An APR News Feature
Alabama’s win in the college football playoffs last week was historic for a number of reasons. The Crimson Tide went undefeated during a season impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Alabama played only against teams in the Southeast Conference until the playoffs. Another item for the history books is head coach Nick Saban. He passed legendary Alabama head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most career national titles.
2018 fans of the Crimson Tide rejoiced as Alabama claimed another national title. It also meant the Tide’s current head coach Nick Saban was then tied with an Alabama icon, former head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most career national championships in college football.
“Coach Bryant was kind of the all-American story.”
That’s Ken Gaddy. He’s the executive director of the Bryant Museum on the campus of the University of Alabama.
“He came from a very poor family in rural Arkansas. He got a chance through sports to go to college and he made the most of that opportunity. He came to Alabama as a player, played on a national championship team, worked as an assistant coach, served in World War II and got a chance to come back and be the head coach at Alabama.”
Bryant earned the nickname “Bear” when he was just thirteen years old. The story goes that he accepted a challenge to wrestle a bear at a carnival and the name stuck. Bryant coached at Alabama from 1958 to 1982’ That time was immortalized in photos of him on the sidelines with his trademark houndstooth hat. Bear Bryant held the record for the most career national championships in college football, but that all changed last week.
Last week, the Crimson Tide, under coach Nick Saban, defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes to claim Alabama’s 18th national championship. That’s the seventh of Saban’s career. Six of those titles happened with the Tide, and his first was with the LSU Tigers. This topped Bryant’s record of six. Tide quarterback Mac Jones was asked if he thought Saban is the greatest of all time, he did not hesitate to answer.
“Of course, he is. I mean how could he not be. I mean, he does it the right way, he recruits well, but more importantly develops great players and young men. I’m just so blessed he gave me a chance to come here along with all my teammates, I wouldn’t trade it for anything, he’s the greatest to ever do it and he’ll be the greatest for a long time.”
Coach Saban took a humble approach to the barrage of questions about his new record. He said no matter what anyone does, it is hard to live up to Bryant’s legacy.
“I don’t think anybody really compares to coach Bryant, in the era he coached and the era he won, he won a lot of different ways, he won throwing it, won it running the wishbone, he run a conventional offensive formations and his legacy lasted over a long, long period of time.”
He said times do change and that makes winning different.
“We all have to adjust with the times. Obviously, things are a little different now, the challenges are a little different with the spread offense, the things that make it more difficult to play good defense in this day and age.”
The way games are played and won aren’t the only this that has changed since Bryant was on the field. Ken Gaddy said the way national champions were chosen was much different in those days.
“The major difference now is there is a playoff system today, we had the BCS and now we have the playoff championship series. In coach Bryant’s time they had polls, so you may have multiple teams with claim to the national championship in the same year.”
That’s what happened in 1964. The Tide won the national championship, but they lost to Texas in the Orange Bowl. The Tide ended up sharing the 1964 national title with Arkansas, since the Razorbacks won the Cotton Bowl Classic, and had beaten Texas in the regular season. Saban said his team this year was something special and left no doubt.
“This team won 11 SEC games, no other team has done that, they won the SEC and went undefeated in the SEC. Then they beat two great teams in the playoffs with no real break in-between, this is our fifth game in a row from LSU, to Arkansas, to Florida, to Notre Dame, to here.”
Saban said regardless of his wins and titles, the University of Alabama would not be the same without Coach Bryant.
“I think coach Bryant is in a class of his own in terms of what he was able to accomplish, what his record is, and the longevity he had and the tradition he established. If it wasn’t for coach Bryant we would never be able to do what we did. He’s the one that made Alabama and the tradition at Alabama a place where lots of players wanted to come.”
Ken Gaddy has been with the Bryant museum for twenty-eight years. He said he was given some cautionary advice early on in his career.
“When I got the job were telling me “you’ve got to remember, coach Bryant’s value of his name is going to diminish over time.” I think actually it may have been the opposite. He is just as important today as he was back then.”
He thinks the current coach will be treated much the same way.
“I think that will happen with Saban too. I mean we’re in the Bryant Museum on Bryant Drive just out of sight of Bryant Denny Stadium and I think Saban’s name will start being attached to those kind of things as we move forward too.”
It also seems fitting that Nick Saban won the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year award for the 2020 season.
Gaddy said if anyone is worried about the staying power of Bear Bryant’s influence, just go to Crimson Tide football game.
“You can go to a game today and see houndstooth everywhere. I think there will be a legacy like that going forward, Crimson, White and Houndstooth are the colors of Alabama.”