Eli Gold - Bears Boys: Thirty-Six Men Whose Lives Were Changed by Coach Paul Bryant

2007 by Eli Gold

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gold, Eli, 1953
Bear's boys / Eli Gold with MB Roberts.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4016-0324-3
ISBN-10: 1-4016-0324-6
1. Bryant, Paul W. 2. Football coaches--United States. 3. Football
players--United States--Anecdotes. 4. University of
Alabama--Football--History--Anecdotes. 5. Alabama Crimson Tide
(Football team)--History--Anecdotes. I. Roberts, M. B. (Mary Beth) II.
Title.
GV939.B79G65 2007
796.332092--dc22
[B]

2007021884

Printed in the United States of America

07 08 09 10 QW 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

By Keith Jackson

There was a time several years ago, and I do mean several years.

I was helping with a series of video stories having to do with college football. It was a pleasant adventure because I was working with good people on a subject that reached right to the core of me: The Coaches of the Game.

Well, you dont write or talk about those people without putting a man like Paul William Bryant right in the center of it.

We were working on the campus at Tuscaloosa on a soft warm day, nearing the end of the project, and I was not satisfied that we had the right closing attitude for a video about the Bear.

We went looking for a small pond, found it, and scratched around it to find some pebbles of the right size. For some time we pitched those pebbles into that small pond, several times changing the location of the cameras so we had just right image to make our point.

And voila! We had it!

Now I know there is a funny image here: an ole Georgia Cracker on the University of Alabama campus standing by a little pond pitching rocks at it, looking at the videotape, shouting, Voila!

But by gum, we had the video to carry the thought that defined the man. The Leader. The Coach.

Each ripple on that pond represented a generation, and generation after generation those ripples spread, each carrying the teachings, the philosophy, and the meaning of the man, the leader, the coach, carrying to thousands of people.

This book from Eli Gold gives voices to those ripplesdirect commentary from those who knew the Bear the best. Some played for him and some worked with him. They knew him on good days and bad days, through great victories and lashing losses, but it is in that environment in which people experience life in such a way they never forget it.

They are part of a massive fraternity that had its birth on the Bermuda grass on the football fields of the University of Alabama.

They are BEARS BOYS!

And when you have finished the book, try to remember the last time you heard one of Bears Boys say something bad about the Coach.

Well done, Eli.

Start digging into the history and lore that is Alabama football and one name will always rise to the surface: Paul W. Bear Bryant. It has been said many times, Coach Bryant is Alabama football. Despite the fact that he has been gone since 1983, this is still true today.

Fans, players, and coaches still aspire to his standards. And why shouldnt they? He defined what it meant to be a winnerin football and in life.

Ultimately, we have Coach Bryant to thank for this book. He inspired and influenced many, many people and that is why we have these great stories to tell.

First, the authors would like to thank a very dear friend, Bob Baumhower, for lighting a spark that became an idea and finally, this book. Also, we sincerely appreciate every one of Bears boys (and wonderful people such as Linda Knowles and Jack Rutledge) who agreed to be interviewed for this book. Your stories and sincere affection for your former coach and the University of Alabama blew us away.

We could have not done this book without the incredible knowledge and hours of assistance from everyone at the Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, especially Coach Clem Gryska, Brad Green, Erik Stinnett, and Ken Gaddy.

Thanks also to Neely Portera in The Alumni Association office for helping track down players and to Barry Allen in the universitys Media Relations department for assistance in verifying stats. Thanks also to Elis cohorts at the Crimson Tide Sports Network who were hugely supportive, just as they are of Crimson Nation. Also, the advice and background information offered by author David Briley and the transcription work done by Jessica Senorin are both truly appreciated.

A special thanks goes to Larry Black, the producer of the Alabama Football Legends Reunion, for giving permission to quote from the DVD. The DVD is a must-have for Alabama fans and is available at www.sportsreunion.com or 800/410-9877.

Thanks also to everyone who took the time to gather and send pictures for the book, especially photographer Ron Modra, who photographed several subjects, contributed historical photos, scanned all the prints, and also provided major inspiration for this project.

We are very grateful to Mal Moore and our editor Geoff Stone who helped us make good on our wish to create a scholarship fund from a portion of the proceeds of this book. We appreciate the opportunity to give back to the University that has given us so much.

Finally, thanks to legendary Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Keith Jackson who was so kind to contribute the foreword. The subject matter of the book is impressive enough, but Keiths seal of approval has made the project that much more special.

Give everything youve got
in everything you do.

PAUL W. BEAR BRYANT

EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT COACH PAUL W. BEAR BRYANT ACCOM-plished on the football field. He won games. Lots of games.

When he retired as head coach of the Crimson Tide in 1982, he was the winningest college football coach in history with 323 wins. Although Penn States Joe Paterno and Florida States Bobby Bowden have since passed that mark, people will forever associate Coach Bryant with one word: winner.

True, hes been gone from the sidelines a long time, but Bryant is still well remembered and exceptionally revered. He is still a huge presence in Alabama and is considered an icon among sports fans everywhere.

There have been literally dozens of books published (not to mention a few movies made) about the man, his philosophies, and his winning ways. During football season, Alabama fans erupt into thunderous applause every time his image and voice appear on the jumbotron before Crimson Tide home games. In Tuscaloosa, his name graces Bryant-Denny Stadium, Bryant Drive, Bryant Hall, and the Bryant Museum. Students still wear houndstooth hats on game day and parents still name their kids after him.

There was only one Bear.

There is no denying his presence or his winning record. At Alabama, Bryant brought home six national championships and thirteen SEC titles. During the Bryant era, no other college team won more games or played in more bowl games than Alabama. But Coach Bryant didnt just care about winning. He cared about the people doing the winning. And that, as it turns out, has been his lasting legacy.