A Real Competitor
Reading edition
“Fight on, my men,” Sir Andrew says, “A little I’me hurt, but yett not slaine; “I’le but lye downe and bleede awhile, “And then I’le rise and fight againe.” “Sir Andrew Barton,” Part 2, St. 16 (PERCY’S RELIQUES, Series II, Book II)
If Sir Andrew were coaching football today, he would be accused of teaching “hard-nosed football,” for his battlecry “I’ll rise and fight again” is that of Paul “Bear” Bryant, author of this book and self-acknowledged teacher of hard-nosed or all-out football.
Paul Bryant is one of the ablest, most colorful, most controversial mentors. Fans either love Bear Bryant or despise him—which makes him excellent box office.
Competitive fires flame high in Coach Bryant. Legend has it he once played an entire game with a broken leg, believable when one considers the all-out effort he demands of himself and his players. Deep down, he is a sentimentalist who leaves a heavy imprint on his players. John David Crow, All-American back and Heisman Trophy winner under Bryant at Texas A & M, and now a National Football League star, says, “Coach Paul Bryant is the greatest coach in America. He made a man out of me.”
Paul Bryant is a builder. When he came to Texas A & M in 1954, Aggie fortunes were at a low ebb. In four years, Bryant’s Aggies won 25, lost 14, tied 2, and nine of those losses were in his first year.
As a sports writer and television commentator, this observer has watched Southwest Conference football since 1915, the first year a grid champion was crowned. The conference’s best job of coaching was Bryant’s, beginning in 1954. His outstanding player walked out of the Junction, Texas training camp, and Bryant would not let him return. In their first game, the Aggies lost to Texas Tech 9 to 41. The Aggies dropped all six conference games, but only Baylor was able to achieve a two-touchdown margin. In 1956, Bryant built an unbeaten team, with “my Junction boys” the nucleus.
There was something almost mystical about Bryant’s story of why he was leaving Texas A & M for his alma mater, the University of Alabama: “As a small boy, I sometimes would play until after dark, and then, from afar off, I’d hear my beloved mother calling, ‘Paul, come home.’ I’d run as fast as my legs would carry me.”
Some cynics sneer at Paul Bryant’s explanation. But the many sportsmen who hold for him lasting respect and affection know this warm-hearted man is telling the truth.
Lloyd Gregory Houston, Texas