re: Bear Bryant Stories

quote:

---

Story 2

Linda Cardwell was the first female golf anchor at the Golf Channel (when they were located in Birmingham). Before the Golf Channel, she was a sports anchor for a TV station in Anniston. She went to a Bear Bryant press conference for the station, but she was escorted out before it started because females weren't allowed.

Linda was sitting in hallway outside and was in tears. Bear comes by and says, "What's wrong, Little Lady?" She told him that she had just been kicked out of the press conference. He stood her up and walked in with her arm in arm, and he was singing "Love Lifted Me" out loud. He walked her to the front row and made some guys move and sat her down. He then said, "Gentlemen, our policy on no women has changed. Watch your language." One guy said, "So women are allowed in from now on?" Bryant said, "She is. If any other women show up, we'll discuss their admittance then."

---

quote:

---

That Bear Bryant must've had a lot of power and pull in the State of Alabama

---

quote:

---

How about some stories from former members of Bear's Tide teams.

Not the ones that actually played. But the dozen or so signees every year that Bear made promises to knowing that they would never get meaningful playing time at Bama. But he signed them so they wouldn't go to other SEC schools and play against him.

Smart, but really sleazy way to run a program.

Downvote away! But had that been you sitting the bench when you could have been a starter at another school after being lied to, you would be POed. Plenty of those stories surface when the whisky flows for awhile.

---

quote:

---

Wow!!
[snipping bullshite]
IMHO

---

quote:

---

At a TD Club meeting many years before his death, Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant told the following story, which was typical of the way he operated.

I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old car down in South Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player and I was havin’ trouble finding the place.

Getting hungry I spied an old cinder block building with a small sign out front that simply said “Restaurant.” I pull up, go in and every head in the place turns to stare at me. Seems I’m the only white ‘fella’ in the place. But the food smelled good so I skip a table and go up to a cement bar and sit.

A big ole man in a tee shirt and cap comes over and says, “What do you need?” I told him I needed lunch and what did they have today?

He says, “You probably won’t like it here, today we’re having chitlins, collared greens and black eyed peas with cornbread. I’ll bet you don’t even know what chitlins are, do you?” I looked him square in the eye and said, “I’m from Arkansas , I’ve probably eaten a mile of them. Sounds like I’m in the right place.” They all smiled as he left to serve me up a big plate.

When he comes back he says, “You ain’t from around then?” And I explain I’m the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the University and I’m here to find whatever that boy’s name was and he says, ” yeah I’ve heard of him, he’s supposed to be pretty good. ” And he gives me directions to the school so I can meet him and his coach.

As I’m paying up to leave, I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big to be flashy, but a good one and he told me lunch was on him, but I told him for a lunch that good, I felt I should pay.

The big man asked me if I had a photograph or something he could hang up to show I’d been there. I was so new that I didn’t have any yet. It really wasn’t that big a thing back then to be asked for, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address on it and told him I’d get him one.

I met the kid I was ‘lookin’ for later that afternoon and I don’t remember his name, but do remember I didn’t think much of him when I met him. I had wasted a day, or so I thought. When I got back to Tuscaloosa late that night, I took that napkin from my shirt pocket and put it under my keys so I wouldn’t forget it.

Heck, back then I was excited that anybody would want a picture of me. And the next day we found a picture and I wrote on it, Thanks for the best lunch I’ve ever had, Paul Bear Bryant.

Now let’s go a whole ‘buncha’ years down the road.

Now we have black players at Alabama and I’m back down in that part of the country scouting an offensive lineman we sure needed. Y’all remember, (and I forget the name, but it’s not important to the story), well anyway, he’s got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he’s got his heart set on Auburn too, so I leave empty handed and go on see some others while I’m down there.

Two days later, I’m in my office in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings and it’s this kid who just turned me down, and he says, “Coach, do you still want me at Alabama ?” And I said, “Yes I sure do.” And he says, o.k.he’ll come. And I say, “Well son, what changed your mind?” And he said, “When my grandpa found out that I had a chance to play for you and said no, he pitched a fit and told me I wasn’t going nowhere but Alabama , and wasn’t playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you and has ever since y’all met.”

Well, I didn’t know his granddad from Adam’s housecat so I asked him who his granddaddy was and he said, “You probably don’t remember him, but you ate in his restaurant your first year at Alabama and you sent him a picture that he’s had hung in that place ever since. That picture’s his pride and joy and he still tells everybody about the day that Bear Bryant came in and had chitlins with him. My grandpa said that when you left there, he never expected you to remember him or to send him that picture, but you kept your word to him and to Grandpa, that’s everything. He said you could teach me more than football and I had to play for a man like you, so I guess I’m going to.”

I was floored. But I learned that the lessons my mama taught me were always right. It don’t cost nuthin’ to be nice. It don’t cost ‘nuthin’ to do the right thing most of the time, and it costs a lot to lose your good name by breakin’ your word to someone. When I went back to sign that boy, I looked up his Grandpa and he’s still running that place, but it looks a lot better now; and he didn’t have chitlins that day, but he had some ribs that ‘woulda’ made Dreamland proud and I made sure I posed for a lot of pictures; and don’t think I didn’t leave some new ones for him, too, along with a signed football.

I made it clear to all my assistants to keep this story and these lessons in mind when they’re out on the road. And if you remember anything else from me, remember this – It really doesn’t cost anything to be nice, and the rewards can be unimaginable.

---

quote:

---

Care to explain why he didn't do the same thing for FB Players that just so happened to be born Black and wanted to play at Bama?

---