I Remember Paul Bear"" Bryant"": Personal Memoires of College Football's Most Legendary Coach, as Told by the People Who Knew Him Best

Al Browning

Paul Bear"" Bryant was arguably the greatest football coach in the history of college football. Beloved by fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide, by the time he retired from coaching following the 1982 season, his teams had won 323 games, a feat unmatched by any coach in college football history. Before arriving in Tuscaloosa, he had coached at Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas A&M; his teams at Alabama won six national championships and thirteen Southeastern Conference titles.

On July 17, 1981, Coach Bryant sat in his office at Memorial Coliseum reminiscing with sports columnist Al Browning of the Tuscaloosa News. Contemplating the twilight of his career, he calmly said, ""They'll forget me as soon as I croak and am buried"". When Browning objected, Coach smiled slightly and said, ""No, that's the way it is. Life moves on, and people find interest in other things"".