subject: Alabama - The Crimson Tide's "Bear" Bryant [print this page] The Crimson Tide of Alabama has been one of the premiere teams in all of college football from the beginning of the sport. The team has garnered an incredible thirteen recognized national championships, as well as eight of the so-called "consensus" titles, as well as numerous conference championship and bowl game victories. Its winning tradition has made it one of the most recognizable teams in America, and makes it one of the most lucrative recruiting centers for elite college players. For a quarter of a century, one man coached the Crimson Tide to almost half of its total national titles. That man, whose tenure at Alabama stretched from 1957 through the end of 1982, was genially known as Bear Bryant.
The Bear turns it around
When the Bear was hired to coach the Alabama team, the program had just experienced what was for them a period of mediocrity. Four losing seasons in a row had made 'Bama fans and alumni restless, and the Bear's hiring - he left a position at Texas A&M - was thought to be a breath of fresh air. The losing halted immediately, as Bryant's first season resulted in the team winning one more game than they lost. His style of leadership seemed to have the players on the team immediately thinking "victory" and the new attitude played out in winning style whenever they took the field. Three seasons later, the true fruits of the Bryant scheme began to appear on the Alabama tree as the team won the national championship, announcing to the world that Alabama football was back with a vengeance! That was the beginning of one of the most dominant periods in team history, as the Crimson Tide would go on to win a total of 60 games during a six year span in the early 1960s, losing only five times in that same period. That run of victories netted a total of six bowl games, four SEC championships, and three national crowns.
The 1970s and beyond
Every year in the 1970s but two belonged to the Crimson Tide. The SEC was, without a doubt, theirs to do with as they will, and they dominated it in style. That dominance resulted in yet another three national titles, completing Bryant's six-pack of crowns. For students of 'Bama history, however, the 1970s are also known for one of Bryant's bravest decisions. Before a game between Alabama and USC in 1971, the Coach decided to permit John Mitchell to start the game for the Crimson Tide. This was the first instance of any black football player starting in an Alabama Crimson Tide uniform - and it was the event that effectively broke Alabama's color barrier.
The end of Bryant's coaching career personified his team's success as he left with a victory in the 1982 Liberty Bowl. At the time of his departure, the Bear had the most victories of any coach in history, at 323. Sadly, his retirement from coaching preceded his death by mere weeks. To this day, his quarter of a century with the Crimson Tide program is still viewed by most coaches at all levels as one of the most inspiring periods of football success in history.
