We Still Miss The Bear

“No one can help but be aware of the rich tradition that is associated with this team and this University. Tradition is a burden in many ways. To have a tradition like ours means that you can’t lose your cool; to have tradition like ours means that you always have to show class, even when you’re no quite up to it; to have tradition like ours means that you have to do some things that you don’t want to do and some you even think you can’t do, simply because tradition demands it of you. On the other hand, tradition is that which allows us to prevail in ways that we could not otherwise.” — Former Alabama President, David Matthews.

22 years ago today, the world’s greatest college football coach passed away. I was two years old and didn’t have the first clue about college, football, college football, or Alabama… and wouldn’t for a great many years. This is where I differ from a lot of students here. You see, most kids who are born and raised in Alabama know about The Bear either because they’re raised properly (as Alabama fans) or because their parents have no sense (they’re Auburn fans). But, you see, even Auburn fans have to teach their kids about Paul “Bear” Bryant, if they didn’t there would be no end to the mocking they’d receive. The Bear is a legend around here, and for good reason.

While Bryant’s 323 major-college victories have been eclipsed by Penn State’s Joe Paterno and Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, Bryant left a legacy that encompassed more than 37 winning seasons overall and five Associated Press national championships at Alabama. No college coach in the second half of the 20th century commanded a bigger presence. Bryant became an icon, a symbol of strength and moral righteousness as much as success.

“Even his peers in the coaching business felt in awe of him,” Paterno said. “He had such charisma. He was just a giant figure.”

Bryant’s record in 38 years at Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Alabama was 323-85-17 (.780). He took 29 teams to bowl games and led 15 to conference championships. In the 1960s and 1970s, no school won more games than Alabama (193-32-5).

“He was simply the best there ever was,” former Nebraska coach Bob Devaney said.

‘Bama fans get ridden hard for “living in the past” — for using our tremendous tradition to prop us up when we’re having a rough year or two. Fans from those schools that wouldn’t know college football tradition if it bit them in the ass just LOVE to talk when they’re doing well (See: Auburn, LSU, Tennessee) but the question I always pose is this one… would I give up, as a fan, the great and storied tradition for one good season now? What about two? Five? Hell no. Good seasons come and go, and without tradition when they go, they’re gone. Nothing more than a few faded memories and stories that start with “remember when” and end with “that seems like so long ago”. When you’ve got tradition, though, those seasons become part of something bigger — they become a part of the tradition. They bolster it, add to its majesty and longevity. The immense tradition of Alabama football is rivaled by few in the college football world, and it all started with The Bear.

That’s why he holds, still to this day, such a dear place in the hearts of true ‘Bama fans — whether they’ve been fans for life, or recent converts, one has to appreciate what Mr. Bryant did for this school, and one has to realize how little the accomplishments after his would seem had it not been for the foundation he laid.

Oh sure, Alabama Football is Marty Lions’ “You’d better pass” comment right before The Goal Line Stand. It’s Teague’s Strip in The ‘93 Sugar Bowl. It’s Van Tiffen, Joe Namath, and Ken Stabler. It’s Ozzie Newsome. It’s Derrick Thomas. But none of that — none of it — means anything without The Bear. And that’s why, even to this day, we still miss him. He was a hell of a man, a damn fine football coach (for want of terms that actually do him justice), and he’s the cornerstone of The Capstone’s proud tradition.

If you need any more proof, all you have to do is read the following, spoken by Vince Lombardi after leading Green Bay to victory in the first ever Super Bowl. When asked what it felt like to be the greatest football team in the world, Lombardi responded: “I don’t know, we haven’t played Alabama yet.”

And that, my friends, is Alabama Football.