the best book about Coach Bryant that I have read.
Oh yeah...I have 4 Bear Bryant Coke bottles on the credenza behind me.
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