Not allowing water during practice wasn’t being tough it was just plain stupid. Bear Bryant in his book admitted he had done some dumb things in his early days. He said he just didn’t know any other way at the time. I doubt he ever got soft but some things are just foolish.
Of course you’re right, it is stupid. It’s just the way it was.
By the way, I’m still not too old to be happy that I helped beat the Bear’s Crimson Tide in Lincoln in 1977, when they were very highly-ranked. It was a great sports moment for me.
I actually had the priveledge and thrill to go to lunch with Keith Jackson last year. We talked about lots of cool sports stuff he was directly involved with over his amazing career. And we talked about that 1977 Husker/Tide game, and he remembered it well. He said Bear Bryant and Tom Osborne were 2 of his favorite coaches of all time, and he shared several fun memories of the game (he did the play-by-play on national TV for ABC, along with Frank Broyles). Amazing he had a recollection of it, since he’d done hundreds and hundreds.
Anyway, maybe the best part of this memory you’ve conjured for me is that a couple guys from one of NU’s frats stole Bear’s famous houndstooth hat! Right off his head, as he walked (angrily) through hundreds of pandemonious Husker fans—accompanied by 2 state troopers no less—to the center of the field to shake Coach Osborne’s hand!
The famous hat still allegedly occupies a place of honor in the front room of this particular frat house in Lincoln, enshrined in glass along with a picture one of the bros took of the deed occurring!
So thanks for the Bear Bryant reference—brought back a fun memory!