"But unlike his dad who was a larger than life figure, the son is among the most private of men, largely a mystery to many, despite leading the public board of the state's largest public university, a position that creates a spotlight. I didn't want it to be (a fight), but I felt some responsibility, Bryant said. We went to the dressing room. Everyone gifted with some version of Coach's moniker wears a nametag, so as to keep them all straight. Alabama-Fans climb tree to watch "Bear" Bryant's funeral. There he is. The patrolman understood and backed off. Bear Bryant had died, and as the news went out on the radio -- the man's voice cracked when he said, "Ladies and gentlemen " -- Varner stood in the hallway of the Druid City Hospital with nowhere to go. After services in Tuscaloosa, Bryant was brought to Elmwood Cemetery for interment. Billy saw him weak and insecure. Some wore Alabama caps and others were seen in houndstoothcheck hats, which Bryant always wore on the sidelines on game day. Today his memories seem to orbit around the idea of protecting Bryant from some unseen enemy. Try 100. But I got outvoted. "I wish I'd read this 30 years ago," he told a friend, "I wouldn't have wasted so much valuable time." "There was so much going on," he says. Each rising sun takes a little more from the couple who live in the small brick home southwest of downtown. But he never played football past age 12 because of a health issue -- he contracted hepatitis. [1] His father, Bear Bryant, was an American football player and coach. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Air view of Coach "Bear" Bryant's funeral procession, Alabama-Air view of Coach "Bear" Bryant's funeral procession The Birmingham News, Mae Martin Bryant Tyson, Stella Gray, Anna Laurie, The daughter of Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, Mae Martin Bryant Tyson, left, and son Paul Bryant Jr., right, attend a memorial service on the campus at Tuscaloosa, Ala., Jan. 27, 1983. Stewart. People contact us all the time, and we ask them to fill out a form with their birthdate, a little family history and a specific section to fill out that starts with, 'This is the story of me or my child being named for Coach Bryant ' That allows us to do a little research and verify it. They are retired ones that mostly just get loving, pets.. Nobody ever has a plan. Bryant did play high school basketball in Tuscaloosa, but in interviews he has said he was part of a great team and played only sparingly. Paul Bryant Jr., a banker and the coach's only son, says his father established the fund in 1973. . Assistant Alabama Coach Kent Johnston said 'The family picked them. To shoot him, they had to get me first.". Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. As of 2015, seven trustees were executives or directors at Bryant Bank. Bryant's inner circle, those who knew the man, is surrounded by reminders of this. It's been a good experience and I've made a lot of very close friends on the board, he said. ", T His voice becomes higher-pitched, quick but not rushed, with confidence in the direction of the words, without the long pauses to read the maps inside his mind. [1] His father, Bear Bryant, was an American football player and coach. A story last year from Bloomberg News, mostly about his extensive business dealings, shows a man who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, a fortune gained through a variety of businesses and investments spanning dog and horse racing, the insurance industry, cement making, catfish farming and banking. * This list only holds up to 10 photographs. He died on Jan. 26, 1983, only a few weeks after his final game on the sideline, the '82 Liberty Bowl. [3], Bryant founded the People's Bank in the late 1960s,[1] and later sold it. Three trades in a chaotic top five, The new law changing service academy football, and the coaches pushing back, Realignment chatter: How the Pac-12 holds the key to it all. he man Billy Varner is remembering has very little in common with the Bryant who is beloved by so many Alabama fans. The Leader was a Republican, society-based evening edition, and the Herald a more political, heavily Democratic morning edition. The price for memories is regret, and somewhere in the middle of all this, Billy considers how he spent his life. Bryant is a family man: He has been married to his wife, Cherry, since 1966, and they have three daughters all UA graduates and three grandchildren. omething remarkable happens when Billy figures out where the den is located -- at first, he stood in the living room confused while Susie called his name over and over -- and inches down the hall, through the kitchen where Coach sat one time for supper, into a room decorated with photographs of Bear Bryant. From its body of 6.500 member banks, the American Bankers Association presented its Revitalizing Youth Community Award for outstanding community service efforts to Bryant Bank in 2012. This photograph was published on Feb 24th, 1948 (1948-02-24) Photograph Number: 1.03-1497.01 Other Members of the class of 2016 2016 Robert Witt 2016 Beverly Phifer 2016 He has also commissioned two books by Delbert Teed honoring Alabama alumni who served in World War II: When Winning Was Everything: Alabama Football Players in World War II and All of Us Fought the War. Lexington (Ky.) -- Politics and government. The university sells houndstooth beach balls and houndstooth pool floats, which you can enjoy with an adult beverage kept cold by a houndstooth huggie. "We had a dog named Bear as a puppy, but then we changed it to Bryant," confessed a family from Huntsville that also has two human Bryants on the roster. Selected for Beta Gamma Sigma, he received the Financial Executives Institute of America Award for the outstanding student in commerce and business administration as well as the Alabama Bankers Association Award for the outstanding student in banking and finance. There is certainly regret in Bryant's choice of devotional. Without sounding too hokey, that's why we started the bank.. You miss a lot of things you shouldn't miss.". In his hospital room, Bryant was joking with the nurses. The walls are covered with certificates and mementos of his service. He never talked about the private things he'd seen. It's certainly not too serious of a process by any stretch, but we really want to know people's stories and give them a chance to share those stories.". Croakies to hold sunglasses, cuff links, purses, both the kind with handles and clutches. I always thought about that. It's a cult. Paul William Bryant Jr (born December 19, 1944 in Birmingham) is a Tuscaloosa businessman and chairman of the Crimson Tide Foundation. Bryant has also had a couple of Labrador retrievers, but they passed away last year. Historic buildings -- Kentucky -- Lexington. Who makes up the University of Alabama Board of Trustees? Its descendant, the Morning Herald, was first published January 1, 1895 and became known as the Lexington Herald in 1905. After one trip, when the men went to a horse track, Billy came home with an envelope from Coach. He said he asked Esquire for a retraction, but William M. Adler, the freelance writer of the article, said he stood by the story. But I got it. Next fall, another great-grandson, Paul William Bryant Tyson, will be on Nick Saban's roster as a freshman quarterback. Susie can tell you what she saw, but that's it. "We knew he'd been offered a lot of money to write a book or help make a movie," says Linda Knowles, Bryant's longtime secretary, "and he would have none of that. He is a man. "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key: That key is Russian national interest.". I remember all of them. He was with him almost 24 hours a day.". Member since Sep 2010. He also was elected president of C&BA students. His eyes get wide, bulging, like they do when he's confused. Bryant also has a keen interest in the Civil War, and serves as chairman emeritus of the Civil War Preservation Trust, a national historic battlefield preservation organization. "Well, that's my middle name!" Billy deflates, his voice and his body sinking back down into the chair. TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Paul Bryant Jr., a native of Tuscaloosa, current trustee of The University of Alabama and graduate of the class of 1966, has given another $10 million gift to The University of Alabama, this time to the recently announced Crimson Tradition Fund Campaign for Athletics. Paul Bryant has stepped up for this project like he . On the wall, there's a candid shot of Paul and Billy in what looks like a living room. They have three daughters: Stella Gray Bryant Sykes, Mae Martin Bryant Murray, and Anna Laurie Bryant McKibbens, all graduates of The University of Alabama, and three grandchildren. The Chester County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) honored Sgt. I'd drive him. It's a spotlight Bryant works hard to avoid. Here's everything we know, The paths of KD and Kyrie: How one month changed three franchises and two superstar legacies, From bubble struggles to NCAA seed improvement, why these final weekend games matter, Foden's return to form helps mask De Bruyne's troubles, Nelson sends Arsenal into euphoria with last-gasp winner over Bournemouth. (AP Photo), Press Photo Mel Allen At Bear Bryant Funeral In Birmingham, Mel Allen - Birmingham - Bear Bryant Funeral. Supporters of UAB football insist that the now-scrapped football program played an important role in helping the university attract students and build campus life. "Yes, sir, we've got Paul and Bryant covered right there in one house.". Susie would come home -- she worked with mental patients in a local hospital -- and see Billy's traveling bag gone. At the end, when Bryant was sicker than anyone knew, Billy heard the private coughs. I think that's one reason, McNair said, that he has put so much money (in the form of donations) into museums at the university., In 2005, Bryant founded Bryant Bank, which he calls my winding-down project.. A lot of them we've got don't hunt because they're older. As always, Varner stood in the background. That's nothing. It is unknown how much, if any, of his money has gone to UAB over the years, although it is common place for many of the board's wealthier members to give substantial gifts to all three schools in the system. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Mourning fans at Paul "Bear" Bryant's funeral. "Uh, uh. (File Photo/ The Huntsville TImes) The Huntsville Times. February 22, 1991 to January 2, 1993. By mid-day, with the sun shining brightly, several hundred waited for the start of the graveside service for Coach "Bear" Bryant. Married with three daughters, Bryant is known to be a student of American history, especially the Civil War. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Growing up, everyone called Bear Jr. "Papa," except for Hilburn, who called Papa's daddy "Papa" while everyone else called him "Grandpapa." When he came back, he was a regular campus policeman. Alabama Media Group, University of Alabama head football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant is lifted onto the shoulders of his players after Alabama defeated Illinois 21-15 in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., Wednesday night, Dec. 30, 1982. A member of the board since 2000, Bryant has said little publicly about UAB football. What I would suspect, and it's only a suspicion, but I think he wouldn't want people to think he was trading on his father's name. Kobe . Later that night, she'd get the inevitable call. They married right out of high school. [1][2] By 1995, they were incorporated as GreenTrack, Inc.[4] As of 2009, he owned 72% of GreenTrack. As Billy's memory fades, that knowledge disappears with it, widening the gulf between truth and imagination. He took care of business, and he kept everything to himself, even after Bryant died. Paul William "Bear" Bryant would have turned 100 on Wednesday, and the grandson made famous by photos of him walking off the field with the man he calls "Papa" is now 50. Mrs. Bryant was dressed in a simple black dress and veil. "I host the family holidays here at my house in Tuscaloosa, and we have so many Pauls and Marys and Mays that I have to draw up place cards for everyone and I have to use a very sophisticated system of last initials. I'd park the car. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The family of the late Kobe Bryant has agreed to a $28.5 million settlement with Los Angeles County to resolve the remaining claims in a lawsuit over deputies and firefighters sharing grisly photos of the NBA star, his 13-year-old daughter and other victims killed in a 2020 helicopter crash, attorneys and court filings said Feb. 28, 2023. [2] He was also the co-founder of Alabama Reassurance Co., later known as Alabama Life Reinsurance Co., a reinsurance company.
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