Bryant, Bear

Bryant, Bear (Paul Bryant) (brī`ənt), 1913–83, American football coach, b. Moro Bottom, Ark. The son of sharecroppers, he became a Southern culture hero through his football successes. After playing on the Rose Bowl–winning 1935 Univ. of Alabama team, he coached for 38 years at four Southern universities: Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Alabama. At Alabama (1958–82), his "Crimson Tide" teams won or shared six national championships (1961, 1964–65, 1973, 1978–79). Bryant retired with 323 wins, the record for coaches in the top-rated Division I-A until Joe Paterno surpassed it in 2001.

Bibliography

See biography by A. Barra (2005).

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Bryant, Bear

 orig. Paul William Bryant

(born Sept. 11, 1913, Kingsland, Ark., U.S.—died Jan. 26, 1983, Tuscaloosa, Ala.) U.S. collegiate football coach. He was an all-state tackle in high school and went on to play blocking end at the University of Alabama (1932–36). As head coach at the University of Kentucky (1946–53), his team won 60 games, lost 23, and tied 5. After coaching at Texas A&M University (1954–57), he returned to Alabama (1957–82). His Alabama coaching record of 323 wins, 85 losses, and 17 ties broke Amos Alonzo Stagg's long-standing coaching record for games won; in 1985 it was broken by Eddie Robinson of Grambling State. In all, he took Alabama to 28 bowl games and six national championships.