Bear Bryant's retirement was too short

The Washington Times ^ | 1-24-06 | Dick Heller

[JZelle]

Fred Glasgow, the pastor of Marble City Baptist Church in Sylacauga, Ala., had not expected to meet the great man when he wrote him a letter. He was hoping perhaps to obtain an autographed picture for his son, Fred Jr., who was about to celebrate his 16th birthday. But miracles can happen, and so it was that the Glasgows found themselves in the University of Alabama football office on Jan. 22, 1983, shaking hands with the Crimson Tide's recently retired football coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant. And the preacher chided the coach for working at 10:30 on a Saturday morning instead of enjoying his newfound leisure. "I've really enjoyed [working long hours]," Bryant replied, according to the Decatur (Ala.) Daily News. "But you know, I'm tired. I'm really tired."

[Quilla]

Roll Tide!

[SF Republican]

A great man and a great Coach. I remember being in college and the shock and sadness of his death so soon after retirement. In Texas his stint at A&M is stuff of legend/mythology.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Why?

[darkocean]

The last five years of Bryant's reign at Alabama was the only time in my life I ever thought I'd seen a situation in which an amateur version of a sport had outgrown the pro version. He'd developed a passing game keyed to the action of the wishbone and nobody ever figured it out. Nobody could defense both parts of it. Trying to line up with nine or ten guys on the line like the Flori-duh teams did against the Okies just put three gifted receivers out against man coverage and was an almost automatic seven points, and fewer than that couldn't contain the wishbone.

If they'd had a college all-star game in those days and the old bear had been allowed to coach it, the NFL could have been seriously embarrassed.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Texas A & M had Bear as head coach but let him go as he was too tough on the poor football players.

[TN4Bush]

I remember the day he died. My mom came to check me out of High School to break the news to me. I was just heartbroken. I stayed home from school and watched the funeral on TV.

[subterfuge]

If they'd had a college all-star game in those days and the old bear had been allowed to coach it, the NFL could have been seriously embarrassed.

Dream on my friend.

[dfwgator]

"The Junction Boys" was excellent. When Bear died he was still wearing the ring from the Junction Boys.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Do you remember what another coach said about Bear's coaching?
"He could take his'n and beat your'n, then take your'n and beat his'n."

[DesScorp]

"Texas A & M had Bear as head coach but let him go as he was too tough on the poor football players."

Ummmm...no. Bryant left because his Alma Mater offered him the job ("Mama called"). And he was too tough on his first set of players. He himself admitted this many times. The Junction Boys thing did nothing to help the team that year. He ran off so many players (and the ones that remained were beat up), they had a losing record. Bryant never did anything like Junction again.

[dixiechick2000]

Roll Tide ping!

[bourbon]

Thanks! We need to ping PF too.

[dixiechick2000]

LOL!

I knew it was one of these two,
but I couldn't remember which.

Suzi...you went to Southern, right?

[darkocean]

Some NFL team would have gotten a sixty-minute look at that Alabama wishbone with al-star talent across the line; I still think it would have been interesting. In the last few years in which they had the all-star game the all-stars gave the super-bowl winner a tougher time than the super-bowl loser did and that was playing the pro's own game agains them.

[SuziQ]

Yeah, I went to Southern Miss, but oddly, I didn't go to a single football game the whole time I was there. I was more into basketball, and went to most of those games. That was pre Metro Conference, and the team wasn't doing a whole lotta winning in those days. It was fun to watch, though.

I didn't get into football until we went to FSU, for SirKit to do Graduate work, and it was the same time Bobby Bowden was just getting started. Those were fun years.

[petitfour]

Thanks for the pingy-dingy!

Roll Tide!

Btw, bourbon, have you seen the crimsontradition.com website? I watched the gymnastics' meet last Friday via the net, and it was great!

[dixiechick2000]

But, I thought ALL Southern wimmen were "into" football. ;o)

The Bowden years at FSU were a wonderful way to experience football, though.

(better late than never) LOL