Alabama

The Bear. A simple word, that when mentioned in college football circles refer to arguably the greatest head football coach in the history of the game. Paul �Bear� Bryant is synonymous with the Alabama Crimson Tide and it can be argued that he was the man that really made Alabama a household name. Bryant was without a doubt the most successful coach in the history of the Southeastern conference with his Alabama teams dominating the conference during his tenure with the Tide.

Bear Bryant began his coach career at the University of Maryland in 1945. Bryant led the team to a successful season at 6 2 1 in his first season, however left the job due to a power struggle with the University president and the first Bryant decided that he would better utilized elsewhere and left after one season.

Bryant left Maryland and went to coach the University of Kentucky. Kentucky is where Bryant started to become known as a great football coach. Bryant would lead Kentucky to its first bowl game in just his second season as head coach in 1947. He enjoyed his greatest success in 1950 when he led the team to its first Southeastern conference title and beat the Oklahoma Sooners in their bowl game while Oklahoma was ranked the number 1 team in the nation. Even though Bryant would not be alive to receive the honor, the Kentucky Wildcats were awarded the national championship for that 1950 season in 2005. All of Bryant�s living players were there to accept the award for the team.

Bryant would leave Kentucky in 1954 amid integration rebuffs by the athletic department. He went to coach Texas A& M, as well as being named the Athletic Director. Bryant was only at three years but his first team was immortalized in a movie for ESPN named the Junction Boys. The Junction Boys covered the first preseason for Texas A& M with Bryant as head coach. Bryant took over a 100 players to training camp in Junction, Texas during a heat wave where temperatures normally reached well over 100 degrees. The practices proved to be too much for a lot of the players as nearly 70 players quit the football program due to the intense conditions. Bryant was always known for his no nonsense attitude but this reinforced the fact.

Bryant stayed at Texas A& M for three years before becoming the coach of Alabama in 1958. Bryant coached at Alabama for 25 years, winning six national titles and thirteen SEC championships. Bryant turned the Alabama Crimson Tide into a household name and turned himself into arguably the greatest coach in the history of college football. When he retired in 1982 he was the all time leader in wins with 315, which has since been passed by the likes of Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno.

The lasting legacy that Bryant left for Alabama is immeasurable, he turned a respected Southern school and turned the Crimson Tide into the arguably the most recognized program in all of college football. For that, Bryant is remembered as the greatest Crimson Tide to ever be involved in the football program.

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• Before the Ceremony